Cedars-Sinai, UCLA, and USC Join Forces to Advance Healthy Aging and Independence

Los Angeles is becoming a new global hub for healthy aging research. Three leading institutions —Cedars-Sinai, UCLA, and USC— have been awarded $6.5 million by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to establish the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (LA OAIC). Over the next five years, the center will drive clinical trials, care models, and training programs aimed at expanding independence and quality of life for older adults.

The mission of the LA OAIC is clear: to translate the science of aging into real-world interventions that help older people live not only longer but better. The initiative joins a national network of excellence centers focused on longevity and functional independence.

Key areas of focus include:

• Developing therapies that target the biological processes of aging.

• Increasing participation of older adults in diverse and inclusive clinical trials.

• Training new generations of researchers in longevity and geroscience.

• Bringing scientific discoveries into clinical practice and community care.

This collaborative effort, operating under the banner “Generational Health: A Blueprint for Systemwide Care,” aims not only to enhance medical treatment but to redefine how health systems perceive and address aging.

At a time when the world’s population is aging rapidly, the new center envisions aging not as a decline, but as a stage of autonomy, purpose, and sustained well-being.