The Duke Aging Center T32 program emphasizes multidisciplinary research training across the translational spectrum, and facilitates supplemental enrichment activities relevant to clinician and non-clinician scientists doing work in biomedical, psychosocial, population health, or implementation science fields to enhance resilience in aging.

The goal of our postdoctoral research training program is to produce highly skilled research scientists who have the potential for leadership in gerontological research. In the Duke Aging Center Postdoctoral Research Training Program (RTP), much of the training for each fellow is provided by that person’s faculty mentor(s) in a research apprenticeship program. A fellow carries out his/her own research as a junior colleague in the mentor’s research program or laboratory. In addition to working in their mentors’ programs, all fellows attend a weekly interdisciplinary didactic seminar.

All fellows attend a weekly interdisciplinary didactic seminar as a cornerstone of their training experience. Over each two-year period, the seminar covers four topical areas:

• biomedical aspects of aging,
• psychology of aging,
• sociology of aging,
• and professional practices.

This structure enables the research training program (RTP) to provide highly specialized and individualized training in a fellow’s substantive area while at the same time providing a broad understanding of basic gerontological issues as well. This strategy encourages each developing scientist to relate his/her work to the overall field of aging, and also, on a more practical level, to mix with other scholars and build a network of colleagues and collaborators in gerontology. The cross-fertilization of ideas that occurs in this interdisciplinary framework has, in fact, lead to cross-disciplinary work among fellows and faculty.

Our seminar is attended by the trainees from this and other training programs at Duke and in the area, by visiting scholars to the Aging Center and to the campus, and by faculty associated with the Aging Center. It is a forum for a discussion of gerontological issues from many perspectives.

Grace Brennan, PhD

Grace is a clinical psychologist working under the mentorship of Terrie Moffitt and Avshalom Caspi. Her research focuses on the development of disinhibitory psychopathology across the lifespan. Her work examines the cognitive and affective mechanisms contributing to disinhibited behaviors (e.g., aggression, problematic substance use) as well as the social and health consequences for individuals who chronically engage in these behaviors. Grace uses both lab-based experimental paradigms and longitudinal cohort study designs in her research. Grace received her B.S. in Psychology and German Studies from the College of William & Mary and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Yale University.

 Brett Burrows, PhD

Brett completed his PhD in Kinesiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He also earned a B.S. and M.S. in Exercise Physiology from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. During his doctorate, his research focused on improving the health and quality of life of patients with end-stage kidney disease through patient-centered clinical research strategies involving novel exercise and psychosocial interventions. Specifically, Brett was interested in reducing depressive symptoms to boost adherence to exercise prescription. Brett is also interested in multidisciplinary research approaches to improve patient-centered outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Currently, for his RTP Fellowship, Brett is working under the mentorship of Drs. Barrett Bowling and Kelli Allen and is examining the association between depressive symptoms, physical resilience trajectory, and incident health stressors in older adult veterans with advanced chronic kidney disease.

Chelsea Perfect, MD

Dr. Chelsea Perfect is a geriatrician whose research focuses on older adults living with dementia. She completed her undergraduate studies at Dartmouth College, and subsequently obtained master's degrees from the University of Oxford and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). She graduated from UNC Medical School in 2019 and has since completed both her Internal Medicine Residency and Clinical Geriatrics Fellowship at Duke University. Under the mentorship of Dr. Nicki Hastings, she is focused on developing and evaluating care models aimed at helping older adults living with dementia and their care partners.

Eric Griffith, PhD 

Dr. Eric Griffith received his Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and then worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Duke's Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity. He completed his dissertation fieldwork in central Mexico, focusing on the experiences of familial caregivers for people living with Alzheimer’s disease. Eric’s research interests include biocultural anthropology, cognitive aging, health disparities, and social determinants of health. He is currently a T32 Postdoctoral Researcher in the Duke Aging Center, working under the direction of Dr. Maria Marquine.

Chris Vann, PhD

Dr. Vann is an exercise physiologist whose research focuses on skeletal muscle physiology. He is interested in understanding how exercise-induced changes in epigenetic, genetic, and protein-level factors relate to health and performance outcomes across different age groups. During his graduate research, Dr. Vann studied changes in molecular markers related to adaptation to exercise interventions. As a postdoctoral fellow, he has focused on investigating changes in epigenetic factors such as small RNA and DNA methylation patterns and their influence on gene expression profiles and biological pathways.

Currently, Dr. Vann is working on a research project to investigate the relationship of inflammatory biomarkers and small RNA on physical performance metrics across different age groups under the mentorship of Drs. Virginia Kraus and William Kraus. Dr. Vann received his B.S. in Physical Activity and Health, M.S. in Exercise Science, and Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Auburn University and is a veteran of the US Marines.

Jacquelyn Coats, PhD

Jacquelyn Coats is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Aging Center at Duke University School of Medicine. Broadly, her research interests focus on the social determinants of health and aging for African Americans. Her current research centers on examining the health consequences of psychosocial stress, including discrimination, for older African American women’s health outcomes (cognitive, emotional, and physical). She also conducts research that seeks to identify the cultural assets and protective factors that buffer stress and facilitate healthy aging for African Americans across the life course.

