In order to promote international research in gerontology the Busse Research Awards will again be given at the 23rd World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics to be held July 5-9, 2026 in Amsterdam. In recognition of significant contributions to aging research one award will recognize a scientist from the social/behavioral sciences; the other, a scientist from the biomedical sciences.
These awards are supported by an endowment made by Gerontology International in honor of Ewald W. Busse, MD, past president of the International Association of Gerontology and founding director of the Duke University Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development and administered by the Duke Center. Awardees are selected by a jury of scientists chaired by Center Director Emeritus, Harvey Jay Cohen, MD.
The purpose of these awards is to recognize the achievements of late junior to mid-career scientists and to encourage their continued contributions to aging research. Awardees will receive certificates and an award of $10,000 (appropriate taxes will be deducted). Awardees must be present at the virtual Congress to receive their awards and present a lecture based on their research.
Instructions for Nominations
Candidates for these awards must be nominated (self-nominations are not accepted) and two seconders are recommended. Nominations must be written in English and completed in accordance with the following instructions. Please submit nomination form and supporting information by uploading to our secure online portal at this link.
1. COMPLETE NOMINATION FORM (click link to download);
2. STATEMENT OF NOT MORE THAN 1,000 WORDS THAT SUMMARIZES THE CANDIDATE’S RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS
3. CANDIDATE’S CURRICULUM VITAE
4. LETTERS FROM UP TO TWO SECONDERS
5. REPRINTS OF 3-5 IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS BY THE CANDIDATE
Processing dates of the nominations and selection of awardees follow:
- April 10, 2026: Deadline for receipt of nominations
- June 1, 2026: Notification of Awardees
- July 2026: Presentation of Awards
We will present these awards in July 2026 in conjunction with the IAGG Congress in Amsterdam
For further information contact:
Harvey Jay Cohen, M.D., Jury Chair – Busse Research Awards harvey.cohen@duke.edu
Michelle Cooley, Administrative Coordinator michelle.cooley@duke.edu
2022 Awardees
Dr. Suemoto is an Associate Professor of Geriatrics at the University of Sao Paulo Medical School (USPMS) and the coordinator of the Brazilian Biobank for Aging Studies, the largest brain bank in Latin America. She completed her medical training, residence in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, and her Ph.D. at USPMS. Dr. Suemoto also completed a Master's and postdoctoral training in Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Dr. Carr is Director of the Claude Pepper Center and Associate Professor of Sociology at Florida State University. Carr’s research focuses on understanding factors that bolster older adults’ ability to remain healthy and active, including the relevance, purpose, and factors related to productive engagement after age 50. Before joining Florida State University in 2016, Carr was a researcher at the Stanford Center on Longevity, a postdoctoral fellow in the Carolina Program for Health and Aging Research (CPHAR) at the Institute on Aging at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a researcher at Scripps Gerontology Center.