Letter From Our Director

Our Director, Dr. Alison Moore

I am thrilled to announce that I have been chosen as the next Director of the Stein Institute for Research on Aging (SIRA) and the UC San Diego Center for Healthy Aging (CHA). Since July 2022, I have been the Interim Director and had the privilege of leading SIRA/CHA alongside longtime Executive Director, Danielle Glorioso and Scientific Director, Anthony Molina, PhD. Together we appointed four Associate Directors having a range of expertise in aging from different departments and Schools at UC San Diego. We have set up and are running a Living Lab at Belmont Village Senior Living in La Jolla where residents can participate in a variety of research projects. We are also about to send out the second annual round of surveys for the Successful Aging Evaluation (SAGE) cohort since it was halted in 2020 due to the pandemic. These rounds have expanded the SAGE study’s focus on cognitive and emotional aspects of aging across the lifespan with questions addressing physical aspects of aging as well as social determinants of health.

Moving forward, the theme that will guide our research efforts is geroscience, or the study of factors that drive aging and differences in trajectories of health. In particular we will focus on drivers of healthy aging to improve healthspan. We chose this theme as it is the focus of much cutting-edge research in aging and is broad enough to enable the study of factors ranging from biological to social and behavioral.

We also plan to sustain and diversify our aging research training initiatives including programs supporting undergraduates to explore healthy aging in the class and in the field, doctoral and postdoctoral students to study mental health and aging, and medical students to conduct research in aging. We are working on plans to partner with other programs to encourage aging research training from high school students through university faculty.

Community outreach efforts will be broadened to increase diversity, inclusion and accessibility. We want to reach people from many backgrounds and to partner with all of you to learn how best to share knowledge regarding healthy longevity and other topics. 

I am grateful to be the new Director and proud to be the first woman Director of the Stein Institute for Research on Aging since its inception in 1983. Our work will lead to new discoveries, innovative training programs, and even greater community engagement to improve older adults' lives - here in San Diego and all over the world.