Frailty in Aging Adults: Screening and Management Approaches

Dr Jeremy Walston is the Raymond and Anna Lublin Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, the deputy director of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, the principal investigator of the Johns Hopkins Older Americans Independence Center, and the co-director of the Biology of Healthy Aging program. His research focus is on determining the biological characteristics that promote resiliency and healthy aging, and on the translation of that knowledge into diagnostic, preventive and treatment strategies that promote a long and healthy life. He has previously helped to define the most commonly utilized frailty measurement in older adults and has identified dysregulated energy metabolism and stress response pathways as characteristics of frailty. Ongoing efforts include studies that are informing how age-related changes in inflammation, mitochondria, and the renin-angiotensin system influence both resiliency and frailty in older adults. His clinical focus is in Geriatric Medicine and Rehabilitation, in developing care management pathways that better protect older adults, and in developing and promoting guidelines that help to promote a long and healthy life.

He received his M.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed residency in general internal medicine and a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Suzette Pereira is an Associate Research Fellow at Abbott leading studies focused on muscle health and muscle loss due to aging. Her research is focused on evaluating nutritional therapies that can prevent muscle and strength declines due to sarcopenia, hospitalization and chronic diseases. She has led preclinical studies to identify key ingredients (such as HMB) that can prevent muscle wasting. Her current work is focused on translating the findings from preclinical studies to human clinical studies to help improve nutritional products for adults.

Over the last 12 years at Abbott, Suzette has led several collaborations with scientific key opinion leaders, business partners and across Abbott. She currently serves as the Abbott representative to the ‘FNIH- Sarcopenia Biomarker Consortium’, a group dedicated to developing a consensus definition of Sarcopenia and driving awareness. Prior to joining Abbott, Suzette obtained her Ph.D. and carried out post-doctoral research in the department of Microbiology at the Ohio State University. She has co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific publications, and routinely presents her research at national and international scientific conferences. She is also a co-inventor on over 80+ filed patents.