Faculty and Researchers

Bruce R. Troen, M.D.

Professor and Chief, Division of Geriatrics
Director, Landon Center on Aging
Physician-Investigator, KCVA Healthcare System

Dr. Troen is a physician-scientist formally trained in geriatrics and molecular biology, a Fellow of the American Geriatrics Society, and has been a VA physician-investigator for more than 35 years. He was previously Co-Chair of the NIA/AGS conference on Osteoporosis and Soft Tissue (Muscle and Fat) Disorders, was honored in 2020 to receive a University at Buffalo Exceptional Scholar – Sustained Achievement Award, and is presently the Chair of the Veterans Affairs Endocrinology-B Study Section.

Dr. Troen joined the University of Kansas Medical Center from the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences where he was Professor and Chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Troen served as a physician-investigator with the Western New York VA Healthcare System, and Chief of Geriatric Services at Erie County Medical Center and founded the Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease of Western New York and the Center for Successful Aging at the University at Buffalo.

Dr. Troen has several major foci of research: frailty, resilience, longevity/aging mechanisms, and osteoporosis, all of which result in great morbidity in older adults.  He and his team have been elucidating what interventions can enhance physical performance, mobility, and cognition, particularly in those who are frail.  Their study on high intensity interval training was profiled in the New York Times.  Dr. Troen is the Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on biomedical translational grants from the NIH and VA, and previously from the NY State Department of Health and the State University of New York.

Kenneth Seldeen, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Geriatric Medicine

Dr. Seldeen is a translational gerontologist with a background in biochemistry and molecular biology with an interest in identifying healthy shortcuts to successful aging. His work includes examining the benefits of minimal exercise, nutritional supplementation, and sleep quality to enhance physical and cognitive function in animal models, as well as the expansion of those investigations in human trials.

Lee D. Chaves, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Geriatric Medicine

Dr. Chaves graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA in Physiology and a Ph.D. in Comparative Molecular Bioscience. His interdisciplinary doctoral program was focused on molecular biology, genetics, and immunology. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in immunology at the National Jewish Health in Denver and a second fellowship in immunology and nephrology at the University of Chicago. His current research interests are focused on the molecular genetics/epigenetics of age-related diseases and disabilities using in vitro viral transduction, cellular immortalizations, and CRISPR/dCas9 techniques.

Ramkumar Thiyagarajan, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Geriatric Medicine

Dr. Thiyagarajan's goal is to understand the physiology and pathophysiology of aging and age-related chronic low-grade inflammation (inflammaging) and to develop effective interventions to increase and retain cognitive health and healthspan. At present, he is focused on unraveling the molecular (transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) underpinnings of the interactions between immunosenescence and neuroinflammation on cognition and functional capacity. In addition, he is studying the interactions of mRNA and miRNA during inflammaging and understanding the role of RNA-binding proteins in age-related neuroinflammation.

Olivia Eller, Ph.D.

Research Associate Professor, Geriatric Medicine

Dr. Eller's research is broadly focused on how mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to the development of chronic pain as well as on determining if widespread improvements in mitochondrial function can reduce chronic pain. Specifically, her Department of Veterans Affairs funded research is focused on studying if the use of repeated heat treatment, an effective treatment in restoring aberrant mitochondrial function, can reduce chronic pain and sensory neuron dysfunction after spinal cord injury (SCI) in mice. She is also studying the association of aged-induced chronic neuropathic pain and mitochondrial dysfunction. The goals of this work are to better understand this association and to determine if improving mitochondrial function in aged mice, such as with repeated heat treatment, can decrease pain and improve the health span.