Aging Health

3DI investigators are engaged in understanding how aging affects the brain, mental health, and medical comorbidities and care across diverse populations. Research areas span the neuroscience of brain aging — including the effects of neurodegeneration, stress, and neurotoxin exposure on cognition — to the epidemiology of late-life mental health, suicide in older adults, and dementia. Our team brings particular expertise to aging populations with unique and complex needs, including older Veterans, individuals with histories of incarceration, and older adults living with cancer.

3DI investigators are developing and applying advanced methods to address critical questions at the intersection of physical and mental health in aging. This includes building large longitudinal cohorts from national databases to identify risk factors for late-life suicide and dementia, and using neuropsychological and imaging techniques to characterize changes in cognition and brain health.

3DI investigators are also advancing individualized care and precision prevention in aging — working to identify which older adults are most likely to benefit from specific preventive interventions, optimizing care for older adults with dementia and cancer, and generating high-quality evidence to inform national clinical guidelines and support individualized patient decision-making.

3DI Investigators engaged in research related to Aging:

- Scott Bauer, MD, MS
- Anna Blanken, PhD
- Amy Byers, PhD, MPH
- Linda Chao, PhD
- Li-Wen Huang, MD
- Francesca Nicosia, PhD, MA
- Alison Rustagi, MD, PhD