After repeated pandemic-related delays, the NIA-supported Animal Models for the Social Dimensions of Health and Aging Research Network (R24 AG065172, under the direction of DUPRI’s Jenny Tung, Kathie Mullan Harris [UNC], and Alessandro Bartolomucci [University of Minnesota]) was pleased to host its first in-person full network meeting in Minneapolis on September 22-24th, 2022. About 45 participants gathered to hear research updates and celebrate the accomplishments of Network McEwen Fellows, travel fellowship awardees, and pilot project recipients, with featured invited lectures from Dr. Melissa Emery Thompson, Dr. Dan Belsky, and Dr. Darren Baker. The meeting also emphasized breakout sessions to discuss interdisciplinary approaches to leveraging animal models to study the social determinants of health and aging, with ample time for networking to facilitate the next generation of network collaborations.
