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The Emory Center for Health in Aging announces 2026 Pilot Award project winners
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Lara Moore
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The Emory Center for Health in Aging continues advancing innovative research by awarding three new pilot grants of up to $25,000 each to support one year of research. Designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and leverage the creative strengths of the Emory community, these awards reflect the center’s ongoing commitment to improving health and quality of life for older adults.

 Please join us in congratulating this year's pilot awardees: Cheryl Day, PhD, Department of Microbiology and Immunology; Jane Chung, PhD, RN, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing; and Mark Lyle, PT, PhD, and Colin Grove, PT, PhD, both in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine.

“The Center for Health in Aging proudly recognizes three 2026 Pilot Award projects that advance understanding of frailty biology in older women, heat resilience among urban aging populations, and the influence of aging on the systems that we use to maintain balance and prevent falls. These studies underscore Emory’s innovative, interdisciplinary contributions to advancing aging science and enhancing health for older adults, says Camille Vaughan, MD, director of the Center for Health in Aging.

Plasma biomarker signatures of risk of frailty in older women living with and without HIV  

Cheryl Day, PhD, is a professor at Emory University’s School of Medicine.

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Cheryl Day, PhD

Day’s research focuses on characterizing cellular immune responses in children and adults across TB and HIV infection states. For this project, Day is partnering with Vincent Marconi, MD, Susan Graham, and Siu Yin (Max) Lau, PhD, examining why older women living with HIV—particularly in Kenya—experience higher rates of frailty and age-related health problems despite effective antiretroviral therapy. The goal is to better understand how HIV and aging interact to accelerate biological aging and frailty and uncover immune pathways that could be targeted to improve health and quality of life in older people living with HIV.

Adaptive strategies and social resources for heat resilience in aging among urban older adults

Jane Chung, PhD, RN is an Associate Professor at Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. 

Photo of Jane Chung, PhD, RN

Jane Chung, PhD, RN

Her program of research focuses on developing community-embedded sensing and analytic systems to detect functional, social, and environmental risks affecting underserved older adults, and to design technology-enabled strategies that support adaptation, resilience, and health equity in real-world settings. In collaboration with Roxana Chicas, PhD, RN, and Amy Rodriguez, PhD, this project will examine how heat exposure influences physical function, cognition, and mobility—and why some older adults remain resilient despite rising temperatures. By combining wearable physiologic monitoring, mobility tracking, surveys, and in-depth interviews, the team will identify the adaptive strategies and social connections that help older adults stay safe, active, and independent during hot weather. Findings will inform future interventions, community programs, and policies aimed at protecting older adults and supporting healthy aging as extreme heat becomes more common.

Linking age-related decline in vestibular function and impaired postural reactions

Mark Lyle, PT, PhD, is an assistant professor at Emory’s School of Medicine. His research over the last 10 years has been to identify governing neural control principles that enable normal and underlie impaired lower limb control. Colin Grove, PT, PhD, is an assistant professor at Emory’s School of Medicine. His research focuses on vestibular physiology, rehabilitation, and notably, training the vestibular system to overcome motion sickness.
Photo of Colin Grove, PT, PhD

Colin Grove, PT, PhD

Age-related changes in vestibular function are associated with imbalance and falls, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. This pilot study is an important step towards establishing links between age-related vestibular decline and altered postural reactions in older adults with and without a history of falling. This research is expected to inform more precise fall risk assessments and targeted prevention strategies, helping older adults maintain independence and improve quality of life.


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