Buck Institute’s Jennifer Garrison, Phd Receives $100,000 AFAR Grant for Junior Faculty to Advance Research in the Biology of Aging and Age-Related Diseases

As it commemorates its 35^th anniversary, the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is proud to award Jennifer Garrison, PhD, Assistant Professor, Buck Institute for Research on Aging, with an AFAR Grant for Junior Faculty. These grants are intended to advancing research in the biology of aging and age-related diseases. 

The AFAR Research Grants for Junior Faculty program provides $100,000 for a one- to two-year award to support early-career investigators whose research is focused on aging processes and age-related diseases, with flexible support at a critical juncture in their career development when research funding is most difficult to obtain.  Since 1981, over 700 AFAR Research Grants for Junior Faculty have been awarded.

Dr. Garrison’s AFAR-supported research will explore Investigating the role of oxytocin signaling in aging.

AFAR’s biology of aging grants are selected through a rigorous review process. Annually, AFAR receives hundreds letters of intent, which are reviewed in a two-step process by AFAR’s National Scientific Advisory Council (NSAC) and the AFAR Research Committee. “The dedicated scientists who review AFAR’s grant applications bring a depth of expertise and breadth of scientific knowledge that is unmatched in the field of aging research,” says Stephanie Lederman, AFAR Executive Director.

For over three decades, an AFAR grant consistently has been the catalyst for advancing a research and discourse in the field. As AFAR’s Scientific Director, Steven N. Austad, PhD, Distinguished Professor and Department Chair, Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, notes: “Support from AFAR is a clear sign of the high quality of research that a scientist is conducting in aging. An AFAR grant has proven to help an investigator obtain greater funding, publication, and career advancement.”

On receiving an AFAR Research Grant for Junior Faculty, Dr. Garrison notes: “Receiving the AFAR Junior Faculty Grant is an incredible honor, and I am humbled to be among those chosen for this award. This grant helps to bridge a critical gap in the years between starting my lab and publishing the first papers from it, and will allow me to generate preliminary data to obtain larger NIH grants to fund my research program.”

To date, AFAR has awarded more than $172 million in grants to support more than 4,000 investigators and students at more than 500 leading institutions across the U.S. as well as Ireland, Israel, Italy, and the United Kingdom. AFAR’s support of solid science in the biology of aging is more critical than ever. While the world’s population over 65 years old is growing an unprecedented rate, “AFAR’s Biology of Aging Grants help create a career pipeline that is essential to advancing better medicine for age-related diseases and discoveries that will help us all live healthier, longer,” notes Lederman. 

About AFAR

The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to support and advance healthy aging through biomedical research. Founded in 1981, AFAR has championed the cause and supported the funding of science in healthier aging and age-related medicine. To address the shortage of physicians and researchers dedicated to the science of healthier aging, AFAR funds physicians and scientists probing the fundamental mechanisms of aging, as well as specific diseases associated with aging populations at critical points throughout their careers. AFAR engages the public through webinars, conferences and our online resource, InfoAging, featuring over two dozen downloadable guides, edited by guest experts on topics ranging from theories of aging, age-related conditions, healthy lifestyle tips, and more. Learn at www.afar.org or follow AFARorg on Twitter and Facebook.