Chris Radlicz, M.S., M.P.H, a former pre-doctoral fellow of UAB Nutrition Obesity Research Center, was recently awarded a summer position at Harvard Medical School through the 2018 Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Program. This nationally competitive program is sponsored by the American Federation for Aging Research and receives funding through the National Institute on Aging.

Radlicz, a current first-year medical student at Ohio University, became interested in aging research while under the mentorship of Dr. Julie Locher, Co-Director for enrichment of the UAB Nutrition Obesity Research Center, and Dr. Justin Blackburn, Assistant Professor of Outcomes Research at UAB. “Dr. Locher and Dr. Blackburn were instrumental in my exposure to the field of aging research, which has prepared me well for this opportunity.” said Radlicz.

Chris will be working on clinical and health services research projects at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Boston VA. “This program is designed to increase the need for medicals students to pursue careers in aging research and geriatrics,” said Radlicz. “Though I am uncertain of the specialty I would like to pursue, learning the nuances of care for this growing portion of the population will serve me well as a practicing physician and investigator.”

The program provides students with experiences in aging-related research and geriatrics, while receiving mentorship from top experts in the field. MSTAR award recipients participate in an eight- to twelve-week structured research, clinical training, and didactic program in geriatrics. As a capstone, MSTAR scholars will be presenting their posters at the Annual Meeting of the American Geriatrics Society in May of next year.