May 2025 Director’s Status Report

Click on the links below to view sections of the May 2025 Director’s Status Report:

Budget and Appropriations

Continuing Resolution

  • On March 15, 2025, President Trump signed into law R. 1968 , the FY 2025 Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act. The legislation generally extends funding for federal agencies at fiscal year 2024 levels through Sept. 30, 2025.

FY26 Appropriations

  • On April 9, 2025, the House Appropriations Labor-HHS subcommittee held an FY26 Public Witness Day Hearing. The witnesses included the executive director of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, who testified and mentioned research on Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. There were no federal witnesses.

FY26 President’s Budget

  • An outline of the FY26 President’s Budget, referred to as the “skinny budget,” was released on May 2, 2025. The proposed budget would cut NIH funding by $18 billion, or 37%, relative to current levels, as well as substantially reorganize NIH into fewer Institutes and Centers. The full FY26 President’s Budget is anticipated in mid-May. The release of the President’s Budget is typically followed by administration officials testifying before Congress in support of the budget. Final appropriations decisions are made by Congress.

Legislative Update

Legislation of Interest

  • On March 6, 2025, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced 891 , the Bipartisan Health Care Act.

    • If enacted, the bill would, among many other health provisions, reauthorize the Lifespan Respite Program and the Deondra Dixon INCLUDE Project.
    • The bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

  • On March 5, 2025, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced 870 , the Native ELDER Act.

    • If enacted, the bill would amend the Older Americans Act to enhance the longevity, dignity, empowerment, and respect of older individuals who are Native Americans.
    • The bill has been referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

  • On March 3, 2025, Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) introduced R. 1812 , the Care Across Generations Act.

    • If enacted, the bill would amend the Older Americans Act to establish a grant program for multigenerational activities for long-term care facilities.
    • The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Education & Workforce.

  • On March 3, 2025, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) introduced R. 1802 , the Safeguard Pets, Animals, and Research Ethics (SPARE) Act.

    • If enacted, the bill would — with some exceptions — prohibit the use of animals in federal biomedical research, among other provisions.
    • The bill has been referred to multiple committees (Space, Science, and Technology; Energy & Commerce; Agriculture; Rules).

  • On Feb. 26, Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) introduced R. 1590 , the Rural Innovation and Small Business Support Act.

    • If enacted, the bill would require federal agencies with Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer programs to enhance outreach to rural communities.
    • The bill has been referred to the House Small Business Committee and the House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology.

  • On Feb. 25, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) introduced Res.93 , a resolution “expressing the sense of the Senate that the operations of the National Institutes of Health should not experience any interruption, delay, or funding disruption in violation of the law and that the workforce of the National Institutes of Health is essential to sustaining medical progress.”

    • The resolution has been referred to the Senate HELP Committee.
    • Senate resolutions like this one are essentially messaging vehicles and do not carry the force of law.

  • On Feb. 13, Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE) reintroduced R. 1305 , the Improving Measurements for Loneliness and Isolation Act.

    • If enacted, the bill would direct the HHS secretary to establish a working group to formulate recommendations for standardizing measurements of loneliness and social isolation
    • The bill has been referred to the House Energy & Commerce Committee.

  • On Feb. 6, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), chair of the Senate Aging Committee, introduced 473 , the Social Engagement and Network Initiatives for Older Relief (SENIOR) Act.

    • If enacted, the bill would amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include screening for loneliness and coordination of supportive services and health care to address the negative health effects of loneliness.
    • The bill has been referred to the Senate HELP Committee.

Hearings, Visits, and Other Topics of Interest:

Confirmations

  • On March 25, 2025, the Senate confirmed Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya as the director of NIH.
    • He testified before the Senate HELP Committee on March 5, 2025.
  • On Feb. 13, 2025, the Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as the secretary of health and human services.
    • He testified before the Senate HELP Committee on Jan. 30, 2025.
    • He testified before the Senate Finance Committee on Jan. 29, 2025.

