Garrison Institute on Aging
History
In 1999, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center leadership identified aging as a strategic priority for the 21st century. The Board of Regents approved the establishment of the Institute for Healthy Aging, which was renamed in February 2005 to the Garrison Institute on Aging (GIA), in honor of Mildred and Shirley L. Garrison.
Innovative Research
The Garrison Institute on Aging (GIA) is the keystone of the TTUHSC initiative to help seniors successfully approach and extend the years of quality life. From investigating the causes of neurodegenerative diseases, to preparing health care professionals for the growing demands of geriatric care, the GIA is addressing health issues of aging population. The GIA is a collaborative initiative of the Health Sciences Center schools: Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.
Mission & Vision
The Garrison Institute on Aging is a unique organization whose mission is to promote healthy aging through cutting-edge research in Alzheimer's disease and other diseases of aging, and through innovative educational and community outreach programs that target students, clinicians, researchers, health care professionals and the public.
The vision of the institute is to become nationally and internationally recognized as a center of excellence for the creation and application of new knowledge about healthy aging through research, innovative interdisciplinary education and collaborative community outreach efforts.
Programs
Scientists at the Garrison Institute on Aging (GIA) are focusing on the connection between aging and disease. Our researchers are striving to develop treatments that will prevent or delay age-related disease. Our goal is to increase the health years of life - so that growing older no longer means growing ill.
The Brain Bank was established in 2007 to provide tissue samples for current and future research in dementia-related studies.
Initiated in 2006 as the Cochran County Aging Study, Project FRONTIER (Facing Rural Obstacles to Healthcare Now Through Intervention, Education & Research) is an epidemiological study to explore the natural course of chronic disease development and its impact on longitudinal cognitive, physical, social and interpersonal functioning in a multi-ethnic adult sample from rural communities in West Texas.
The Healthy Lubbock Initiative seeks to make Lubbock and its surrounding communities a healthier place to live by supporting and encourgaing people to improve nutrition, increase physical activity, and exercise regularly to promote wellness.
The goal of the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is to utilize the interests, skills and abilities of this growing population of older adults by providing stimulating opportunities for personal development through placement in satisfying and rewarding positions in volunteer service areas.
Dr. Reddy and his team publish over 20 publications yearly.
TTUHSC Researcher Recieves National Institute of Health Grant
The National Institute of Health (NIH) awarded P. Hemachandra Reddy, Ph.D., the executive director and chief scientific officer of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Centers Garrison Institute on Aging (GIA), a $1.9 million, five-year R01 grant from the Neurological Disorders and Stroke Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
In 2017, the Garrison Institute on Aging was a significant contributor to this important body of knowledge. Under the leadership of Dr. Hemachandra Reddy, our researchers continue to conduct novel research in these areas with the hope that one day their findings will translate into strategies or treatments to prevent, delay or slow age-related diseases.
Tedd L. Mitchell, MD
President Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center