Jacquelyn’s prior work experience includes serving as a program evaluator for community-based participatory research programs in St. Louis, MO and Detroit, MI, on projects aimed at reducing and preventing rates of chronic disease. She was also an Evaluation Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she supported evaluation of intimate partner and sexual violence prevention programs.

Jacquelyn earned her PhD in Social Work, Master of Social Work, and Master of Public Health all from Washington University in St. Louis and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan.

Nicole Arrato, PhD

Nicole is a clinical health psychologist whose research lies at the intersection of psychology, oncology, and aging. Her program of research focuses on developing and evaluating behavioral interventions to reduce depression, anxiety, pain, fatigue, and other symptoms for older adults with cancer. Her T32 project is entitled, “Lung Cancer and Aging (LuCA): Intervention development for addressing aging-specific concerns in older adults with lung cancer.” This work is being conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Rebecca Shelby.

Nicole is originally from Connecticut. She completed her B.S. in Psychology at Fordham University, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at The Ohio State University. She came to Duke University Medical Center for her psychology internship year and continued here for her postdoctoral training.

Positions in our program are two-year appointments and are open to anyone with an interest in and a track record of aging research and at least two remaining years of T32 funding eligibility.

Applicants must be citizens of the United States, or have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence (green card holder). You must have a completed doctoral degree/terminal degree in your field when you join the program. All course work must be completed, and if applying as a PhD, final orals must be passed, and the dissertation signed before you can begin the program.

The Duke Aging Center is committed to promoting health equity and adding value to our community through diverse perspectives.  Scholars from traditionally marginalized backgrounds are encouraged to apply. 

Through its NIA-funded T32 (NIA T32AG000029), the Duke Aging Center offers 3 postdoctoral research training fellowship positions each academic year. Appointments are typically for a duration of two-years, pending availability of funding.

We are not currently accepting applications.

Step 1: Initial Proposal

The initial proposal should include the following in ONE PDF FILE, submitted VIA THIS LINK :

1. 2-page statement of interest including: research focus, training goals, commitment to a career in aging research, statement of eligibility, and the name of a potential Duke mentor or mentor team for your postdoctoral training.  (See below for guidance on identifying a mentor)
2. Your current CV (including anticipated date of degree completion or number of years of postdoctoral experience)

Step 2: Mentor Engagement 

Initial proposals will be reviewed by the Postdoctoral Research Training Program leadership. Viable proposals will be forwarded by the program to the potential mentor for review. With the approval of the mentor, the applicant will be invited to connect directly with the mentor to discuss the proposed research and training plan, and secure the mentor’s support for the application.

Step 3: Letters of Support/Recommendation

Invited applicants will be asked to submit a letter of support from their Duke mentor and at least one letter of recommendation from a previous mentor or faculty member from their terminal degree program.

Step 4: Final Review

Completed application packages (statement of interest, CV, mentor letter, and letter(s) of recommendation) will be presented to the program’s Internal Executive Committee.  Applicants may be invited to interview with their potential mentor and program leadership and/or submit graduate transcripts.

Basis for Judging Applications
Applications are assessed by a faculty committee via an NIH-style review and judged on the basis of their scientific merit, relevance to aging, and the fit of the trainee’s needs for training with the resources of the mentor and the training program.

Mentors should be regular rank faculty from Duke University and/or Duke University Medical Center. Each mentor must have evidence of a significant interest in aging/life course and a strong record of publication/funding in these areas.

The list below is only a partial roster of faculty available to serve as mentors for the Duke Aging Center’s T32. You can also explore the Center’s Senior Fellows Directory and the Scholars@Duke research directory.  (Note: On the Scholars@Duke page, find the box below EXPLORE, and enter key words from your research area. Be sure to include “aging” to receive the most applicable results.)

We encourage team mentorship, so feel free to propose 1-3 mentors to best suit your research interests and training goals.

You can click on each program faculty member’s name below to view their Scholars@Duke profile.

Stipends will follow those set out by NIH and the Duke Postdoctoral Office

The program also provides health insurance for the fellow (using the University’s insurance plan), and partial travel support when you are presenting your research at a professional meeting. If the proposed research will require additional funding, this should be discussed with your mentor.

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Postdoctoral appointees are an integral part of the research endeavor at Duke University. The Office of Postdoctoral Services (OPS) is the central resource for postdoctoral appointees on campus, and serves as a liaison between postdocs, faculty, administrators, and staff. The OPS promotes postdoctoral training at Duke and prepares Duke postdocs for successful careers both within and beyond academia. 

Diversity and inclusion are not just academic buzzwords at Duke. They are an essential component of academic medicine, both to promote equity and fairness among our employees and trainees, and to fulfill the School of Medicine's mission for excellence in education, research, and clinical care.

https://medschool.duke.edu/about-us/equity-diversity-inclusion