Hearings

  • On April 30, 2025, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing entitled “Biomedical Research: Keeping America’s Edge in Innovation.” There were no federal witnesses.
  • On March 12, 2025, the Senate Aging Committee held a hearing entitled “Breaking the Cycle of Senior Loneliness: Strengthening Family and Community Support.” There were no federal witnesses.
  • On Feb. 12, 2025, the Senate Aging Committee held a hearing entitled “Optimizing Aging: From Research to Action.” There were no federal witnesses, though one witness has received NIA funding.
  • On Jan. 15, 2025, the Senate Aging Committee held a hearing entitled “Improving Wellness Among Seniors: Setting a Standard for the American Dream.” There were no federal witnesses, though witnesses included a director of an NIA-funded Pepper Center and a director of an NIA-funded Roybal Center.

Forums

  • On March 26, 2025, Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Peter Welch (D-VT) held a forum entitled “Cures in Crisis: What Gutting NIH Research Means for Americans With Cancer, Alzheimer’s, & Other Diseases.” There were no federal witnesses, though former NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli and two Alzheimer’s researchers with NIA funding testified.

Briefings

  • On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, NIA Director Dr. Richard Hodes participated in a congressional briefing hosted by the Sleep Research Society, where he discussed NIA’s sleep research portfolio.
  • On Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, NIA Associate Director Dr. Melinda Kelley participated in a Lunch & Learn briefing for congressional staff in which she discussed NIA history and provided a brief overview of major research and dissemination activities.
  • On Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, Hodes briefed the staff of the House and Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations subcommittees on Alzheimer’s and related dementias research.

General Information

Staff Changes

Candice Beaubien, M.P.H., joined the Division of Aging Biology (DAB) as the deputy program director of HIV and aging research. In this position, she comanages, and coordinates program activities related to HIV and aging research across the four scientific divisions at NIA.

Beaubien transitioned to NIA from the Office of Global Research (OGR) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), where she served as the Team Lead for the Americas, Caribbean, Asia and Pacific Team as well as a regional officer for Asia and the Pacific. Prior to her time at OGR, she spent three years serving as a program manager/program officer within the Virology Branch in the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, NIAID. In this role, Beaubien managed the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases (CREID) Network and served as the program officer for the CREID Network Coordination Center.

Earlier in her career, Beaubien was the team lead for the Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Program and served as a CFAR program officer for 10 years. Before joining NIAID, she worked at Panacos Pharmaceuticals as a research associate performing high-throughput screening assays to discover potential drugs for HIV suitable for preclinical development.

Beaubien earned her M.P.H. degree from George Washington University, focusing on design, monitoring and evaluation of global health programs. Additionally, she completed her Global Health Service Fellowship with the AIDS Support Organization in Mbale, Uganda.

Kimberley Billingsley, Ph.D., joined the Intramural Research Program (IRP) as a staff scientist in the Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias. Billingsley is responsible for the application and development of third-generation sequencing methods using DNA and/or RNA from human blood, cells, and tissue. She utilizes her extensive experience in third generation sequencing technologies to assist in the generation, quality control, handling, and analysis of large-scale sequencing data. Billingsley received her Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. After receiving her degree, she joined the Laboratory of Neurogenetics, NIA/IRP, as a visiting postdoctoral fellow. Concurrently, in 2020, she became an honorary research associate in the Laboratory of Mental Health and Behavior at the University of Liverpool.

Rebekah Feng, Ph.D., is a program director in the Population Studies and Genetics Branch of the Division of Neuroscience (DN). Feng oversees research on cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as sleep as it relates to Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Before joining NIA, Feng served as a scientific review officer at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, where she managed the review of grant applications for projects within the NIH Chemical Countermeasures Research Program. Her work also encompassed studies utilizing machine learning and big data to investigate substance use disorders across epidemiology, neuroimaging, genetics, and clinical trials. Feng earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Georgetown University, where her research focused on gene-environment interactions underlying the mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Max Planck Institute in Germany and was part of a team that discovered a novel mechanism shared across multiple neurodegenerative diseases. In 2014, Feng joined the Division of Intramural Research at the National Institute of Nursing Research, where her work centered on uncovering the mechanisms of cancer-related fatigue and cognitive impairment.

