NIH funds first-of-its-kind center to study resilience and aging

UMD, UMB researchers and partners collaborate to tackle critical health issues facing an aging population

2025-09-09

(Press-News.org) COLLEGE PARK, Md. – America’s population is the oldest it has ever been. And though older people are more independent than ever, they face a huge care gap, one that challenges families, communities and healthcare systems.

Enter the Center for Seniors Uniting Nationwide to Support Health, INtegrated care, and Economics, known as the Center for SUNSHINE, an interdisciplinary collaboration funded by a $901,000 grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) for the first two years to establish the center, with the potential for up to six years of support.

Co-led by the University of Maryland School of Public Health (UMD SPH) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), the Center for SUNSHINE will serve as a national hub for interdisciplinary research, training and real-world innovation to strengthen resilience in aging populations. The center, outlined in a study in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry this month, draws from 50 years of scholarship at UMD’s Center on Aging and the computational innovation and clinical partnerships enabled by the University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing (UM-IHC).

“Our ultimate goal is happy, healthy and well-supported aging for everyone,” said Dr. Jie Chen, professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management, and director of the Center on Aging and the Hospital And Public health interdisciPlinarY research (HAPPY) Lab at UMD SPH. “The Center for SUNSHINE is about building aging resilience by transforming the systems that shape health and care. Through bold interdisciplinary research, we aim to strengthen care coordination, empower communities, and reimagine the health and social infrastructure needed to support aging across the nation.”

The center will be helmed by Chen with co-leads Dr. Rozalina McCoy, associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and director of the Center for Population Health at UM-IHC and Dr. Stephen Thomas, professor of health policy and management at UMD SPH.

“We are creating a remarkable platform for research, education and innovation in healthcare delivery – bringing together economics, demography, medicine, population health, artificial intelligence, epidemiology and health informatics – all in service of improving care systems and boosting the resilience of our older populations,” said McCoy.

Ten academic units across UMD are involved in the Center for SUNSHINE, including the School of Engineering and the Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland (AIM). Other partners include Howard University and the Erickson School of Aging Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC); see below for a full list of partners.

The Center will invest in training and mentoring the next generation of scholars, with a focus on aging resilience and health systems research. It will also support pilot projects led by qualified researchers nationwide, offering access to anonymized Medicare claims, electronic health records, and geospatial data, along with analytic and modeling support. Funded pilot investigators will receive tailored development resources to advance their research and career trajectories.

“Community engagement is a major focus of the Center for SUNSHINE. We are committed to ensuring that older adults and their families are not just ‘human subjects’ of research, but true collaborators in shaping the science, policies, and innovations that support healthy aging,” said Thomas.

In its first year, the Center for SUNSHINE will fund two pilot projects that directly apply research to improving the health and wellbeing of older people: Dr. Shelby Steuart, at UMD College Park, will examine telehealth and behavioral health care for older adults and Dr. Margaret Connolly at UMSOM will explore access to novel treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a common condition in older people.

To set up an interview with Drs. Jie Chen or Stephen Thomas, please email sph-comm@umd.edu. To set up an interview with Dr. Rozalina McCoy, please email DKotz@som.umaryland.edu.

Center for SUNSHINE Partners

University System of Maryland

UM Institute for Health Computing

UM Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center

UM School of Medicine

UM School of Pharmacy

UMB Center for Research on Aging

UMBC Erickson School of Aging Studies

UMD Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland

UMD College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

UMD College of Information

UMD Legacy Leadership Institute on Public Policy

UMD School of Business

UMD School of Engineering

UMD School of Public Health

Institutions around the region

Georgetown University

Virginia Commonwealth University

Howard University

Universities at Shady Grove

Community and national organizations

PATIENTS Program, UMB

Maryland CRAB

Maryland Extension

Encore Creativity for Older Adults

AARP

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Mesonephric carcinoma and mesonephric-like adenocarcinoma of the female genital tract

2025-09-09

Mesonephric carcinoma (MC) is a rare cervical adenocarcinoma originating from mesonephric remnants, characterized by diverse architectural patterns and a distinct immunophenotype. A subset of adenocarcinomas in the endometrium and ovary with similar morphology but lacking association with mesonephric remnants is classified as mesonephric-like adenocarcinoma (MLA). This review synthesizes current knowledge on the clinicopathological and molecular features of MC and MLA, emphasizing their diagnostic challenges, differential diagnoses, and clinical behavior. Mesonephric Remnants and Hyperplasia Mesonephric remnants are vestiges of the Wolffian ducts, ...

