New Buck Initiative:
The Next Frontier in Healthy Aging
April 23, 2026 . EVENTS
New Buck Initiative:
The Next Frontier in Healthy Aging
Thursday, April 23, 2026
4-5pm
Buck Institute
On April 23 from 4–5 PM, the Buck Institute for Research on Aging will host a special event to commemorate the launch of THRIVE: Transforming Health—Reclaiming Intrinsic Vitality for Everyone, a groundbreaking new initiative aimed at developing the first FDA-grade Intrinsic Capacity Score to measure and predict healthy aging.
Held in collaboration with the YMCA and The California Institute of Stress and Resilience Research, the event will feature a moderated panel discussion with leaders of the THRIVE initiative, who will share insights into this ambitious effort to transform how we measure resilience, healthspan, and aging. The program will include live and Zoom participation, followed by time for audience Q&A, offering attendees an opportunity to engage directly with the scientists and partners working to bring this innovative approach to communities nationwide.
This research was, in part, funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA H). The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the United States Government.
Bookings
Speakers
Upcoming
Brianna Stubbs, PhD
Director of Translational Science, Buck Institute
Dr. Stubbs is a world expert in exogenous ketone metabolism and its implications for performance, resilience and healthspan. She completed her PhD in metabolic physiology at the University of Oxford, studying the metabolism and the application of exogenous ketone salts and esters. While completing her studies, she competed on the British International Rowing Team, and was a two-time world champion lightweight athlete. Dr. Stubbs is currently a Lead Translational Scientist at the Buck Institute where she is focused on the translation of Buck research into consumer products and drugs that target healthy aging.
John Newman, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Buck Institute
John Newman, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor at the Buck Institute and in the Division of Geriatrics at University of California San Francisco (UCSF). His career goal is to translate our expanding understanding of aging biology to improve the care for, and help maintain the independence of, older adults. His research at the Buck centers on the molecular details of how diet and fasting regulate the genes and pathways that in turn control aging.
Dr. Newman is also a geriatrician who cares for hospitalized older adults at UCSF focusing on preserving mobility and preventing delirium. He received his BS/MS from Yale University in molecular physics and biochemistry, and completed an MD/PhD at the University of Washington. He then completed a residency in internal medicine and fellowship training in geriatric medicine at UCSF.
David Furman, PhD
Professor and Chief of the AI Platform, Buck Institute; Director of the Stanford 1,000 Immunomes Project at Stanford School of Medicine;
Dr. David Furman is Director of the Stanford 1,000 Immunomes Project at Stanford School of Medicine, Professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and Chief of the AI Platform at the same institute. He obtained his Doctoral degree in immunology (summa cum laude) from the School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, for his work on cancer immune-surveillance. During his Postdoctoral training at the laboratory of Professor Mark M Davis (Stanford), he conducted cutting-edge research in Data Science and Systems Immunology to predict clinical outcomes using multi-omics technologies in large human cohorts. The aim was to answer scientific questions with strong potential for translational medicine, including the effect of immunity in age-related disease and longevity. Dr. Furman moved to University of Bordeaux, France, where he was appointed as Visiting Scientist and investigated the involvement of the endocrine and immune systems in human aging and in kidney transplantation. After France, Dr. Furman helped create the Systems Biology Department at the Sidra Medical Research Center in Doha, Qatar. Dr. Furman was then re-appointed at the Stanford School of Medicine to assume the role of Consulting Professor at the Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection (ITI), and his work involved the use of high-bandwidth/high throughput technologies to measure immune function in humans and Machine Learning tools to better define the role of the immune system in disease and longevity.
Dr. Furman is inventor of over 20 patents and has published dozens of scientific articles with over 6,000 citations in top peer reviewed journals such as The Lancet, Nature Medicine, Cell, etc. Current i10 index of Dr. Furman is 32.
George Slavich, PhD
Adjunct Professor, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, UCLA
Dr. George Slavich is a Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA and a leading expert in the science of stress, health, and resilience. His research examines how life stress and social experiences affect the brain, immune system, and genome to influence mental and physical health across the lifespan. A highly cited researcher in psychoneuroimmunology, he developed the first online system for assessing lifetime stress exposure and pioneered research in human social genomics and Social Safety Theory. Dr. Slavich directs several major initiatives focused on stress, trauma, and resilience and has published widely in leading journals including Nature Medicine, JAMA Psychiatry, PNAS, and Molecular Psychiatry.
Jessie Schiesel
Senior Director of Health Living, YMCA
Directions
The Buck Institute is located 25 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge.
San Francisco Airport/San Francisco/South Bay:
- Take Highway 101 North across the Golden Gate Bridge
- Take the last Novato exit — Atherton/San Marin Drive (just north of the DeLong exit)
- Turn left at the stoplight, and go west over the freeway overpass
- Get in the right lane, and turn right at the second stoplight onto Redwood Boulevard
- Go approximately ½ mile, and turn left onto Buck Center Drive
- At the top of the hill, turn left into the Visitor Parking Lot
Berkeley/Oakland/Oakland International Airport:
- Take Highway 80 to Highway 580 West, and cross the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge
- Take 580 until it merges with Highway 101 North in San Rafael
- Take the last Novato exit — Atherton/San Marin Drive (just north of the DeLong exit)
- Turn left at the stoplight, and go west over the freeway overpass
- Get in the right lane, and turn right at the second stoplight onto Redwood Boulevard
- Go approximately ½ mile, and turn left onto Buck Center Drive
- At the top of the hill, turn left into the Visitor Parking Lot
From Sonoma County, take Highway 101 South:
- Take the first Novato exit (Atherton/San Marin Drive)
- Turn right at the stoplight, and stay in the right lane
- Take an immediate right onto Redwood Boulevard
- Go approximately ½ mile, and turn left onto Buck Center Drive
- At the top of the hill, turn left into the Visitor Parking Lot
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