Cecilia Higgs, M.H.S., joined the Division of Behavioral and Social Research as an infrastructure analyst in the Population and Social Processes Unit. In this role, Higgs will oversee and support projects involving large cohorts and research networks within NIA’s population-representative studies portfolio. Before joining NIA, Higgs was a supervisory scientific program specialist at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) within the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Clinical Genetics Branch, where she provided scientific and strategic leadership in clinical and epidemiologic research, protocol development, and regulatory compliance. Higgs received her master of health science degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and her bachelor of arts degree from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.

Jason Hilton joined the Networks, Computing, and Telephone Section (NCTS), IRP, as a supervisory IT specialist. Hilton is the chief of the Data and Digital Solutions Team, NCTS, and oversees data management and governance, software development, high performance computing, and artificial intelligence efforts. Before joining the IRP, Hilton served as the chief of the Network Infrastructure Section in the Extramural Research Program. He holds a bachelor of science degree in information technology from the Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Jane Hettinger, Ph.D., joined DN as a program director in the Clinical Interventions and Diagnostics Branch. Hettinger manages a portfolio of Alzheimer’s and related dementias non-pharmacological clinical trials, supporting research on cognitive training, sleep, stress management, social engagement, and other lifestyle interventions to prevent, delay, and treat dementia. Her portfolio also includes related studies in recruitment science, measurement development, and bioethics. Prior to joining NIA, Hettinger was a program director in the Center for Coordinating Clinical Trials at NCI, overseeing scientific steering committees of the National Clinical Trials Network. She originally joined NIH as a health program specialist in the National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke, where she worked on the NIH Neurobiobank and the ALS Strategic Plan. She received her doctorate in neurosciences from Washington University in St. Louis and completed postdoctoral training at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, Germany. Her research focused on the contributions of neuronal signaling and microglial functions to Alzheimer’s pathogenesis and progression.

Todd Horowitz, Ph.D., joined BSR as chief of the Basic Biobehavioral and Psychological Sciences Branch (BBPS) in the Individual Behavioral Processes Program. He will provide leadership for BBPS while building a portfolio in aging and Alzheimer’s anr related dementias research on cognition, perception, and sleep. He came to NIA from the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at NCI, where he served for 12 years as a program director and oversaw a portfolio on cancer-related cognitive impairments and medical image perception. Prior to NIH, Horowitz was in the research faculty at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He received his bachelor of science degree in psychology from Michigan State University and a doctorate in cognitive psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, followed by postdoctoral work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Alexander Langsam, B.S.,joined the Division of Neuroscience as an NIH premier college student trainee. In this role, Langsam will assist with various administrative and operational initiatives to support the division. He is completing a master of public health degree at the University of Maryland, College Park and has a background in public health policy, health security, and resilience. He also holds a bachelor of science in biology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with experience in behavioral ecology research and ethics. Previously, Langsam served as a biology pathways Intern at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he utilized tools such as SQL and Python to manage databases and conduct environmental research. He has also worked as a pediatric medical assistant, gaining hands-on experience in health care delivery.

Caio Henrique Yokoyama Mazucanti, Ph.D.,joined IRP as a staff scientist in the Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (LCI). Mazucanti is responsible for conducting in vitro andin vivo model studies in the Alzheimer’s and related dementias field, including surgical manipulation and stereotaxic injections of animal models as well as implementation of behavioral paradigms. Additionally, Mazucanti is responsible for downstream analyses involving immunocytochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and various microscopy techniques. Mazucanti received his doctoral degree in neuropharmacology from the University of San Paulo in Brazil. While pursuing his doctoral degree, Mazucanti was a special volunteer in the former Laboratory of Neuroscience, NIA. After receiving his doctoral degree, he joined the LCI as a postdoctoral visiting fellow. In 2023, Mazucanti was appointed as a research fellow in LCI, where he remained until his current appointment.

