Name	Title	Department	Business Phone	Email	Mailing Address	Physical Address	ORCID
	Christiaan Leeuwenburgh	Professor & Chief, Division Of Biology Of Aging	MD-AGING/ GERIATRIC RES-OTHER	(352) 273-5735	cleeuwen@ufl.edu	––	––	0000-0003-0826-4257
	Roger B Fillingim	PROFESSOR	DN-COMMUNITY DENTISTRY	(352) 273-5963	rfilling@ufl.edu	––	––	––

Our Mission

Promoting the development of independent investigators in interdisciplinary research on aging, this Core emphasizes competency-based development of research and leadership skills. Core resources are integrated with other internal and external sources for career support, including UF support; NIH and non-NIH career-development awards; minority supplements; research awards and fellowships; and the CTSI. Specifically, the leaders of the OAIC Research Education Core and Leadership and Administration Core will work closely together to: (1) provide pilot grant support and a tailored career-development plan for each mentee; (2) offer a formal training strategy that emphasizes the integration of clinical sciences toward translational research and facilitates interactions across the OAIC and their cores; (3) compose a formal mentorship program; and (4) monitor trainees’ research process using milestones and achievements

The UF Older Americans Independence Center’s Research Education Core  (OAIC REC) promotes the development of independent investigators in interdisciplinary research on aging relevant to the independence of older Americans. This core emphasizes the development of leadership skills for translating basic findings into clinical research and clinical findings into basic research.

Research Education Core Scholars

The REC supports the research training of OAIC Research Education Core Scholars.  The Scholars span the spectrum from being not yet funded, to having an external career development award or equivalent, to advanced trainees who already obtained grants that provide substantial salary support.

Under the direction of the REC Core leader, each Scholar has assembled a mentoring committee with one primary mentor and 2-4 secondary mentors.  The trainees and mentors meet regularly to discuss and strategically plan the research agenda, training and development activities and trajectory for independent funding.  Scholars may expect to have a portion of their salary and research activities sponsored by the Core.

Matthew Burns,  Sudeshina Chatterjee, Mamoun Mardini, and Samir Shah

Assistant Professor Of Neurology

Matthew Burns MD, PhD

Project Title: Mesocorticolimbic Dysfunction and Modulation in Aging and Synucleinopathy

Assistant Scientist

Sudeshna A Chatterjee

Project Title: Investing COMT Genotype Association with Mobility Decline and Falls in Older Adults

Assistant Professor

Mamoun Mardini, Ph.D.

Project Title: Developing an EHR-Based Frailty Index Using Machine Learning Approaches

Assistant Professor

Samir K Shah, MD, MPH

Project Title: Patient-Centered Outcomes After Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Surgery