About the Translational Science Center: Fostering Independence in Aging and how it got started at Wake Forest University
In October 2009, the Translational Science Center: Fostering Independence in Aging (TSC), was one of the first recipients of strategic plan center funding on the Reynolda Campus of Wake Forest University. Following reviews by an external panel and the Research Advisory Council, the Center was granted funding for five years. Its proposal demonstrated that a collaborative focus would not only enhance translational science research and education, but strengthen the intellectual community between the various member departments and schools while bolstering Wake Forest’s academic reputation.
Under the direction of Daniel Kim-Shapiro (Physics), the TSC focuses on promoting and maintaining functional health in aging. Both past and current research projects look at the effects of interventions on cognitive function and physical activity. The center team includes medical staff, behavioral scientists and basic scientists who develop experimental interventions to improve physical and cognitive health in aging populations while using observations from these interventions to plan new studies. The center also proposes a new undergraduate minor in translational science in addition to a graduate certificate program.