The Aging Initiative is excited to announce the recipients of the 2026 Aging Initiative Pilot Grant program. This funding mechanism is intended to promote innovative aging-related research and foster new collaborations that generate preliminary data for future external grant submissions. We awarded over $70,000 in funding to 3 faculty-led team projects focused on advancing interdisciplinary knowledge and innovation in the Aging Initiative's priority areas of Aging and AI, Basic Mechanisms of Aging/Aging Biology, Caregiver, Social Sciences, & Support, Geroscience, and Community Outreach & Engagement. The awards support projects that have strong potential for advancing aging-related research. We received over 70 applications this inaugural cycle, which speaks to the robust community of researchers here at OSU.
These awards recognize innovative and impactful research focused on advancing our understanding of aging and improving the health and well-being of older adults. The selected proposals stood out for their scientific merit, creativity, potential impact within and outside of the university, and potential to drive new multidisciplinary collaborations across or within University Colleges.
Congratulations to the following grant recipients:
Leveraging AI to Examine Medicare Supplemental Benefits and Unmet Social Needs and Long-Term Services and Supports for Aging Populations
This project uses artificial intelligence to better identify older adults’ unmet needs—such as difficulty accessing food, transportation, or help with daily living—by analyzing information within electronic medical records. This work is important because many critical social and caregiving needs are not well captured in traditional healthcare data, making them largely invisible to policymakers and clinicians.
Research Team: PI: Wendy Xu, PhD (College of Public Health, Division of Health Services Management and Policy). Co-Investigators: Bo Lu, PhD (Biostatistics, College of Public Health); Changchang Yin, PhD (Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine); Dongjuan Xu, PhD (Nursing, Purdue University)
Role of Cdc42-Septin Axis in Cellular Aging
This project investigates how aging affects the cytoskeleton—the internal framework that maintains cell structure and function. Using a yeast model, the research will examine how the age-related breakdown of this system disrupts cellular organization and contributes to declining cell health over time. Insights gained from this work could help explain how cellular aging contributes to diseases in humans and may point to new strategies for promoting healthy aging at the biological level.
Research Team: PI: Hay-Oak Park, PhD (College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Molecular Genetics)
U-CARE-Bio: U-Threat Reactivity as a Driver of Accelerated Biological Aging in Breast Cancer Survivors – A Proof-of-Concept Study
This project examines whether breast cancer survivors who are more sensitive to uncertainty and unpredictable stress experience faster biological aging after treatment. Identifying heightened stress reactivity as a potential, modifiable risk factor could lead to earlier identification of at-risk individuals and more personalized care to improve long-term health and quality of life.
Research Team: PI: Yesol Yang, PhD (College of Nursing). Co-PI: Min-Ae Song, PhD (College of Public Health). Co-Investigators: Stephanie Gorka, PhD (College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health); Alai Tan, PhD (College of Nursing)