At AdventHealth Research Institute, we believe the next breakthrough is just around the corner — one that could help us all live longer, healthier, fuller lives. Our research into healthy aging and other areas is powered by people like you who understand the impact of research and generously give your time to participate in a study.
Read on for Paul M. Coen, PhD, Associate Investigator at the Translational Research Institute, to explain the importance of volunteering in research studies and how diversity in research better serves the entire community.
What Is Healthy Aging Research?
Healthy aging research helps identify critical aspects of health and metabolism that can improve the quality of care received in a clinical setting. New findings may contribute to the development or refinement of nutritional and physical activity guidelines, which can improve our community’s quality of life. Furthermore, discoveries from nutritional and drug intervention studies can lead to the approval of new drugs that may prevent or slow down the development of age-related diseases.
“Our research is focused on understanding how the body changes as we age and in response to periods of physical inactivity. Older patients who are hospitalized often experience long-term bed rest, which by itself can have negative effects on health, particularly skeletal muscle health. Understanding the impact of bed rest on muscle health will allow us to develop effective countermeasures to help us provide better and more effective care for our aging populations.” says Dr. Coen.
“A second area of focus relates to exercise, diet and health. We aim to understand how exercise and dietary factors prevent harmful changes in metabolic health as we age. A goal is to identify the best combination of diet and exercise to stave off diabetes and heart disease so that older adults in our care stay healthy.”
The Benefits of Diversity in Research
At AdventHealth, we strongly believe in the importance of a diverse population in research to ensure that the findings apply to all patients. By including you in research, researchers can better understand the efficacy of new treatments, develop targeted therapies and improve overall health outcomes for everyone. Plus, compensation for your time and travel is available for qualified participants.
We know that the Central Florida communities we serve is vast and diverse. That’s why studies at the AdventHealth Research Institute leverage our population’s scale and diversity to improve our communities’ health and wholeness. Diversity in our research helps us better serve everyone and continue to be leaders in research and health care, providing whole-person care to anyone who walks through our doors from every walk of life.
How It Works
Our physicians screen every new participant accepted into a study to ensure that they meet the criteria to participate safely. While every research study is unique, healthy aging research may require you to:
- Be measured for weight, height and waist circumference
- Come in for office visits or overnight stays
- Participate in supervised exercise or changes to diet and nutrition
- Receive medical imaging, such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and DXA bone-density scanning
- Undergo tissue and blood sampling
Your participation is voluntary, and our research team will monitor your health and well-being during the length of the study. By participating, you are adding to the wealth of knowledge in the medical field by allowing our team to discover new treatments in a safe, controlled environment. It’s important to have volunteers in research studies so we can uncover all possible options and outcomes to serve our community better.
Help Us Advance Healthy Aging Research
We encourage you to consider joining forces with us to advance medical research and help us to better serve our community in body, mind and spirit. To learn more about our healthy aging research studies and how you can help make a difference in the health of our community, visit us here.
