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Pioneers in aging research

Housed at USC, a world-class research university, the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology faculty and students are constantly pushing the boundaries of their various disciplines both in and out of the lab and core facilities. Several broad areas of focus spark curiosity and collaboration in researchers at all levels, and their goal is to discover and perfect new breakthroughs, technologies, and findings that benefit older adults around the world.

Photos one and five above courtesy of Irimia Lab

USC Leonard Davis courtyard and fountain

Institutes and Centers

The USC Leonard Davis School abounds with innovative and important Institutes and Centers. Breakthroughs in our laboratories are being implemented into real-world applications. Our work is changing lives.

Airpoll Brain Group

The AirPollBrain (APB) Group aims to promote the optimal neurodevelopment in humans and healthy brain aging by better understanding environmental effects of urban air pollution and gene-environment interactions. Taking a multi-disciplinary research, APB addresses effects of environmental pollution on the brain across the lifespan.

Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

The Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at USC is supported by the National Institutes of Health to conduct research on memory problems and aging.

Center for Global Aging

The Center on Global Aging conducts and promotes research on how aging can vary around the world due to social and economic contexts, changes in health, and policies and programs to support aging persons. Topics of interest include physiological aging, health, well-being, caregiving, labor force participation, migration, use of services, family interaction, and social integration.

Center for Lifespan Health

The Center for Lifespan Health works to create multiple institutional resources to advance lifespan health research, along with various existing nonprofit partners including the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging, the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.

Fall Prevention Center of Excellence

The Fall Prevention Center of Excellence (FPCE), based at the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, is dedicated to promoting aging in place and independent living for persons of all ages and abilities.

Family Caregiver Support Center

The USC Family Caregiver Support Center (FCSC) at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology has placed a high priority on providing support across the continuum of caregiving, including diagnosis, prognosis, services that help maintain the care recipient’s independence and abilities, helping caregivers care for themselves, and manage their own well-being.

The Longevity Institute

The Longevity Institute catalyzes multidisciplinary approaches to translate aging research into interventions that maximize the healthy lifespan. Scientists and clinicians work together to identify and test dietary, pharmacological, regenerative, and engineering approaches to prevent multiple diseases of aging and maximize healthspan. The Institute focuses on projects that can be rapidly translated into patient wellness as well as projects that have long-term goals.

Ney Center for Healthspan Science

The Ney Center for Healthspan Science is designed to be a hub of multidisciplinary exploration into the biological, demographic and psychosocial aspects of aging. It leverages the school’s uniquely wide-ranging expertise in investigating the science of aging and implementing innovations to help people live with purpose, safety and security.

USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health

The USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health (CBPH) is a multisite center located at the Andrus Gerontology Center of the University of Southern California and the Program in Geriatric Medicine in the School of Medicine of the University of California at Los Angeles. The primary purpose of the CBPH is to provide a synergistic research environment for the integration and translation of research findings from a variety of disciplines to understand population health.

USC-Buck Nathan Shock Center

The USC-Buck Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Biology of Aging is a new and fully integrated multi-institutional center focused on training the next generation of geroscientists and providing access to cutting-edge geroscience technologies to investigators across the nation.

USC Center for Elder Justice

The USC Center on Elder Mistreatment brings together the existing and wide-ranging elder mistreatment expertise at USC — in medicine, gerontology, health services, psychology, and policy — as well as encourages new partnerships in biology, genetics, biodemography, economics, law, neuroscience, allied health, biostatistics, and social work.

Scientist in white coat examining data on computer display

Cores

Research cores at the USC Leonard Davis School provide specialized services for scientists. Visit each core’s page to learn more about services, scheduling, and pricing.

Aging Biomarker and Service Core

Provides services for aging- and metabolism-related biomarkers as well as new assay development.

Aging Murine Phenotyping Core

Provides expertise, technical resources, and instrumentation for phenotypic characterization of metabolic and behavioral parameters in mice.

Bioinformatics Core

A centralized resource through which bioinformatics consulting and data analysis solutions can be facilitated.

Seahorse Core

The core’s Seahorse XF96 Extracellular Flux Analyzer measures oxygen consumption rate and extracellular acidification rate in cell lines, primary cells, isolated mitochondria, and worms (C. elegans).

Juan Bravo injecting something into tubes in a lab
Two men, one older and one younger, talking at a table
Colorful image of a brain scan showcasing different brain areas in vivid colors
Two woman looking at a white board, with one pointing at it

Research Opportunities

The USC Leonard Davis School offers numerous opportunities for students in all programs to participate in research. Several broad areas of focus spark curiosity and collaboration in researchers at all levels, and their goal is to discover and perfect new breakthroughs, technologies, and findings that benefit older adults around the world.

Learn more

Colloquium Series in Multidisciplinary Research on Aging

Students are expected to attend invited lectures by nationally and internationally recognized scholars in the field of aging. There are generally 5-6 lectures per semester given in this series.

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Research Events

Students, researchers and others are encouraged to register and learn about different events happening at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.

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