CEO Blog

We are on the cusp of a major expansion to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world. Plans continue to move forward for the development of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which would be housed at NIH.

This new agency — inspired by the achievements driven the by Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)— is designed to “embrace bold and high-risk, high reward solutions with the potential to accelerate disruptive progress across an array of diseases and conditions and at levels ranging from the molecular to the societal.”

The official dates of the GSA 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting Online are now in the rearview mirror, but I’m guessing even the most dedicated GSA member couldn’t have taken in all 1,200 individual symposium presentations, 700 papers, and 1,400 posters within a four-day span!

Fortunately, all of our scientific program remains accessible for registered attendees in on-demand format on the GSA 2021 meeting platform. All of this rich content — which embodied our meeting theme of “Disruption to Transformation: Aging in the ‘New Normal” — is available for consumption until December 31.

Clostridioides difficile (or C. diff) is the most common health care associated infection. Yet only 30 percent of Americans have heard of this dangerous and potentially deadly disease. So in this November’s C. Diff Awareness month, let’s do what we can to raise awareness among colleagues, partners, and the public.

GSA has teamed-up with several other organizations to address the challenges presented by this bacterium. The Peggy Lillis Foundation has a website dedicated to helping friends, family, and healthcare workers “See C. diff.” It covers the risk factors, symptoms, and potential treatments, so we can protect ourselves and our loved ones from this preventable disease.

The Friends of the National Institute of Aging (FoNIA) coalition, of which GSA is a founding member, has designed a social media campaign to highlight the research that NIA funds and enhances the lives of all Americans.

FoNIA is encouraging all aging researchers to take a picture of themselves and/or something emblematic of their research and post to social media using #NIAFundsMe. FoNIA can then funnel these posts to appropriate Congressional social media feeds to expand awareness of your research and the key role NIA plays in advancing science.

A new collaboration to build relationships between GSA and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) is underway, and you’re invited to be a part of it.

As initiated by four alumni/faculty of HBCUs from within the GSA membership — Drs. Tamara Baker, Ashley Jennings, Tiffany Washington, and Felicia Wheaton — a kick-off meeting for all interested parties will take place online on Friday, October 22, from 1 to 2 pm. ET. If you are an alumni, faculty, staff, or student who represents an HBCU, or just want to learn more, please sign up and put this on your calendar.