James McNally, Ph.D., joined BSR as a social and behavioral science administrator program officer in the Office of Data Resources and Analytics (ODRA). McNally was formerly the director of the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA), which maintains an NIA-funded data archive located at the University of Michigan. He was originally trained in forensic anthropology at the University of Maryland, where he received his bachelor of arts degree, followed by a master of arts degree in formal demography at Georgetown University. McNally was later trained in social gerontology while at Brown University, where he received his doctoral degree from the Population Training and Studies Center. He completed a postdoctoral degree at Syracuse University's Center for Policy Research, where he worked on policy applications using blended ageing data. Much of his work at NACDA focused on methodological improvements to enhance secondary research data and innovative approaches to allow more efficient access to restricted data and enhance secondary data sharing for research applications. His research career has focused on data quality and management and the safe distribution of health information and clinical data to support health research. In BSR/ODRA, McNally will leverage his extensive expertise to work on initiatives related to data management and sharing.

Ifechukwu Ofonedu, M.H.S., joined BSR as an infrastructure analyst in the Individual Behavioral Processes Program (IBP). In this role, Ofonedu will oversee, and support IBP infrastructure initiatives aimed at developing research tools, resources, training, and pilot research opportunities to foster innovations in the field. Before joining NIA, Ofonedu was a social science research analyst at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), where he served as a subject matter expert for regulatory and program guidelines of CMS verification services and a liaison between partner agencies (Department of Homeland Security, Veterans Health Administration, Social Security Administration, and the Office of Personnel Management) on IAAs and system enhancements. Ofonedu was an associate investigator and IRTA fellow at NIH while pursuing his bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the Catholic University of America and then completed a master of health science degree at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in public health at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Viviana Perez Montes, Ph.D., joined DAB, NIA, as the director. Perez has more than 20 years of professional experience in aging biology and geroscience, including as a principal investigator, tenured faculty, innovative leader in the private sector, and program manager at NIA. She rejoins the Institute after departing in 2022 for a leadership role at the Hevolution Foundation.

During her time at NIA, Perez was a program director within DAB’s Cell Biology Branch , where she played an instrumental role in driving numerous successful initiatives, such as managing the Cell Biology Program and serving as a member of the leadership team for the NIH Common Fund Cellular Senescence Network (SenNet) . Her exceptional ability to connect with both colleagues and the greater NIH community significantly contributed to advancing this highly collaborative initiative to map senescent cells and enhance our understanding of cellular senescence’s role in aging and health.

Most recently, Perez served as the vice president of geroscience at the Hevolution Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing grants and early-stage investments in the emerging field of healthspan science. In this role, she contributed to the ideation, operation, and launching of multiple successful multimillion-dollar research initiatives and programs focused on advancing research and career advancement in the fields of aging biology and geroscience.

She has also served as a tenured associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Oregon State University (OSU), as well as principal investigator at the Linus Pauling Institute at OSU. A distinguished leader in aging biology, Perez is renowned for her foundational contributions to understanding the role of free radicals in lifespan and the comparative biology of proteostasis. Her influential work in these areas has been widely cited, reflecting its significance within the scientific community.

Perez earned her doctoral degree in biomedical sciences and bachelor’s degree in chemical and pharmaceutical science from the University of Chile in Santiago, Chile. She pursued her postdoctoral training at the Barshop Institute for Aging and Longevity Studies in San Antonio.

Alicia Scott, Ph.D., M.D., joined the IRP as a staff clinician in the Health Disparities Research Section of the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences. Scott provides clinical expertise and oversight for community-dwelling participants of the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span Study. Scott received her doctoral degree in genetics, cell biology, and anatomy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and received her medical degree from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. Scott completed her research associate and postdoctoral training in 2016 and completed a residency in internal medicine with the Canton Medical Education Foundation in 2019. After completing her residency, Scott joined the Cleveland Clinic Mercy Medical Center as a Hospitalist until 2022 at which time she joined Adfinitas Health. Scott has board certification in internal medicine and has active Maryland and Ohio medical licenses.

