Center for Aging (CFA) (University-Wide Interdisciplinary Research Center)
Director: Richard M. Allman, MD
Established: 1976
Mission and Scope of Programs
The UAB Center for Aging is an interdisciplinary community that promotes the health and well-being of older persons by conducting and promoting aging related research, training students and faculty to conduct research, disseminating new knowledge, and supporting community outreach and clinical programs.
This University-Wide Interdisciplinary Research Center, established in 1976, encourages and coordinates the activities of the multiple disciplines represented by the UAB Schools of Business, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Health Related Professions, Medicine, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Nursing, Optometry, Public Health, and Social and Behavioral Sciences to fulfill its mission. More than 140 faculty members representing 12 schools and 42 departments have appointments in the Center for Aging.
Center Research
“Improving Quality of Life” is the unifying theme of Center for Aging research. Focus areas include: patient-oriented clinical research on genito-urinary disorders, mobility dysfunction, dementia, vision loss, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, prostate, breast and other age-related cancers, and atherosclerosis; social-behavioral research on social, cognitive, and behavioral interventions related to prevention and treatment of cognitive, behavioral and functional limitations as well as caregiving stressors associated with age-related diseases; basic science research on the molecular genetics and cellular biology of aging and age-related diseases; and public policy and health services delivery research on the economics of aging, health care quality, long-term care, and transportation. Center for Aging faculty have extramural support for research in these and other areas totaling $50 million.
Training Activities
The Center provides research training opportunities through the National Institute of Aging (NIA)-sponsored Behavioral and Clinical Gerontology Research Training Program and the John A. Hartford Foundation-funded Southeast Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine (SCEGM). Four pre- and four post-doctoral positions are funded through the Behavioral and Clinical Gerontology Program each year, while physicians who are senior fellows or junior faculty are eligible for career development awards or pilot grant funding from the SCEGM. In addition, the Center offers intramural pilot grant awards each year. The affiliated NIA-funded Center for Research on Applied Gerontology (CRAG) and the Birmingham/Atlanta VA Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC) also provide research training opportunities and pilot grants. The Gerontology Education Program offers an undergraduate minor and a graduate certificate in gerontology for students in all disciplines. Health professional education programs in Geriatric Medicine are also offered. Research cores include a Cell Senescence Culture Facility, a BXD Mouse Facility, a Driving Simulator, and a Shared Data Management Core. The Alzheimer Family Program provides support groups, referrals, and information for caregivers of older adults with dementia.