USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology

04/21/2025

Program advisor Caroline Cicero, instructional associate professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and director of the USC Age-Friendly University Initiative, helps participants explore the evolving concept of retirement not as an endpoint, but as a launchpad for new endeavors.
https://gero.usc.edu/2025/04/16/usc-distinguished-leaders-cicero/

04/11/2025

💪 Jim Arrington, the Guinness World Record holder for 'World's Oldest Pro Bodybuilder,' recently visited students in our Food Production & Food Service Management course, taught by Nick Padula, MS, RD, CSSD, to share how nutrition has influenced his bodybuilding career.
LBC Nutrition

04/11/2025

On Apr. 15, Leonard Davis School admission counselors are hosting open office hours via Zoom. They will answer questions about our programs, application process, application deadlines and more.

http://bit.ly/gero-office-hrs

04/08/2025

As Administrator and Director of Hospitality at The Variel of Woodland Hills, Lourdes Bustamante, MASM, oversees the first line of services people encounter. Her responsibilities include oversight of the front desk, valet and security. She’s also the go-to for handling concerns and ensuring the right person addresses them.

“My team’s goal is to showcase exceptional customer service and leave a lasting impression on residents, guests and vendors,” she says. With this job, Bustamante also sees a bright future for moving up the ranks in senior living management.
https://gero.usc.edu/2025/04/03/masm-graduate-is-part-of-a-transformation-in-senior-living/

04/07/2025

Neurology Today quoted Caleb Finch in a story discussing the link between wildfire exposure and dementia.
https://ow.ly/aKPV50Vw6za

03/28/2025

On Mar 31, Leonard Davis School admission counselors are hosting open office hours via Zoom. They will answer questions about our programs, application process, application deadlines and more.

http://bit.ly/gero-office-hrs

03/28/2025

💻 The USC Age Tech Symposium has officially started! Dean Pinchas Cohen of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology & Yannis Yortsos, Dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering welcome attendees and speakers to a day of innovation, collaboration and discussion on the intersection of aging & technology.

03/27/2025

HuffPost cited research by Valter Longo in a story about expert tips that help with insomnia.
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/insomnia-cure-tips-review_uk_67d3f942e4b034e451a57935

03/27/2025

This year’s theme for , “Food Connects Us,” rings especially true for the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology’s nutrition programs. From helping USC patients and providers prepare healthy snacks and visiting a three-generation family food business to taking on a statewide leadership role in dietetics, students and faculty members are showing that food isn’t just sustenance but is also a powerful tool for building community.

Students and faculty connect with patients, providers and professionals during March’s National Nutrition Month.

03/18/2025

The New York Times quoted Susan Enguídanos in an article on what to do if one receives a distressing diagnosis. She recommended that patients research their condition only with reputable, doctor-reviewed sources, such as the Mayo Clinic health library. She also advises patients to record the appointment with their doctor on the phone: “Then you can listen back when you’re not in crisis.”

Everyone responds differently, experts say, and there’s no wrong way to feel.

03/12/2025

WBZ NightSide With Dan Rea interviewed Bérénice Benayoun on the possible biological reasons why women live longer than men on average. “We know that in controlled conditions, being male is a detriment to a long lifespan.”
https://wbznewsradio.iheart.com/featured/nightside-with-dan-rea/content/2025-02-28-1002-nightside-with-dan-rea-nightside-news-update-22825/

WBZ NewsRadio’s NightSide with Dan Rea interviewed Berenice Benayoun on the possible biological reasons why women live longer than men on average. “We know that in controlled conditions, being male is a detriment to a long lifespan.”

03/11/2025

San Francisco Chronicle spoke to Eunyoung Choi for an article on her study of how heat exposure affects biological aging in older adults. “[The study] suggests chronic heat exposure may have a substantial impact on the body’s aging process, similar to other major lifestyle and environmental stressors.”

Older adults in hot regions may age faster biologically, highlighting the need for protective measures against extreme heat, a USC study finds.

03/11/2025

Amid an ongoing opioid crisis that contributes to shortening American lifespans, a new study addresses the lack of nationwide data on who keeps the lifesaving medication with them and uses it to reverse overdoses.

New study addresses the lack of nationwide data on who keeps the lifesaving medication with them and uses it to reverse overdoses.

03/10/2025

On Mar 12, Leonard Davis School admission counselors are hosting open office hours via Zoom. They will answer questions about our programs, application process, application deadlines and more.

http://bit.ly/gero-office-hrs

03/07/2025

BBC Science Focus Magazine covered a study by Andrei Irimia, which developed a method using MRI scans and artificial intelligence (AI) to track how quickly the brain ages, a critical step in predicting and potentially preventing conditions like dementia.

03/07/2025

Pinchas Cohen, Dean of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, has been named a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Cohen is one of six USC faculty members welcomed to the 2025 class of Senior Members. NAI Senior Members are “active faculty, scientists, and administrators with success in patents, licensing, and commercialization and have produced technologies that have brought or aspire to bring real impact on the welfare of society,” according to the NAI website.

Cohen, an expert on mitochondrial microproteins and their therapeutic potential for diseases related to aging, holds several patents for novel peptides.

03/05/2025

The New York Times featured a study by Eunyoung Choi and Jennifer Ailshire on how more days of excessive heat correlates with increased biological aging in older adults.
Read more:

A first-of-its-kind analysis found that people living in hotter areas experienced more molecular changes than those in cooler places.

03/05/2025

The first-of-its-kind tool can non-invasively track the pace of brain changes using MRI scans; faster brain aging closely correlates with a higher risk of cognitive impairment.

Developed by USC researchers, the first-of-its-kind AI tool can non-invasively track the pace of brain changes using MRI scans.