Announcements
Duke Center on the Demography of Aging (DCDA) Seeks Research Proposals
Duke Center on the Demography of Aging (DCDA) Seeks Research Proposals for December 2009
The Duke Center on the Demography of Aging (DCDA)—a research effort within the Duke Population Research Institute (DuPRI) and an SSRI affiliate—promotes research into the biological demography and biomedical demography of aging and longevity. This NIA-funded Center is seeking proposals for pilot and/or feasibility projects (small-scale research projects).
Topics of high interest to the Center include:
The impact of early vs. later life events on health and survival in late life.
Do you die from your whole life? Or do you die from yesterday?
Both present circumstance and past history surely play some role.
Research questions include:
How decisive are in-utero vs. early-childhood vs. later-life vs. current conditions on health and survival at older ages? How important is the past vs. the present for: (1) average levels of age-specific morbidity and mortality in a population, (2) the variance within a population, (3) changes over time in the levels, and (4) differences in the levels of age-specific morbidity and mortality among populations?
Biomarkers of aging. Biomarkers of aging include hand grip strength, pulmonary functioning, clinical measurements of various substances in blood, saliva or urine, blood pressure, heart rate variability, weight, height, perceived age
and various other physiological and anthropometric measures of risk factors, exposure and health outcomes. One of the main interests is how a person’s behavior, life conditions and environment get “under the skin” to influence the
person’s health and survival. What, for instance, are the intervening physiological mechanisms that cause some kinds of serious stress, such as that experienced after the death of a spouse, to produce poor health and an elevated
risk of death?
Male-female differences in health and survival (humans). Even in the poorest countries, women outlive men. There is, however, a remarkable discrepancy between the health and survival of males versus females. Generally men are
stronger, report fewer diseases, and have fewer limitations in the activities of daily living at older ages. Nonetheless, female death rates are substantially lower than male rates for all age groups. Various explanations have been proposed that involve biological risks, risks acquired through social roles and behaviors, illness behavior, health reporting behavior, physicians’ diagnostic patterns, and differential health care access, treatment, and use. Gaining a deeper appreciation of male vs. female differences along various dimensions of health is an important research priority.
Male-female differences in health and survival (animals). To the extent that male vs. female differences stem from fundamental biological factors, the differences should also be found in other species. Hence it would be informative for demographers to study other primates, such as baboons or lemurs. More generally, studies of diverse vertebrates (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish) would shed light on the unity or diversity of sex differentials across the tree of life. Studies of animals can reveal deep conservation of mechanisms and processes across species and can lead to the formulation and testing of general principles that hold for humans as well as other species.
Evolutionary biodemography. Evolutionary theory and demographic theory are deeply intertwined. Fundamental advances in evolutionary theory can follow from demographic concepts, and vice versa. Important new concepts in evolutionary biodemography were proposed by Annette Baudisch in 2008. She argues that two concepts are mixed together in gerontology and that these need to be separated. 1. One is the “pace” of life. Even the longest lived embers of some species live only days whereas in other species individuals can survive centuries. Similarly in some species growth is completed in a short time whereas for others growth continues for a very long time. Some species start reproducing quickly whereas others wait for years. The “pace” of life refers to the speed at which the major events of life occur. 2. The other is the “path” of life, i.e., the shape of the age patterns of mortality, fertility and growth. For example, after reproductive maturity, mortality could rise swiftly or slowly, remain roughly constant, or decline for an extended period. These are radically different shapes—but the time scale for any of them could be days…or centuries. The “path” of life depends on a species’ age pattern, not on time scale.
According to the standard view, shorter-lived species show more rapid senescence than longer-lived species. A separation of the two concepts gives a new view. Concerning the pace of life, there are shorter and longer-lived
species. Concerning the path of life, there are more or less senescent species. A rapidly senescent species could be short or long-lived: its key characteristic would be that the length of adult life is short relative to the total length of
life.
The Duke Center on the Demography of Aging intends to support at least 3 small-scale research projects (pilot projects or feasibility studies) this academic year, with NIH/NIA funding ranging from $15,000 to $35,000 per project. Projects are expected to be completed within a two-year period. Applications are not limited to the listed areas of high interest but applications must display innovation that will advance the Center’s research agenda and funding prospects.
Applicants should be investigators at Duke University and applications will be screened and awarded through competitive peer review. The DuPRI Small-Scale Research Projects Committee will be responsible for the peer-review process and for selecting the winning applications.
Applications may be designed to rapidly pursue a new finding or research opportunity, or to obtain preliminary data that will serve as a basis for a major research grant application. Junior faculty members are particularly encouraged to apply. While postdoctoral fellows cannot serve as Principal Investigators, they may receive support via faculty sponsors.
Instructions for Small-Scale Research Project Applications Investigators will need to prepare an abbreviated NIH-style application, including face page, abstract, budget (direct costs only), budget justification, biosketch, other support, as well as a page devoted exclusively to the project’s Specific Aims and up to 3 pages of Research Strategy narrative (using 12-point font). The Research Strategy narrative is subdivided into three parts: Significance, Innovation, and Approach. The Approach sub-section needs to include Preliminary Studies information. Additional pages can be attached for Literature Cited and to give brief information about any contractual agreements or consultants.
Please include a cover letter that briefly addresses these questions:
To what degree is the project consistent with the Center’s (DCDA) priorities?
How will the project facilitate future independent funding?
Will the project support the development of new demographers and, if so, how?
Duke University internal applications for human subject and/or animal research approval, if applicable, should be prepared in draft form and attached.
Selection of the applications for NIA/DCDA funding will be based upon scientific merit and program relevance. Applications are due on Wednesday, December 2, 2009, at 5:00PM. Finalists will be announced on Wednesday, January
13, 2010.
For more information, especially about the NIH forms to use, contact Nancy Vaupel at the Duke Center on the Demography of Aging (DCDA) on 919-681-4993 or email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Send your application in paper format to:
Nancy Vaupel, DCDA
Bay A-104,
Erwin Square Mill Bldg, Box 90420,
Durham, NC 27708-0420
or email your application as an attachment to: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Recipients of a DCDA award will be expected to:
1) Acknowledge the NIA and the Duke Center on the Demography of Aging as supporting and funding your award on all papers and presentations stemming from research conducted with DCDA funding.
2) Comply with all IACUC, IRB and human subject requirements at Duke University.
3) Submit interim reports and/or a final status report on the funded research at 12-month intervals (from the date of NIA approval of funding) to the DuPRI Small-Scale Research Projects Committee.
4) Apply for External Funding within 2 years if the award was to serve as a basis for a major research grant application.
5) Inform the Committee of any additional awards received where research results from the DCDA small scale research project were utilized.
Posted Oct 19, 2009