Stanford Aging & Ethnogeriatrics Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center (SAGE)

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PROJECT SUMMARY—OVERALL COMPONENT: The NIH has long recognized the necessity to aggressively leverage emerging methodologies like precision medicine, digital health, biomedical data science and virtual reality & simulation based interventions approaches to ameliorate health disparities in racial and ethnic minorities. However, relatively fewer efforts have attempted to conduct trans- disciplinary aging research integrating biological, social and behavioral sciences utilizing emerging methodologies. The overarching goal of the proposed Stanford Aging and Ethnogeriatrics Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center (SAGE) is to increase the diversity of the aging research workforce by mentoring new leaders in aging research and promoting advances in behavioral and social sciences aging research using emerging methodologies including precision medicine, digital health, biomedical big data science and virtual reality and simulation based interventions. By identifying, mentoring and supporting (through dedicated pilot funds and methodological and recruitment support) junior investigators from underrepresented groups (SAGE Scientists) we propose to create a culturally sensitive and culturally competent research workforce focused on promoting equity in healthcare and mitigating disparities in diverse older populations using emerging methodologies. We have in place outstanding strengths in the three principal scientific elements requisite to form a coordinated, sustainable, and far-reaching `aging research to practice collaboration' integrating behavioral, social and biological sciences using emerging methodologies: 1) Behavioral and social scientists and disparities researchers, spanning psychology, psychiatry, demography, epidemiology, evolutionary biology, health services research & economics, computer science, social media science, virtual reality/simulation interventions and digital health; 2). Extensive experience with trans-disciplinary translational research that integrates laboratory assessment of genetic markers, their relationships to both disease risk and treatment relevance with psychosocial research approaches; and 3) Novel and outstanding analytic and high-performance `big-data' computing capabilities, consolidated in our Department of Biomedical (`Big Data') Data Science. With Stanford's setting in one of the most racially, ethnically and socially diverse aging populations in the US, and leveraging the seven-school campus-wide “Precision Health” initiative that integrates biomedical data science, engineering, business, design, digital health technology, virtual reality interventions and patient care under the recently endowed Center for Population Health Sciences we feel uniquely situated to make game-changing breakthroughs in aging research using emerging methodologies, and to lead such research efforts nationally.