Penn Medicine’s Institute on Aging (IOA) celebrated the 15th annual Penn Medicine 5K for the IOA and Memory Mile Walk on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Franklin Field on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus. Runners, walkers, families, and supporters came together for a morning of community, connection, and a shared commitment to advancing Alzheimer’s disease and aging-related research and care.
This year’s event brought together 148 runners and walkers and raised an incredible $26,645, and counting to help support the Joseph A. Brennan Research Scholar Award. This award helps early-career investigators jumpstart promising research projects that might otherwise go unexplored, empowering Penn researchers to advance discoveries and develop novel treatments for aging-related neurodegenerative diseases. These efforts bring hope to individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and the families and loved ones who support them.
Browse photos from the event here and check out the race results here.
A special congratulations to former Summer Training in Aging Research (STAR) Intern, Teddy Kaiser, who finished 2nd overall in the race (19:25). Following his internship, Teddy has continued in the lab of IOA Member Paul Yushkevich working on gray matter and white matter segmentation of frozen brain sections to help train a model that overlays tau pathology onto MRI scans. By combining detailed tissue stains with MRI scans, researchers hope to better understand the location and density of pathology in the brain. Through this work, Teddy has gained valuable experience in brain anatomy, access to Penn’s autopsy database, and the opportunity to collaborate with leading researchers.
“Through Penn’s program, I get to work closely with intelligent researchers,” said Teddy. “The 5k was a lot of fun because I got to see the Penn researchers outside of the lab. It really was a family affair, with younger and more experienced aging researchers, neurologists, techs, and support staff, along with their kids.”
There is still time to make a gift in support of this year's event and help advance innovative aging research at Penn. Gifts may also be mailed by check, payable to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, to:
Penn's 5K for the IOA
Attn: Penn's 5K for the IOA
3535 Market Street, Suite 750
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Thank you to everyone who participated, donated, volunteered, and helped make this milestone event a success. Your generosity makes a difference in the future of aging research and care!