Cibu Thomas, Ph.D., has joined the DN as a health scientist administrator (program officer) in the Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience Branch. Thomas manages a portfolio focused on spatial cognition in the context of aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Prior to joining NIA, he served as a scientific review officer at the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), where he managed the scientific peer review of a wide range of applications assigned to the Neurotechnology and Vision Branch in the DN, Development and Aging. Before joining CSR, he served as a staff scientist for the Section on Learning and Plasticity in the Laboratory of Brain and Cognition at the National Institute of Mental Health, where his research focused on elucidating the principles governing brain plasticity and its relation to behavior using advanced multimodal MRI techniques and psychophysics. Thomas received his postdoctoral training at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, followed by additional training at the Laboratory on Quantitative Medical Imaging in the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, as a research fellow for the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine. He earned his master of science degree in applied cognition and neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas, and his doctoral degree in psychology-cognitive neuroscience from Carnegie Mellon University.

Shau Yan Yee, M.S.,joined the DAB in the Translational Research Branch (TRB) as a program analyst. Her job includes overseeing the Rodent Ordering System, assisting contract officer representatives with requests for DAB/TRB aged rodent tissue bank and nonhuman primate tissue bank samples, and providing updates for DAB/TRB biological resources websites. Prior to this position, she was a teacher in Montgomery County, Maryland. She holds bachelor of science and master of science degrees in music education from the University of Rochester in New York.

Institute-Sponsored Meetings, Workshops, and Conferences

Past Meetings

Incretin-mimetics: Opportunities for Clinical Trials on Aging-related Outcomes — March 19, 2025 — Virtual

This workshop reviewed existing evidence on the effects of incretin-mimetics (IMs) on aging-related outcomes. Findings from the recently completed, well-powered, controlled trials showed that this class of drugs is highly effective for weight loss, treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, kidney disease, and for prevention of clinical cardiovascular events. However, evidence on the effects on other aging-related diseases and conditions comes mostly from secondary analysis of existing datasets and findings from a limited number of small trials of previous generation IMs.

Sixty-two experts in IMs, geriatrics, clinical trials, and biostatistics attended the workshop to present and discuss findings from research studies, share their clinical experiences with IMs, identify research gaps in the topic area, and discuss opportunities for trials addressing these gaps. The workshop participants noted that potential differences in efficacy and safety as well as in heterogeneity of the effects of IMs in older adults are poorly understood and are high priority research topics. Given the burden of multiple morbidities and significant uncertainty about the safety of IMs in this population, future studies on aging-related outcomes should be indication-driven and should use IMs in low doses, sufficient for target engagement and producing desired effects on aging-related outcomes without inducing notable weight loss. This approach will alleviate many safety concerns, improve acceptance and tolerability of the drugs, and will reduce trial and health care costs when findings from these trials are implemented into clinical practice. For more information, contact Irina Sazonova ( irina.sazonova@nih.gov or 301-435-3048).

Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURE) Using In Silico Resources to Expand Aging Biology Education — April 9-10, 2025 — Virtual

The purpose of this two-day virtual workshop is to bring together research and education experts in the field of aging biology, experts with knowledge of effective design, implementation, and evaluation of CURE programs, and NIA program officers. Ultimately, the goal is to substantially expand access to and engagement in basic research on the biology of aging by utilizing NIA high value data assets through in silico approaches. Workshop participants will assess the status of the field and critical needs, define future directions, and outline opportunities and priorities to better support the development of in silico CURES to support research on aging. For more information, contact Christy Carter ( christy.carter@nih.gov or 301-827-1382).

Genomic Determinants of Differences Among Humans and Other Primates in Species Life Spans and Progression of Age-Related Conditions — April 14-16, 2025 — Virtual

This workshop reviewed new research methods in genomics, particularly comparative primate genomics, and explored their potential use in research on the bases of differences in primate species’ longevity and/or risk of specific age-related conditions. Understanding the mechanisms that contribute to the very large differences in primate species lifespans and health spans could identify powerful factors influencing longevity with potential for translation into interventions in humans. Invited workshop speakers include experts from academic institutions, NIH, and the private sector. Sessions of the workshop focused on 1) Characterization of genomic regions/features of interest and their potential relationship to species longevity, 2) Evolutionary analyses, 3) Relationship between genetic and/or epigenetic features and phenotypes, 4) Functional study strategies to characterize phenotypic effects of variants under selection for longevity, and 5) Integrative genomics and other ’omics. The sixth and final session addressed available data, potential gaps in the data available from existing resources, and online genome browsers and toolkits. For more information, contact Carol Nguyen ( carol.nguyen@nih.gov or 301-827-0430).

