Research Programs

Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center

The Yale Pepper Center was established in 1992 through the support of the National Institute on Aging. The mission of the Yale Pepper Center is the development and testing of clinical interventions that maintain or increase independence among older persons. We train researchers to conduct multi-disciplinary intervention trials aimed at maintenance and improvement of functional ability. A major focus is to increase collaborative investigation among researchers with expertise in fields relevant to understanding, treating, and preventing functional decline. The Yale Pepper Center aims to translate research findings into improved healthcare delivery and public policy.

Hartford Foundation Center of Excellence in Aging

The overarching objective of the Yale/Hartford Center of Excellence in Aging is to increase the quantity, and enhance the quality, of faculty who are able to teach, conduct research, and provide leadership for aging issues within medical subspecialties and within designated geriatric programs. To accomplish this objective, the aim of the Yale/Hartford COE in Aging is to provide research training, support, and mentorship to highly qualified physician investigators pursuing careers in academic geriatric medicine or conducting age-related research in the medical specialties and subspecialties. Synergies among several age-related programs at Yale immerse the subspecialty awardees in aging and, as importantly, immerse aging into the subspecialties. Key programs with which the Hartford COE has strong synergies include the Yale Pepper Center, the RWJ Clinical Scholars Program, Investigative Medicine, the Reynolds Geriatric Curriculum development program, and other Hartford Foundation training programs.

Dissemination Projects

Connecticut Collaboration for Fall Prevention - The objective of the Collaboration is to implement, within the greater Hartford area, a multifaceted, multidisciplinary fall prevention program that reaches older adults via the existing health care system and community organizations. The fall prevention interventions are based on a randomized clinical trial conducted at Yale which found that a multifactorial intervention strategy resulted in a 36% reduction in the fall rate among community living older adults.

Hospital Elder Life Program - An innovative model program designed to improve the hospital experience for older patients by helping them maintain their cognitive and functional abilities. The program is the result of Yale research which found that delirium can be reduced by 40% through a multicomponent, targeted delirium intervention delivered by clinicians and a cadre of specially trained volunteers.

Biology of Aging Basic Science Research Program

This series includes fellows, trainees, and junior and senior faculty from multiple disciplines and departments engaged in basic science research, including animal studies, with a focus on aging. Please contact Dr. Al Shaw or Jane Mallory to be included on the mailing list (albert.shaw@yale.edu, jane.mallory@ynhh.org). This series offers a forum for:

• Junior faculty to present in progress or completed studies and receive feedback from senior faculty senior investigators and outside investigators to present their work
• Bring together researchers from multiple disciplines and encourage collaborative relationships

Seminars are held monthly and attendance is about 15 people per seminar.