Cross-Disciplinary Mentoring and Collaboration to Advance Preventive Gerontology

TL;DR

This lecture discusses how cross-disciplinary collaboration and mentorship can improve health outcomes for older adults through preventive gerontology.

Contribution

The paper highlights how interdisciplinary collaboration and mentorship can advance preventive gerontology and improve aging outcomes.

Findings

Cross-disciplinary mentoring and collaboration have a significant impact on improving outcomes for aging populations.

The work of Dr. Jim Fries and Dr. Linda Fried has shaped preventive gerontology research and clinical trials like SPRINT and SPRINT MIND.

Preventive gerontology is essential for aligning healthcare with the needs of an aging population.

Abstract

This lecture will present the impact of cross disciplinary research mentoring and collaboration on improving outcomes for all of us as we age. Dr. Williamson will present the impact of the landmark concept article by Dr. Jim Fries, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (“Aging, Natural Death, and the Compression of Morbidity”) as a framework for his career. Among others, Dr. Williamson credits Dr. Linda Fried, his original mentor in this area, as he pursued a career focused on improving the health and well-being of older adults. The fruit of Drs. Fries’s work and Fried’s advice culminates in the work that he accomplished with his colleagues as part of the SPRINT and SPRINT MIND clinical trial. The lecture will encourage listeners to further advance the exploration of preventive gerontology as the best way to ensure that the care we provide is truly aligned with the needs of an aging population.