Invest in a Future of Healthy Aging
Your Gift. Our Research. A Healthier Future for All.
We’re excited to announce the launch of “Invest in a Future of Healthy Aging,” the new fundraising campaign for the Stein Institute for Research on Aging at UC San Diego. Your support will help advance groundbreaking research, train the next generation of leaders in aging science, and create programs that improve health and well-being for communities locally and beyond.
Read a letter from our Director, Dr. Alison Moore, below to learn more about the campaign and how you can be part of shaping a healthier future for all.
What Your Gift Makes Possible:
At the Stein Institute, our SAGE (Successful AGing Evaluation) study has been at the forefront of aging research for over 15 years. With data from thousands of older adults in San Diego, it has generated more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, advancing global understanding of what it truly means to age successfully.
From mental resilience to physical function, from social connection to biological markers—longitudinal studies like SAGE are goldmines of insight. But sustaining them requires ongoing support and commitment.
"What is the formula for Healthy Aging? Prospective research studies track people over time, piecing together how our choices, lifestyles, and environments shape our future." says Dr. Anthony Molina, "Continued support for longitudinal studies—like our San Diego-based SAGE (Successful AGing Evaluation) study—drives innovations and keeps vital data accessible to scientists worldwide. Through this work, we are fueling cutting-edge research and supporting discoveries that pave the way for healthier, happier aging for all.
Your gift to our new campaign, Invest in a Future of Healthy Aging, directly fuels this research and supports the scientists making it possible. Together, we can turn today’s discoveries into tomorrow’s healthier tomorrows.
At the Stein Institute, we’re proud to support researchers like Kelly Kusche, a Ph.D. student in Biomedical Sciences at UC San Diego. Kelly’s work explores a critical question in the science of aging: How does where we live shape how we age?
Guided by Dr. Anthony Molina, Kelly is analyzing blood samples from older adults across San Diego to measure exposure to over 1,200 environmental toxins. By linking these biological markers with neighborhood-level data, like pollution, access to green space, and socioeconomic status, her research is uncovering how environmental and social conditions influence the aging process over time.
Training and empowering scientists like Kelly is central to our mission. Your support helps them ask the big questions—and find answers that can transform lives.
As part of a comprehensive strategic plan to broaden our impact, the Stein Institute launched the San Diego Communities of Aging Network (SDCAN), a deliberate effort to connect diverse communities with the researchers working to improve aging outcomes.
By fostering ongoing dialogue through seminars, forums, and partnerships, SDCAN ensures the voices of older adults from all walks of life inform our science. This inclusive approach helps us understand the full range of aging experiences and develop solutions that are relevant, practical, and accessible to everyone.
Community engagement is essential to reaching all older adults, breaking down barriers, and translating scientific discoveries into real-world improvements.
With over 40 years of groundbreaking discoveries and dedicated mentorship, we’re looking ahead to an even more impactful future. Our vision includes launching new fellowships, expanding programs, and reaching more communities with innovations that extend healthspan and improve quality of life.
This campaign builds on a legacy of scientific excellence and community commitment, and your support is essential to keep it moving forward.
At the Stein Institute, we know that endowed chairs play a crucial role in academic research and innovation. An endowed chair is a permanent faculty position funded by a dedicated gift, providing stable support for a scientific leader. This funding allows the chair holder to focus on pioneering research, recruit talented collaborators, and mentor the next generation of sceintists.
By endowing a chair, such as the Scientific Director of Aging Research, you help secure strong leadership that drives discovery and advances healthy aging for decades into the future.
Legacy and planned giving options also allow donors to create a lasting impact, ensuring research and training continue uninterrupted to benefit all generations.