The National Institutes of Health has awarded Oregon Health & Science University $2.8 million to lead the Advancing Geriatrics Infrastructure & Network Growth, or AGING, Initiative.
The AGING Initiative, started in 2014 at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School under Jerry Gurwitz, M.D., transitioned to OHSU June 1, 2025.
Ana Quiñones, Ph.D., professor of family medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine, is co-director, along with C. Barrett Bowling, M.D., of Duke University.
"OHSU's leadership of the AGING Initiative is a proud milestone for our department and a reflection of our commitment to the health of older adults," said Jennifer DeVoe, M.D., chair and professor of family medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine.
"With Dr. Quiñones' national expertise and our strong foundation in primary care and aging research, we are well-positioned to lead collaborative, impactful work that improves care for older people with multiple chronic conditions — not only in Oregon, but across the country."
The goal of the AGING Initiative is to create a national resource for advancing interdisciplinary research focused on older adults with multiple chronic conditions. These efforts lay the foundation to address the knowledge gaps that exist regarding health care for older adults with complex care needs.
The initiative involves the Health Care Systems Research Network and the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers.
"I'm excited to add this important work to OHSU's portfolio where I am sure we'll continue to successfully push toward fostering high-quality, person-centered care for this growing population of older Americans in Oregon and across the country," Quiñones said.
The AGING Initiative brings together experts from different fields working in teams across disciplines to better understand and support the needs of aging adults, rather than focusing on one illness at a time.
The initiative includes researchers from 20 health care centers that serve more than 2 million older adults, along with scientists from 15 top university programs backed by the National Institute on Aging of the NIH. The initiative shares new research, trains the next generation of scientists, and values the voices of older adults living with chronic conditions and their caregivers.
"We are eager to continue the mission of the AGING Initiative to advance research for the most common chronic conditions," Quiñones said. "OHSU is a great home for this work with our efforts to build and sustain a nimble, learning health system to improve geriatric care for older Oregonians."
This research is supported by the National Institute on Aging, of the National Institutes of Health, under award number R33AG057806. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
