# Advanced Research Institute (ARI) in Mental Health and Aging

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2024 · $218,829

## Abstract

The overarching goal of the "Advanced Research Institute (ARI) in Mental Health and Aging” is to increase the
number of early-career faculty successfully transitioning to independent investigators conducting high impact
research in mental health and aging. The population is aging rapidly – in terms of longevity, absolute numbers
and relative to other ages -- both in the US and in much of the world. These demographic changes offer both
challenges and opportunities for new generations of researchers to explicate the contribution of aging to
mental illness and to reduce the personal and societal burden of mental illness in older adults. The number of
investigators focused on mental health and aging is small relative the size of the scientific and public health
challenges. ARI will provide early-career faculty a mentored, educational program to foster their transition to:
Aim 1 (Independent Investigators) measured by obtaining NIH R01-level (or equivalent) funding and,
secondarily, research funding through other NIH mechanisms or federal grant programs, and Aim 2 (Scientific
Leaders) as evidenced by research mentoring, retention as active researchers, publications, academic
promotion, participation in team science, and scientific service (e.g., NIH Study sections. The ARI national
Mentoring Network is a multi-disciplinary team of senior and mid-career scientists with complementary skills
which span the translational spectrum of brain, interventions and implementation science. The ARI
Educational Program supports 16 early-career faculty (called Scholars) annually with each Scholar’s
participating for two years. Key elements include: sustained mentoring focused on grant-writing and career
development, consultation with biostatisticians, and professional development. The program includes an
annual in-person Spring Retreat, structured long-distance follow-up, and web-based career development
seminars. ARI also supports an innovative a mentored Biostatistical Fellows Program that provides the ARI
scholars with multiple opportunities for biostatistical consultation and support. ARI sponsors a mentoring
program (CIMA and ARI Mentoring Program, CAMP) at the annual Geriatric Psychiatry meeting (AAGP). This
is particularly helpful in enriching diverse recruitment as AAGP draws from a wide group of potential scholars.
In this renewal, we propose 3 innovations to strengthen the program’s impact a. (New Science) Engage with
recent advances in computational science and community engagement, b. (JEDI to Science) Bringing Justice,
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) lens to the entire translational spectrum, and c. (Workforce itself)
Enhanced efforts to build a diverse research pipeline.
Public Health Impact: The unmet mental health needs of older adults is a significant public health problem
that affects not only those who suffer from mental disorders but their families, care providers, communities, and
institutions that deliver and pay for care. ARI meets this ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10847740
- **Project number:** 2R25MH119050-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** HOWARD J AIZENSTEIN
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $218,829
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2019-08-01 → 2029-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10847740

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10847740, Advanced Research Institute (ARI) in Mental Health and Aging (2R25MH119050-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10847740. Licensed CC0.

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