The Aging Extracellular Matrix — April 24, 2025 — Virtual

This one-day workshop will address the unresolved questions related to how aging influences changes in extracellular matrix (ECM) dynamics and how these changes contribute to the development of age-related diseases. Therapeutic opportunities by engineered extracellular matrices will also be explored. This workshop will evaluate the status of the field, define future directions, evaluate critical needs, and outline opportunities and priorities to better understand the role of ECM in aging and using this knowledge to develop therapeutic modalities. For more information, contact Andras Orosz ( orosza@mail.nih.gov or 301-435-7753).

Future Meetings

20th Annual Division of Aging Biology New Investigators Forum (DAB-NIF) — June 26, 2025 — Virtual

The purpose of the DAB New Investigators Forum (DAB-NIF) is to bring together new investigators (i.e., principal investigators (PIs) who are new to funding by DAB) to meet and interact with NIA program staff, and to gain an understanding of how NIA supports their newly funded work. Participants will have the opportunity to network with each other and leaders in the field who are invited to participate. Previous DAB-NIF attendees are also invited to share their successes since attending DAB-NIF and how the experience influenced their career development. Each PI will introduce themselves with a short talk on their newly funded science. Other activities include small group lunch discussions, presentations from DEA staff (training, review, grants management) and the Office of Clinical Research. The aim is to fully integrate the new investigators into the DAB-NIA community. For more information, contact Christy Carter ( christy.carter@nih.gov or 301-827-1382).

Behavioral and Social Research on the Role of Immigration and Life Course Health and Aging — July 17-18, 2025 — Virtual

The goal of this virtual grantee meeting is to bring together grantees from RFA-AG-24-028 and RFA-AG-24-029 to discuss the status of their NIA-funded projects on older immigrant life course health and aging. This meeting will enable funded investigators to situate their research in thematic areas and will foster discussions about the importance and promise of studying immigration-related processes in older adult health and aging. This meeting will serve to increase grantees’ awareness of potential areas for research synergy and promote future collaboration. This overall activity will address specific recommendations from the National Advisory Council on Aging to understand health disparities through research to improve the understanding of health disparities in aging and to identify influences of macro-social trends on aging outcomes. Planned outputs from this initial meeting are awareness amongst investigators of what other projects are ongoing and where there is potential synergy. For more information, contact Frank Bandiera ( frank.bandiera@nih.gov or 301-402-7629) and Kaitlyn Lee ( kaitlyn.lee@nih.gov or 301-555-5555)

Changing Ownership of Healthcare Entities in the U.S. — Sept. 4-5, 2025 — Virtual

This two-day virtual event will bring together experts to examine how increasing vertical and horizontal integration and investment by private equity firms, real estate investment trusts, and other corporate entities is reshaping health care delivery across sectors such as hospitals, physician practices, long-term care, and hospices. The workshop, hosted by BSR, will explore implications for care quality, staffing, and patient outcomes, with a focus on both well-established and emerging research areas. It is guided by a steering committee composed of Dr. Jane Zhu (Oregon Health & Science University), Dr. Mark Unruh (Cornell University), and Dr. Zirui Song (Harvard University). Registration was submitted to and approved by the Office of Management and Budget and will open to the public in July 2025. For more information, contact Priscilla Novak ( Priscilla.Novak@nih.gov or 571-201-5165 ), Kriti Jain ( Kriti.Jain@nih.gov or 301-594-9024), or Charles Le ( Charlie.le@nih.gov or 301-402-0342).

