Characterizing Human Exceptional Longevity

这是一个修订后的应用程序中的职业生涯研究者奖以患者为导向的研究（K24）。的 申请人，博士托马斯珀尔斯，是医学和老年医学副教授和创始人和董事 新英格兰百岁老人研究获得了NIH医生科学家奖（K-12）和保罗 Beeson Faculty Scholar in Aging Research Award，Perls博士继续成为一名独立的科学家 致力于病人导向的研究具体来说，通过这些早期的指导奖，博士珀尔斯 在对一个非常老的队列进行基于人群的表型研究方面发展了专业知识。他 他还获得了另外四项NIH赠款（RO-3、R-21和两项R 0 - 1），证明了他的独立性。珀尔斯医生 在学生和临床研究者职业生涯的各个阶段都有大量的指导记录。 他指导了五名美国老龄化研究联合会医学生老年医学学者，三名 医学预科和研究生院学生，两名老年病学研究员，一名博士预科研究员和一名助理 老年医学教授所有这些学员都成功地与Perls博士一起发表了论文。同时开展 他的R 01资助的研究的目的，一个基于人口的百岁老人和他们的生物人口学研究， 家庭，这个K24赠款规定，15%的努力将致力于收集初步数据和发展 申请资助百岁老人的遗传流行病学研究。Perls博士将参加 生物伦理学、负责任地开展临床调查和遗传流行病学作为其职业生涯的一部分 与发展相关的教育目标。这些百岁老人的研究为学员提供了肥沃的土壤， 临床研究的实践经验。卓越的使用寿命， 从灵性、个性、适应能力和功能储备，到人口统计学和临床研究 表观遗传学关联的观察。35%的工作将致力于指导现有和未来 学员一个庞大而多样化的学术社区，拥有广泛的培训计划，将确保 一个高素质和有才华的学员充足的池。 与公共卫生的相关性：在珀尔斯博士的指导下， 学员，从学生到初级教师，肥沃的土壤，为学习广泛的方面成功 从宗教、个性、适应能力和功能储备到环境、行为和 与特殊生存率的基因关联随后的研究结果可能最终转化为战略 帮助人们更成功地衰老。

This is a revised application for a Mid-Career Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24). The applicant, Dr. Thomas Perls, is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics and Founder and Director of the New England Centenarian Study. Having received an NIH physician scientist award (K-12) and a Paul Beeson Faculty Scholar in Aging Research Award, Dr. Perls proceeded to become an independent scientist devoted to patient-oriented research. Specifically, through these earlier mentored awards, Dr. Perls developed expertise in conducting a population-based phenotypic study of an extremely old cohort. His independence is demonstrated by his receipt of four other NIH grants (RO-3, R-21 and two R0-1s). Dr. Perls has a substantial record of mentoring students and clinical investigators at various stages of their careers. He has mentored five American Federation of Aging Research Medical Student Geriatrics Scholars, three premedical and pre-graduate school students, two geriatrics fellows, a pre-doctoral fellow and an Assistant Professor in Geriatrics. All of these trainees successfully published papers with Dr. Perls. While carrying out the aims of his R01-funded study, a population-based bio-demographic study of centenarians and their families, this K24 grant provides that 15% effort will be devoted to gathering preliminary data and developing applications to fund a genetic epidemiological study of centenarians. Dr. Perls will attend courses in bioethics, responsible conduct of clinical investigations and genetic epidemiology as a part of his career development-related education goals. These centenarian studies provide fertile ground for mentees to gain hands-on experience in clinical research. Innumerable aspects of exceptional longevity are available for study from spirituality, personality, adaptive capacity and functional reserve, to demographic and clinical observations to epigenetic associations. 35% effort will be dedicated to mentoring established and future mentees. A large and diverse academic community with a broad spectrum of training programs will ensure an ample pool of highly qualified and talented mentees. Relevance to public health: The study of human exceptional longevity under Dr. Perls's mentorship, provides trainees, from students to junior faculty, fertile ground for studying a broad range of aspects of successful aging from religion, personality, adaptive capacity and functional reserve to environmental, behavioral and genetic associations with exceptional survival. Subsequent findings may ultimately translate into strategies that help people age more successfully.