Leadership

The Institute is currently in a search process for the next CEO. In the interim, executive decisions are reached by a governing team including four faculty; Dr. Julie Andersen, Dr. Christopher Benz, Dr. Bradford Gibson and Dr.. David Greenberg, in collaboration with the Institute COO and President, Dr. James Kovach with guidance from the Board of Trustees.

The Buck Institute for Age Research was created with a single purpose: to make life better for all humankind, through interdisciplinary research on the aging process and its associated diseases. Our objective is to build a future where growing old no longer means growing ill. We hope our research will lead medicine from the current approach of "reactive aging" responding to symptoms that appear late in the course of chronic illnesses, to a new era of "strategic aging" in which the use of genetic markers, preventive measures, and new treatments will guarantee that people in their 70's, 80's, and 90's have the opportunity to live healthy, productive lives.

There is no doubt about the need for such research. In 2010, the first of the 76 million baby boomers will turn 65, the age when health care costs typically begin to escalate. A third of the more than $1.7 trillion currently spent on U.S. healthcare is spent on services for older Americans, and by 2030, half of our projected $4 trillion healthcare costs will be spent on people 65 or older. The long-term health of our economy is intrinsically linked to the health of our seniors. That is why, in addition to prolonging people's health, we hope our work will improve the United States' fiscal health.

The Buck Institute is an exciting place. We are attracting some of the best minds in science: researchers known for their individual accomplishments are striving to make rapid scientific advancements through collaborative efforts. Our unique physical environment allows scientists who study mitochondrial dysfunction, longevity genetics, or proteomics to interact daily with those studying Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer, stroke, and arthritis.