@animalsocaging
Our NIA-funded Research Network supports research that integrates animal models into studies of social aging. We facilitate idea exchange among early-career researchers working on animal models and support projects in areas of network interest.
The second of two 2026 Network-the-networks meetings concluded successfully at the University of Minnesota earlier this week. We are so grateful for all who attended and look forward to the collaborations that will no doubt result between invited network representatives!
Welcome slide for the ASU Network-the-networks meeting, held in January 2026.
Our first of two Network-the-networks meeting was recently organized and conducted at Arizona State University by @smacklab.bsky.social. Thanks to all representatives of fellow networks who participated with the aim to "diversify the animal taxa used in the study of social determinants of aging"!
JAMA research letter titled "Trends and Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome Among US Adults." It includes four graphs detailing trends in metabolic syndrome prevalence by sex, age group, race/ethnicity, and poverty income ratio from 2013-2023.
Approximately 39% of US adults met criteria for metabolic syndrome in 2023, with persistent disparities by age and race highlighting the need for ongoing preventive efforts.
ja.ma/4jXfqCV
Portrait of Dr. Frank Raven and a description of his project.
🔦✨ Research Network Spotlight!✨🔦
Dr. Frank Raven, postdoctoral research fellow in the lab of Dr. Sara Aton at University of Michigan, is the second awardee of a 2025-2026 Bruce McEwen Fellowship through our Research Network. Check out a description of Dr. Raven's project below!
An announcement of Sabrina Mederos's fellowship and a description of her research.
🔦✨ Research Network Spotlight!✨🔦
Sabrina Mederos, PhD candidate at UC Davis, is one of two 2025-2026 Bruce McEwen Fellowship awardees through our Research Network. Check out a description of Sabrina's research below.
@bartolomuccilab.bsky.social @jennytung.bsky.social @smacklab.bsky.social
Did you know that we offer funding opportunities for small/working group meetings in areas-of-interest to our Network?
Want to meet with like-minded scientists to workshop the social determinants of health and aging?
Accepting applications now! www.animalsocialaging-network.org/funding/smal...
✨🔦Research Network Spotlight!🔦✨
@ctestard.bsky.social at Harvard University is the second recipient of a 2025-2026 Pilot & Feasibility award from our Research Network. Check out a description of Dr. Testard's project below.
@bartolomuccilab.bsky.social @jennytung.bsky.social @smacklab.bsky.social
✨ 🔦 Research Network Spotlight! 🔦 ✨
Dr. Millie Rincón-Cortés at the University of Texas at Dallas is one of two recipients of a 2025-2026 Pilot & Feasibility award from our Research Network. Check out a description of her project on early life programming and neuroimmune aging in the image below.
And congratulations to our 2025-2026 Pilot & Feasibility award winners Camille Testard (Harvard) and Millie Rincón-Cortés (UT Dallas). Their projects will focus on social bonds and early life programming in animal models to study the social determinants of health and aging.
Congratulations to our 2025-2026 Bruce McEwen Fellowship awardees!
Sabrina Mederos (UC Davis)
Frank Raven (U Michigan)
Congratulations also to travel fellowship awardee Stephanie Fox (UC Santa Barbara). We look forward to your project success!
Proud to announce the publication of our new paper describing the design, chemical synthesis and testing of a novel class of Complement 3a Receptor (C3aR) agonists and antagonists derived from the TLQP-21 peptide
@pubs.acs.org Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Network leader @bartolomuccilab.bsky.social has been named editor-in-chief of Neuroscience and BioBehavioral Reviews. This peer-reviewed journal publishes reviews that integrate brain function and behavior of model organism and humans in a range of areas.
Congratulations, Alessandro!
Research Network 2023 Pilot & Feasibility awardee @brianmsweis.bsky.social published two papers in Science Advances in July of this year that feature his research on the neuroeconomics of decision making. Join us in congratulating Dr. Sweis!
shorturl.at/d65WV
shorturl.at/DoU4p
Today is the last day to apply for a small/working group meeting grant from our NIA-funded Research Network! Thanks to all of those who have applied to this and other Network funding mechanisms. Awardees selected soon!
Apply here: www.animalsocialaging-network.org/funding/smal...
