Academic & Strategic Strengths

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UB 2020 > Academic & Strategic Strengths > Overview > Health & Wellness Across the Lifespan

Health & Wellness Across the Lifespan

Core Foci of the Strategic Strength

  • Aging and Development Core
  • Metabolism, Obesity, and Diabetes Core
  • Brain and Behavior Core
  • Research Operations & Training Center Infrastructure

Given the reality of an aging population, research into the areas of aging and development, metabolism, obesity, diabetes and brain and behavior represent a significant opportunity for growth. These three categories comprise diverse research, teaching and clinical/service activities in various stages of development that are currently collaborating with each other and with external groups or that have the potential to do so. Within each group, we address individual and group successes and emerging strengths in causation, mitigation and prevention of life challenges and disorders that impact successful development and aging.

The aim of this strategic strength is to have at UB a model Center for Health and Wellness Across the Life Span. We have taken a broad view of aging and chronic disease; the biomedical and social sciences and relevant areas of economics, law, and architecture all have a bearing on the creation of this center.

Aging and Development

At the core of this strength is the development of the Western New York community as a “living laboratory” for the development and testing of new interventions and the measurement of their impact on disease, health, and wellness of the region. A model comprehensive program of research, teaching and service will serve as a national resource for those working to facilitate healthy transition at all phases of the life cycle and minimize the impact of disease on large populations.

By integrating a diverse group of projects, there is the potential to double the research dollars in this area in the next fifteen years, and to demonstrate a positive impact on benchmarks of health and wellness in the population of Western New York.

The mission of this strategic strength is to develop an interacting matrix of research, teaching and service activities involving basic and clinical biomedical sciences, social science, nursing, public health, education, epidemiology, law, communication, information and engineering technology, architecture, economics, and perhaps other academic disciplines that can improve health, independence and quality of life in individuals and the WNY population throughout the life span.

A multidisciplinary collaboration between diverse specialized groups will serve as a national model that can compete successfully for programmatic extramural support from government, foundations, industry and other sources and that can serve as a resource for centers in other parts of the country aiming to improve population health by developing and testing new interventions and by disseminating new knowledge to professionals and the public.

Achieving this mission requires creative integration of diverse areas of endeavor with strong potential to work together and with other strengths locally and nationally in order to address important and compelling chronic health and societal challenges for the next fifteen years and beyond. These efforts should not only reflect the strengths of the faculty at the university, but must also reflect the needs and resources of the community, as well as align with funding priorities from federal grant sources. Maintaining cohesion and viability within the diversity of academic efforts will be facilitated by an active steering committee that solicits input from national leaders with similar interests.

Aging and Development

Metabolism, Obesity and Diabetes

Brain and Behavior

Steering Committee

Coordinating Committee:
  • Michael Cain (Co-Coordinating Dean)
    Dean, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
  • Wayne Anderson
    Dean, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Jean Brown
    Associate Dean, School of Nursing
  • Rich Buchanan (Co-Coordinating Dean)
    Dean, School of Dental Medicine
  • Brian Carter
    Dean, School of Architecture and Planning
  • Mary Gresham
    Dean, Graduate School of Education
  • Lynn Kozlowski
    Interim Dean, School of Public Health & Health Professions
  • Bruce D. McCombe
    Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Nancy Smyth
    Dean, School of Social Work
Faculty Advisory Committee:
  • TBD
Task Force:

Last updated: May 9, 2008