Aging Mechanisms Impacting Women’s Health — Dec. 4-5, 2025 — Bethesda, Maryland/Hybrid

There is a growing body of literature reporting a wide variety of sex differences, and it is clear that women’s health is very complex. With the growing number of sex differences being reported in research and given the increased focus on women’s health, especially on female reproductive aging at NIH, it is important to identify unmet research needs and promising scientific opportunity in sex differences in aging mechanisms impacting women’s health. This two-day workshop will include experts from academic institutions, NIH, other federal agencies, and the private sector, to examine sex differences in cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive functional declines during female aging and influence on overall women’s health. The workshop will focus on some key organs and systems that exhibit sexual dimorphism in aging and age-related diseases, including the reproductive, musculoskeletal, and brain systems. We will consider the influence of sex hormones, chromosomes as well as metabolism and immunity in mediating these biological differences and key model systems (in vivo and in vitro) needed to interrogate this biology and discuss development of potential strategies and interventions to mitigate its effects. For more information, contact Fei Wang ( fei.wang@nih.gov or 301-443-8187).

Content, Media, Outreach, And Meetings

Web Content

Research Highlights: 20 published

Health Information Articles: 38 updated or new

Inside NIA Blog: nine published

Print Publications and PDFs: 16 updated or new

Media & Outreach

Media Activity

  • Total number of press requests: 73
  • Press interviews conducted with NIA experts: 15

NIH News Releases: two published

Web Statements and Announcements: two published

Infographics: eight updated or new

Videos: 10 updated or new

Social Media

Email List Management Programs

Sent 91 separate messages from Dec. 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025, to the following lists:

  • Healthy Aging Highlights: 83,966 subscribers
  • Alzheimers.gov Highlights: 49,491 subscribers
  • Recruitment Resources for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Clinical Trials: 8,503 subscribers
  • Caregiving Tips and Resources: 28,086 subscribers
  • Inside NIA Blog: 24,391 subscribers
  • NIA Funding Opportunities for Researchers: 17,641 subscribers
  • Consejos para envejecer saludablemente (Mensualmente) (Spanish Healthy Aging Tips): 9,504 subscribers
  • NIA Training and Career Development Updates: 9,096 subscribers
  • Ready, Set, Plan! A weekly guide to advance care planning: 6,565 subscribers
  • Division and Office Email Lists:
    • Division of Aging Biology: 1,410 subscribers
    • Division of Behavioral and Social Research: 1,553 subscribers
    • Division of Neuroscience: 6,679 subscribers
    • Small Business Programs: 18,308 subscribers

Meetings

Meetings With External Audiences

  • Meeting with Sleep Research Society; Jan. 8, 2025 — Hodes, Dr. Amy Kelley, and NIA staff met with leadership of the Sleep Research Society to discuss NIA’s sleep and circadian clock research portfolio, as well as research topics put forth by the Sleep Research Society.
  • NIA-VA Partnership Meeting; Jan. 13, 2025 — Hodes and Dr. Amy Kelley, along with NIA staff, convened with Veterans Affairs (VA) leaders to discuss ongoing NIA-VA collaborations.
  • NIH Office of Data Science Strategy (ODSS) Data Science Chats; Feb. 5, 2025 — Hodes represented NIA in the Data Science Chats, convening with scholars from ODSS’s Data and Technology Advancement National Service Scholar Program to share information about his career and NIA-funded initiatives in data science.
  • Resource Center for Tribal Epidemiology Centers Conference; March 4, 2025 — Hodes participated in an NIH panel session, providing an overview of NIA and NIA-funded research opportunities of interest.
  • Advisory Committee to the NIH Director Artificial Intelligence (AI) Working Group Meeting; March 12, 2025 — Hodes participated in the AI Working Group Meeting, sharing information about AI-focused initiatives at NIA, as well as potential opportunities and challenges.
  • Cellular Senescence Network (SenNet) Program Spring Meeting; April 28, 2025 — Hodes provided opening remarks, highlighting the importance of understanding aging biology in order to advance human health.

New Notices and Initiatives Relevant to NIA

For funding opportunities and notices with NIA’s participation or interest, please visit these two websites: NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts and How to Find NIA Funding Opportunities .