About the IOA
The University of Pennsylvania’s Institute on Aging (IOA), established in 1979, was created to improve the health of older adults by increasing clinical and basic research, as well as educational programs, focusing on normal aging and age-related diseases across the entire Penn campus.
Research
The IOA’s current research focus is wide-ranging – investigating neurodegenerative diseases, frailty, longevity, metabolism, epidemiology, and health disparities, among other areas – which are represented in our four IOA Divisions.
Any Penn faculty with an interest in aging and/or neurodegenerative diseases is invited to join our IOA Members program. Benefits of IOA Membership include potential funding of IOA post-doctoral fellows and IOA PennPREP scholars, priority scheduling for meetings with IOA Seminar Series speakers, trainee eligibility for presenting at IOA-sponsored trainee seminars, and more.
Education, Training, and Funding
As part of our mission to promote educational programs on aging, the IOA hosts several events each year highlighting the latest research in aging, most of which are open to the public.
The IOA also aims to support the next generation of investigators and clinicians in aging and aging-related fields by promoting ample funding and training opportunities including the IOA Research Scholars Program, as well as opportunities from collaborating centers such as the Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s (Penn ADRC) Developmental Projects, the Summer Training in Aging Research program, and the Christopher M. Clark Scholars Program, among others.