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About the Program · Joint Efforts
Originally funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies
and The Commonwealth Fund, some of the funders of the Beeson program have changed
over time. In 2000, the Starr Foundation joined the program, while The Commonwealth
Fund phased out in 2001. In 2004, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) joined
the team of foundations as a major sponsor, and the program's name was changed
to the Paul B. Beeson Career Development Awards in Aging Research Program. In
2005, another sponsor (who wishes to remain anonymous) joined the program.
Though relatively new, this public-private partnership looks like a win-win for
the participating foundations and NIA. The program's foundation supporters had
been seeking approaches to leverage their investments. "We were looking for
additional, sustaining partners," says Stephanie Lederman, Executive Director
of the American Federation for Aging Research, the co-administrator of the program.
NIA, for its part, had recognized the success of Beeson scholars in obtaining
highly competitive NIH independent investigator awards. It was eager to set
up a career development program with similar success. Merging the Beeson award
into NIA's portfolio seemed the perfect solution. "As dollars for research
and training had gotten tighter in the current budget environment, we wanted
to invest in a winner," says Judith Salerno, MD, MS, Deputy Director of
NIA. "The Beeson program has a proven track record." With the additional
resources of NIA brought to bear, awards were increased to $600,000 to $800,000.
NIA and the American Federation for Aging Research share administrative responsibilities
for the program, with AFAR conducting the Beeson annual meeting.
Now firmly supported by NIA, the new award retains the Beeson program's spirit,
intent, and structure. "To their credit, the people at NIA recognize that
there's something very special about the Beeson program," says Mary Tinetti,
MD, Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health at Yale University
and current Chair of the foundations' Beeson Program Advisory Committee. With
its financial future assured, the Beeson program can continue its important
work of advancing the fields of geriatrics and aging research by providing a
powerful springboard for the careers of future researchers and leaders.
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