Under the leadership of Jenny Tung and co-directors, Kathleen Mullan Harris, James E. Haar Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Alessandro Bartolomucci, Associate Professor, Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, the “Research Network on Animal Models to Understand the Social Dimensions of Aging” NIA R24 grant spearheads the Animal Models Network.
The Network fosters research that integrates animal models into studies of social aging and facilitates the exchange of ideas, concepts and data between animal researchers and researchers working on humans. Mentorship and training opportunities for new investigators, and support for new projects focused on using animal models to improve human health and well-being over the lifespan are also offered.
Tung, Bartolomucci, and Harris bring together decades of experience working with social and behavioral data on stress and aging biology in humans, nonhuman primates, and rodents, with ongoing research projects in both field and captive settings.