External Advisory Board meeting in May
On May 23, 2024, the Pepper Center held a highly productive External Advisory Board meeting. The primary focus was to review our recent advancements, assess strategic goals, and gather valuable insights to drive our future initiatives. The board members provided critical feedback and actionable recommendations, reinforcing our commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. Overall, the board noted that the Pepper Center had several major accomplishments for 2023-2024 and were highly supportive of a shift in the theme to the multi-complexity of mobility loss.
Annual Pepper Centers Meeting in Arlington, Virginia
On April 25-26, 2024, the National Annual Meeting for all Pepper Centers convened, bringing together leading researchers, clinicians, and stakeholders dedicated to advancing geriatric research and care. Attendees had the opportunity to engage in dynamic exchanges of ideas, network with peers, and plan collaborations on future projects. Our Pepper Center had seven investigators, scholars and pilot awardees attend and present their research. UF also kicked off the conference with a symposium called “Pepper Center AI and Aging,” presented by Drs. Todd Manini, Deepa Ranka and Christopher Kaufmann.
During the meeting, Helena Zomer, one of our Pepper Scholars and Research Assistant Professor in the UF Department of Physiological Sciences, was honored with “Best Poster Presentation.” The title of her poster was “Targeting Estrogen Signaling for Aged Skin Repair.” This award recognizes Zomer’s outstanding contributions to aging-centered research.
Aging Seminar Series on May 28
We thank Dr. Jinying Zhao, a renowned expert in Epidemiology and omics technologies, for delivering an insightful presentation on May 28, 2024, with approaches to personalized medicine using multi-omics in cardiometabolic diseases. The Pepper Center hosts the Aging Seminar Series on the second Tuesday each month during the spring and fall semesters. Please request to join the Age-Network by email (info-aging@aging.ufl.edu) to learn about seminars and programs about aging.