Rural patients in the United States still face barriers to telehealth access

2025-09-09

(Toronto, September 9, 2025) Despite the promise of telehealth to bridge rural health care gaps, a new study published by JMIR Publications in the Journal of Medical Internet Research reveals that many rural-dwelling patients in the United States—especially those who are older, speak Spanish, or rely on public insurance—are still struggling to access virtual care. The study, “Video and Telephone Telehealth Use and Web-Based Patient Portal Activation Among Rural-Dwelling Patients: Retrospective Medical Record Review and Policy Implications,” examined the telehealth usage patterns of over 9300 adults in rural California. Conducted by Meghan Rowe ...

Emphysema at CT lung screening increases death risk in asymptomatic adults

2025-09-09

OAK BROOK, Ill. – Emphysema detected on baseline low-dose chest CT (LDCT) in the lung cancer screening cohort of more than 9,000 asymptomatic adults was associated with death from all causes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cardiovascular disease within a 25-year follow-up period in a new study published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Emphysema is a permanent and progressive lung disease in which air sacs in the lungs become damaged, making breathing difficult. It is primarily caused by long-term exposure to irritants like cigarette smoke and air pollution. “Until now, ...

Brain iron on MRI predicts cognitive impairment, decline

2025-09-09

A special MRI technique that detects iron levels in different regions of the brain can predict the onset of mild cognitive impairment and cognitive decline in cognitively unimpaired older adults, potentially creating a pathway to earlier interventions, according to a study published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). As the leading cause of dementia worldwide, Alzheimer’s disease is a growing public health crisis. The disease is characterized by the accumulation of abnormal ...

The ISSCR partners with Nuffield Council on Bioethics to compile global horizon scan on stem cell research

2025-09-09

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) today announced a new partnership with the Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCOB) to conduct an ambitious international horizon scan focused on the future of stem cell science and its ethical implications. The initiative will help signal and inform updates to the ISSCR Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation and guide the Society’s broader public policy agenda. The ISSCR, the world’s largest and most influential independent organization dedicated to ...

Machine learning unveils COPD patient clusters and quality of life associations in China

2025-09-09

A recent study published in Engineering utilized machine learning to identify distinct clusters of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in China, highlighting how comorbidity profiles impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Conducted by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Heidelberg University, Stanford University, and other leading institutions, the study leverages data from the Chinese Enjoying Breathing Program to provide insights into the heterogeneity of COPD and its implications for targeted public health interventions. COPD is a progressive respiratory disorder and a major global ...

No sign of toxic effects of inhaled anesthesia in young children

2025-09-09

CHICAGO – Preliminary findings from a new clinical trial show no adverse neurodevelopmental effects after brief inhaled anesthesia and surgery in infants and young children, reports the Online First edition of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). A "balanced" strategy using a lower dose of the inhaled anesthetic sevoflurane did not lead to meaningful short-term differences in IQ or child behavior problems, according ...

CUNY SPH expands curriculum with concentration in sexual and reproductive justice and health

2025-09-09

New York, NY | Sept. 9, 2025: Beginning January 2026, the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) will offer a new master of public health (MPH) concentration in sexual and reproductive justice and health (SRJH). Building on the school’s longstanding commitment to equity, the concentration expands and deepens opportunities for students to engage with sexual and reproductive health through a justice-centered, interdisciplinary lens. As part of the Department of Community ...

High consumption of ultra-processed foods linked to systemic inflammation

2025-09-09

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrially altered products – like soda, snacks and processed meats – packed with additives and stripped of nutrients. Hundreds of new ingredients, previously unknown to the human body, now make up nearly 60% of the average adult’s diet and almost 70% of children’s diets in the United States. These products reduce nutritional value, extend shelf life, and tend to increase how much people consume. In the U.S., UPFs account for about 60% of daily calorie ...

City of Hope launches transformative national clinical trials model to accelerate cancer research

2025-09-09

LOS ANGELES — City of Hope®, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S., launched an innovative national clinical trials model to expand access to emerging life-saving cancer treatments to more patients across the country. This model simplifies the opening of new trial locations and streamlines patient enrollment with the goal of accelerating the development of new cancer treatments and improving clinical care. As the first academic center with a national clinical trial network and a large and diverse patient ...

NIH funds first-of-its-kind center to study resilience and aging

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: