Core Leaders
Alice Ryan, PhD
Phone: 410-605-7851
Email: aryan@som.umaryland.edu
Chris Ward, PhD
410-706-3618
Email: ward@som.umaryland.edu
Denise Orwig, PhD
Phone: 410-706-8951
Email: dorwig@som.umaryland.edu
Co-Investigators
Brock Beamer, MD
Phone: 410-605-7000 ext.54870
Email: bbeamer@som.umaryland.edu
Brajesh Lal, MD
Phone: 410-328-5840
Email: blal@som.umaryland.edu
Joseph Stains, PhD
Phone: 410-706-2494
Email: jstains@som.umaryland.edu
Chronic disease and cardiovascular and musculoskeletal deconditioning accelerate the onset and severity of age-related functional declines which predispose to increased risk of disability from falls, hip fracture, stroke, acute injuries, and additional comorbid disease. The disproportionate increase in disability and chronic disease burden in the rapidly expanding older population exacerbates the socio-economic impact of functional disability. The overarching goal of the UM-OAIC is to promote enablement and develop, implement, and evaluate strategies to improve and restore functional independence in older people after an acute injury or with disabling conditions. To accomplish this, Applied Physiology, Mechanisms and Translation Core (RC-2) will support and accelerate the development and study of meaningful interventions to better understand how to delay or prevent functional declines and promote the enablement of disabled older people.
To achieve this goal, we have implemented the following specific aims:
Advance research focused on the mechanisms of functional decline in older persons and to conduct studies which promote enablement and recovery through:
- Participant medical assessments and cardiovascular screening of research participants to ensure patient safety and eligibility for research protocols.
- Development and testing of interventions for clinical centers, and home and community and care settings.
- Cardiometabolic and functional phenotyping and biochemical study of blood and tissue.
- Studies in pre-clinical aging rodent models: phenotyping of musculoskeletal and cardiovascular function in vivo, and function and tissue properties measured in vitro.
Provide mentoring and training to REC Scholars, affiliated faculty, and UM-OAIC researchers in the performance of clinical and preclinical aging research relevant to enablement and restoration of function, and the prevention of functional declines in older people through:
- Mentoring and interdisciplinary educational and consultative resources to REC Scholars and early-stage investigators on research design, implementation, conduct, and interpretation of studies.
- Clinical applied training in the conduct of translational research.
- Laboratory training in preclinical methodologies for exercise training, musculoskeletal phenotyping in vivo, the measure of function and tissue properties in vitro, and cellular and molecular assays in human and animal tissue to facilitate translational research.