Each student has a structured research experience. Students conduct research in collaboration with a mentor to complete a project that can be accomplished in an 8 to 12 week period. Students should meet with mentors at least once a week to review their progress on the project and to work on preparing oral and written presentations of their research. Each program site has a distinguished list of mentors who have agreed to participate in the program. Please contact the program administrator for details on mentors and research interests.

Health Services

  • Sleep problems in older adults
  • Quality-of care indicators for older women with incontinence
  • Quality of care for elders with diabetes
  • Geriatric diabetes guideline development
  • Neighborhood influences on health for older adults with chronic conditions
  • Measuring quality of care for vulnerable elders
  • Fall prevention and management for older adults
  • Perceptions of social usefulness/value as predictors of health in older adults
  • Palliative Care
  • Care giving of older Latinos and aging-related health disparities
  • Cost-effectiveness and decision-analysis in treatment of older cancer patients
  • Role of Comorbidity and functional status in treatment selection and outcomes in older cancer patients
  • Use of web-based data collection methodology in oncology practices
  • Physician-patient communication
  • Functional outcomes of elderly trauma patients
  • Cross-cultural issues in end-of-life decisions

Clinical

  • Neuroimaging in aging and dementia
  • Biological underpinnings of cognitive expression of brain aging
  • Dementia/memory impairment
  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Cognitive Function
  • Physical activity and relation to cognition
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Interactions between cerebrovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease
  • Neuropathic substrates of dementia
  • Sleep disorders in nursing home residents
  • How different methods of scoring neuropsychological tests influence diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment

Basic Science

  • Mechanisms of Neuronal Regeneration after Stroke
  • Epigenetic Regulation during the Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
  • Mitochondrial genetics in skeletal muscle aging
  • Gene Action in Sarcopenia