Samelson Named Advisor for Harvard Catalyst Grant Review and Support Program

BOSTON — Elizabeth Samelson, Ph.D., Associate Scientist at Hebrew SeniorLife’s Institute for Aging Research, was recently selected to join the GRASP leadership team as an Advisor. In this role, Dr. Samelson will support junior faculty in their efforts to obtain independent research funding through educational programs, project management techniques, and small group and individual grant writing guidance.

Harvard Catalyst works with Harvard schools and academic healthcare centers (hospitals) to build and grow an environment where discoveries are rapidly and efficiently translated to improve human health. They catalyze research across all clinical and translational domains by providing investigators with opportunities such as pilot funding, free resources, educational programs, over a dozen courses, and a range of web tools that assist in data collection and team collaboration efforts.

Dr. Samelson received an MPH from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Ph.D. in Epidemiology from Columbia University, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in musculoskeletal epidemiology at Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Samelson’s major areas of research include the natural history, mechanisms, and clinical implications of excessive curvature of the thoracic spine (hyperkyphosis), the use of quantitative computed tomography (QCT) to measure features of skeletal fragility, the epidemiology of osteoporosis and related fractures, and the links between bone and vascular calcification. Dr. Samelson co-directs the Advanced Aging Research Training Seminar Series (AARTSS) in the Harvard Translational Research in Aging Training Program at Hebrew SeniorLife’s Institute for Aging Research.

About the Institute for Aging Research

Scientists at the Institute for Aging Research seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity and productivity into advanced age. The Institute carries out rigorous studies that discover the mechanisms of age-related disease and disability; lead to the prevention, treatment and cure of disease; advance the standard of care for older people; and inform public decision-making. The Aging Brain Center within IFAR studies cognitive aging and conditions affecting brain health.

About Hebrew SeniorLife

Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching and redefining the possibilities of aging. Founded in Boston in 1903, the nonprofit, non-sectarian organization today provides communities and health care for seniors, research into aging, and education for geriatric care providers. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org, follow us on Twitter @H_SeniorLife, like us on Facebook or read our blog.