Geroscience is a research field that seeks to understand the relationship between aging and age-related diseases and how it affects quality of life.
Dr. Marie Bernard Departs Alliance Board to Accept Position at NIA
Published October 13, 2008
Dr. Marie Bernard Departs Alliance Board to Accept Position at NIA
October 13th, 2008, WASHINGTON, DC – Concluding six years on the Board of Directors of the not-for-profit Alliance for Aging Research, Dr. Marie A. Bernard assumed new responsibilities this week as Deputy Director of the federal government’s National Institute on Aging.
One of the nation’s most prominent geriatricians, Dr. Bernard’s recently was Professor and Chair of the Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Oklahoma. Her most recent positions included associate chief of staff for Geriatrics and Extended Care at the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
In the number two position in the premier federal agency for medical and scientific research in aging, Dr. Bernard will apply her physician’s knowledge and compassion and wide experience in the medical, social and behavioral needs of older Americans. In a statement issued this week by the National Institute on Aging, Dr. Bernard said “There is quite a bit yet to do, particularly as we face the Silver Tsunami of Baby Boomers that will start turning 65 in 2001. There will be particular challenges, since there will be even greater diversity in this population s a results of increased numbers of minority and ethnic elders.”
Alliance Board Chairman James E. Eden said, “Marie Bernard has set a very high standard for service to our non-profit Board and towards our goal to advance science in order to enhance lives of Americans as they grow older. We will miss her counsel within the Alliance but look forward to working closely with her in her important new role at the National Institute on Aging.”
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Founded in 1986, the Alliance for Aging Research is a nonprofit, independent organization dedicated to improving the health and independence of aging Americans through public and private funding of medical research and geriatric education. The Alliance combines the interest of top scientists, public officials, business executives, and foundation leaders to promote a greater national investment in research and new technologies that will prepare our nation for the coming senior boom, and improve the quality of life for today’s older generation.