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Summer Research Program at IU GERIATRICS

The MSTAR application deadline for the
2010 summer program is February 5, 2010.

Welcome to IU MSTAR

The IU CENTER FOR AGING RESEARCH (IU-CAR), the research arm of IU GERIATRICS, offers a Summer Research Program for medical students who attend the IU School of Medicine. The purpose of the program is to engage Indiana University medical students in personally rewarding experiences in aging research and to foster geriatric-friendly clinicians and researchers through close relationships with successful role models and enthusiastic peers.

The Summer Research Program, called IU MSTAR, the Medical Student Training in Aging Research program, is administered by the National Institute on Aging and the American Federation for Aging Research. The national MSTAR scholarship program was established in 1994 and provides an enriching 8-12 week intensive experience that includes an individualized aging research experience under the mentorship of top experts in the field.

IU MSTAR scholars will conduct a research project under the direction of an IU-CAR research scientist and will participate in a structured didactic experience that is linked to student research projects. The IU MSTAR program also offers opportunities for clinical geriatrics experiences in outpatient and inpatient settings and interactions and networking with fellow scholars, scientists and
IU Geriatrics faculty members.

2009 IU MSTAR Scholar

When Indiana University medical student Jessica Brown searched for a 2009 summer experience to match her interests in research and geriatrics, she found a perfect fit in the Medical Student Training in Aging Research Program. Read more…

The Indiana University Center for Aging Research

Founded in 1997, the mission of the Indiana University Center for Aging Research is to improve the quality of life for older adults through interdisciplinary research that seeks to improve the health of older adults. Led by Director Christopher Callahan, MD, and Associate Director Douglas K. Miller, MD, IU-CAR receives over $3 million in annual funding with major support for research infrastructure from the National Institutes of Health, the Regenstrief Institute, and local philanthropy. IU-CAR is the research arm of IU Geriatrics which has been recognized nationally by the John A. Hartford Foundation as a Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine.

IU-CAR is known for testing innovative strategies to improve the quality of health care and self-care for older adults. This work is accomplished through health services, epidemiological, and translational research at the intersection of primary care, geriatrics, psychiatry, and public health. The Center’s researchers are known for their expertise in clinical research on the aging brain, health promotion, innovative models of collaborative care, and Gero-informatics.

The Center’s research exploits the capacities of the electronic medical record to improve communication and coordination of care across the continuum of care. The Center has received national recognition for the use of the Regenstrief Medical Record System to improve the quality and efficiency of health care for older adults.

IU MSTAR Research Mentors

The Center for Aging Research is located at the Regenstrief Institute in the Health Information and Translational Sciences (HITS) building on the IUPUI campus. The IU MSTAR 2010 scholars may work at HITS with research mentors Dr. Chris Callahan or Dr. Douglas K. Miller who lead an award-winning mentorship and professional development program for geriatrics physician-scientists.

Christopher M. Callahan, MD
Founding Director, Indiana University Center for Aging Research
Pettinga Professor in Aging Research
Research Scientist, Regenstrief Institute

Dr. Callahan is a physician scientist who has led clinical research on the aging brain for 20 years. His major research interest focuses on late life depression and primary care geriatrics. His studies seek ways to enable primary care physicians to deliver excellent care to older adults.

He has served on research and aging committees for the American Geriatrics Society and the Society of General Internal Medicine, he is a member of an NIH Study Section, and he serves as a consultant for new and established programs in aging research across the country.

Read about Dr. Callahan’s
research.

Douglas K. Miller, MD
Associate Director, Indiana University Center for Aging Research
Richard M. Fairbanks Professor in Aging Research
Research Scientist, Regenstrief Institute

Dr. Miller joined IU-CAR as associate director in 2003. His major research interests focus on investigation of the causes and remediation of frailty in older African-Americans living in urban areas and management of geriatric syndromes by general internists and family physicians.

Dr. Miller is the PI for two longitudinal cohort studies of African Americans as part of the “Physical Frailty in Urban African Americans” program, funded by the NIA from 1999 through 2012. As a physician scientist, he has been involved in both clinical services and research involving predominantly African American people and issues for 30 years.

Read about Dr. Miller’s research.

Application and Calendar

All applications to IU MSTAR are submitted through the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) web site at http://www.afar.org/medstu.html.

Contact IU-CAR early. Applicants interested in the Indiana University site should email the program director, Dr. Douglas K. Miller, to discuss research opportunities and mentorship.

View the online calendar which will help guide the application process for the Indiana University site.