Congratulations to Bruce McEwen Fellowship recipient Dr. Sarah Wolf for publishing "Telomere-Related Gene Networks in the Ovary Shift Across Environmental Factors" in the Journal of Experimental Zoology - Part A!
Read the full text here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Last day for early-career scientists (advanced PhD, postdoc, and faculty) to apply for a McEwen Fellowship, an up-to-$6,000 individual award available for research related to animal models and the social determinants of health and aging.
Apply here: www.animalsocialaging-network.org/funding/fell...
One week left to apply for the McEwen Fellowship!
Our Research Network awards 1-3 early-career scientists up to $6,000 for using animal models or comparative approaches to study the social determinants of aging.
Details on how to apply here: www.animalsocialaging-network.org/funding/fell...
Remider!
Applications for the McEwen Career Development fellowship in Social Determinants of Health supported by the NIA-BSR High Priority Research Network animalsocialaging-network.org are now open!
apply here animalsocialaging-network.org/funding/fell...
📢Applications for Small/Working Group Meeting grants are now open!
Interested in organizing a meeting or working group to collaborate, dialogue, and produce research pursuant to Network aims? Apply here: www.animalsocialaging-network.org/funding/smal...
Deadline: July 31
Today is the last day to submit an application for our Network's Pilot & Feasibility awards!
Individual or mentored projects available at up to $20,000 in total costs. See the quoted post for more details and visit our website for the full RFA:
www.animalsocialaging-network.org/funding/pilo...
The application window for our Pilot awards and McEwen fellowship closes soon! If you have a project proposal that focuses on animal models and comparative studies to study the social elements of human aging, we encourage you to apply!
See more here: www.animalsocialaging-network.org/funding/
📢Applications for the McEwen fellowship are now open!
We expect to award 1-3 fellowships (up to $6,000 each) to early-career scientists with a proposal within the broad scope of our research network’s interests.
Deadline: July 15
Apply here: www.animalsocialaging-network.org/funding/fell...
Reminder - funding opportunity available trough the @animalsocaging.bsky.social
Pilot & Feasibility Awards
Application period - June 1 to June 30
B. McEwen Career Development Fellowship
Application period - June 15 to July 15
Small/Working Group Awards
Application period - July 1 to July 31
Interested in learning more about our NIA-funded network? Check out this @science.org feature video from 2020 shortly before our network launched, then visit our website to learn about new Pilot & Feasibility award opportunities!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwIC...
animalsocialaging-network.org
A graphic describing the details related to applying for the Pilot awards of the Animal Models Social Aging network. Visit animalsocialaging-network.org for details.
📢Applications are OPEN for our Pilot awards!
Individual or mentored projects available with up to $20,000 in total costs! Read the full RFA and apply at the link below!
www.animalsocialaging-network.org/funding/pilo...
@smacklab.bsky.social @bartolomuccilab.bsky.social @jennytung.bsky.social
New Research Network publication alert!
@sheehanmj.bsky.social and @matthewzipple.bsky.social, both recipients of Network Pilot & Feasibility awards, have published a paper in Aging Cell on ecological realism and epigenetic aging in mice. Congratulations, Mike and Matthew! doi.org/10.1111/acel...
📣 @animalsocaging.bsky.social NIA-funded high priority research network - funding available soon!📣
Stay tuned for 3 RFAs:
1. Pilot awards - June 30th
2. The Bruce McEwen Fellowship - July 15
3. Small/working group - July 31
More info on the network: www.animalsocialaging-network.org
📣New network funding available soon!📣
The Request for Applications for our Research Network's pilot awards (June 1-June 30), the Bruce McEwen Fellowship (June 15-July 15), and small/working group awards (July 1-July 31) will be live on our website (www.animalsocialaging-network.org) in two weeks!
Our NIA funded High Priority Research network on Animal Models for the Social Dimension of Health and Aging just landed on Bsky @animalsocaging.bsky.social
- follow us for updates and new RFAs
www.animalsocialaging-network.org
@smacklab.bsky.social @jennytung.bsky.social
🎤Hey, is this thing on?
The Animal Models for the Social Dimensions of Health and Aging Research Network is on Bluesky! We are an NIA-funded network headquartered at UMN, ASU, UNC, and Duke that supports early-career scientists using animal models to study social aging. New funding available soon!