Research

Geropalooza

Please save the date for Geropalooza 2025

Thursday, October 23, 2025, from 1-4 p.m.

Geropalooza 2024

The Division of Geriatrics and the Landon Center on Aging hosted their Geroscience Symposium, Geropalooza, on October 31, 2024, on the KU Medical Center campus. The event featured a keynote presentation by Dr. Cathleen Colon-Emeric, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Geriatrics in the Department of Medicine, Senior Fellow in the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University School of Medicine, “Bouncing Back: Optimizing Physical Resilience Across the Lifespan.”

The event again featured a GeroSprint “lightning talk” challenge, and attendees participated in ranked-choice voting to pick the winners. Dr. Linda D’Silva won the $10,000 pilot grant prize, and Dr. Aaron Smith won a $2,500 travel award.

In addition, Dr. Renee Rogers, winner of the 2023 inaugural GeroSprint lightning talk challenge presented research entitled “Muscle Quantity and Quality, With and Without Exercise, Combined with Anti-Obesity Medications”.

The Landon Center on Aging and the Division of Geriatrics in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center were co-hosts of this symposium to support novel and collaborative studies relevant to aging, age-related diseases, healthspan, and longevity. Additional support was provided by an NIA/NIH leadership award to Dr. Troen.

2024 GeroSprint Competition Presenters:

Maria Roche-Dean - Measuring Resilience Using Self-Report and Biomarkers in a Nationally Representative Sample of Aging Americans
Aaron Smith - Acquisition of Delsys EMG and NeuroMap Systems to Advance Neuromuscular Health Research in Aging Populations
Chun-Kai Huang - Leveraging Electromyography and Virtual Reality for Neuromuscular Control Assessment in Mild Cognitive Impairment
Linda D'Silva - Steady Steps: Improving Balance and Confidence for Active Aging using an interactive exercise app
Nancy Stewart - Singing May Reduce Air trapping in Aging Lungs with COPD
Brian Helsel - The feasibility and enjoyment of a virtual indoor cycling experience for persons at risk for Alzheimer's disease and their care partners
Teri Kennedy - Kansas 4M: Closing the Know-Do Gap through Implementation Science
Hao Zhu - Targeting mitochondria to delay aging in preclinical mouse models

For more information on upcoming events, please contact Gabriela Samborski at gsamborski@kumc.edu.

Geropalooza 2023

Audience during GeroSprint presentations

The Landon Center on Aging hosted the inaugural Geroscience Symposium, Geropalooza, on Wednesday, November 15 on the KUMC campus. The event featured a GeroSprint “lightning talk” challenge with a $10,000 pilot grant funding prize.

Renee Rogers with the division of Physical Activity and Weight Management was the grand prize winner for her presentation “Effects of second-generation incretin hormone agonists on body composition, physical function, and strength in older adults.”

The event also included a keynote speech by Dr. Stelios Andreadis, Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University at Buffalo, “Cellular Reprogramming for Reversing Stem Cell Aging: Implications for Vascular and Muscle Regeneration.”

The GeroSprint presentations included up to 20 slides, with the slides automatically advancing every 20 seconds. The presenters had 6 minutes and 40 seconds to make their pitch, and members of the audience voted to select the pilot grant winner.

The Landon Center on Aging and the Division of Geriatrics in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center were co-hosts of this symposium with the purpose of supporting novel and collaborative studies relevant to aging, age-related diseases, healthspan, and longevity.

GeroSprint Challenge Participants

Cole Bird: SINGS – Song-based Intervention for Neuromusculature in the Geriatric Swallow.
Candice Coffey: Improving Care and Communication in Older Adults through POCUS and PSAPs.
Olivia Eller: Repeated heat treatment to improve chronic pain, resilience, and frailty in aged mice.
Sodiq Fakorede: Impaired Visual and Somatosensory Processing During Dual-Task Postural Control in Older Adults with Cognitive Impairments.
Jullie Galliart & Denise Zwahlen: Retrieving moments of gratitude: An exercise for cognitive benefits for nursing home residents.
Renee Rogers: Effects of second-generation incretin hormone agonists on body composition, physical function, and strength in older adults.

GeroSprint presenters, (from left) Julie Galliart, Candice Coffey, Olivia Eller, Cole Bird, Sodiq Fakorede, Renee Rogers and Denise Zwahlen

Cole Bird during his presentation, "SINGS – Song-based Intervention for Neuromusculature in the Geriatric Swallow."

Sodiq Fakorede during his presentation, "Impaired Visual and Somatosensory Processing During Dual-Task Postural Control in Older Adults with Cognitive Impairments."

Dr. Stelios Andreadis, Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University at Buffalo, presenting “Cellular Reprogramming for Reversing Stem Cell Aging: Implications for Vascular and Muscle Regeneration.”

Dr. Kenneth Seldeen presents the grand prize award to Renee Rogers, division of Physical Activity and Weight Management, for her presentation, “Effects of second-generation incretin hormone agonists on body composition, physical function, and strength in older adults.”

Landon Center on Aging Director, Dr. Bruce Troen, speaking to Geropalooza attendee.