Suzanne Segerstrom is the director of the Oregon State University Center for Healthy Aging Research. Her research primarily addresses the interactions among psychological, cognitive, immunological and physical health in older adults.
How did CHAR start?
The center was formed in 2005 to create connections among the many faculty members across OSU who study aging. We just celebrated our 20th anniversary! It started as a university center and later moved to the College of Health. We have more than 40 faculty from the college as well as other colleges (Business, Engineering, Liberal Arts, Pharmacy, Science, Agricultural Sciences, Veterinary Medicine) and Extension.
What are some of the center’s primary areas of research right now?
As you can guess from the wide array of colleges involved in CHAR, there is also a wide array of research focused on everything from proteins to public policy. Interdisciplinary research is a highlight; for example, faculty from engineering and from human development and family sciences are collaborating on robot companions for older adults, and faculty from vet med and from nutrition and public health are collaborating on the effects of nut consumption on cognitive health.
Why is it important to study aging and older adults?
We are all aging and, with any luck, we will become older adults if we’re not there already. Healthy aging is something that is important for all of us — for our present and our future. What’s more, it’s never too early to start aging well. CHAR research illuminates the psychological and physical foundations of healthy aging in earlier decades of life as well as ways that older adults can preserve and improve their health. For example, bone density is affected by diet and physical activity throughout life, but older adults can also preserve bone health with a nutritious diet and activity programs like Better Bones and Balance.
How can students get involved with CHAR? Does the College of Health offer courses in gerontology?
The Aging Studies programs for undergraduate (certificate) and graduate (minor) students take courses ranging from biology to philosophy to explore the many facets of aging. CHAR also offers the LIFE Scholars program, which awards undergraduate students a summer stipend to conduct research with center faculty members. Our Student Opportunities webpage also lists scholarships and careers in aging for interested students. Many of the undergraduate students who get involved with CHAR faculty research are interested in health careers, including medicine, as well as graduate study across many different disciplines.
What are some of the greatest impacts to come out of center research?
There’s a lot of talk about “bench to bedside” research — that is, the continuum from laboratory methods to clinical implementation — but CHAR actually delivers on that ideal.
One difficulty in translating research on cognitive function in rats to research in humans is that the tests used to measure memory (for example) in rats are very different from those used in humans. From the Linus Pauling Institute Principal Investigator Kathy Magnusson’s website: “In order to enhance the translation of our work, we have recently developed a virtual water maze for testing human subjects. This task is designed to be similar to the water maze task that we use to assess memory in mice. We believe that this will enhance our ability to transition from screening interventions in mice to testing them in humans by using the same task. We have used this task to study the effects of blackberries and prior military service on cognitive aging.”
Alysia Vrailas-Mortimer studies neurological diseases using fruit flies. She has tested available human antioxidant supplements in her fruit flies, finding that acai-containing supplements had the most promise in reducing cellular stress processes.
There's also a great story in a past CHAR newsletter about translational research with a diabetes drug.
What might surprise people about CHAR?
The breadth of our research and the number of colleges represented. We have a very diverse group of scientists with different backgrounds and using different research methods, but we are all interested in preventing and treating age-related conditions and in helping older adults live their healthiest and most fulfilling lives.
