We're Making Life Better

WE’RE MAKING LIFE BETTER.

MEI-LEE NEY

“I invested in the mission, method, and marvelous minds of the USC Leonard Davis School. Bringing top scientists from disparate fields together to advance new approaches for healthy aging will lead to breakthroughs that benefit us all.”

Board of Councilors Member Mei-Lee Ney’s $20 million gift established the Ney Center for Healthspan Science.

A long and healthy life. It’s the sentiment you send on greeting cards, the toast you propose at weddings, and is perhaps the hope you have for yourself as you blow out your birthday candles each year. At the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, your wish inspires our work.

It is why we exist - a single institution uniquely devoted to improving the universal process of growing older, a process that starts in the womb and impacts each and every one of us. Whether we are studying single cells or conducting large-scale clinical trials, educating students or empowering aging populations worldwide, solutions for a long and healthy life start here.

LEADING THE WORLD IN LONGEVITY.

At the USC Leonard Davis School, we look forward to aging. We always have. That is why we were founded, with foresight, in 1975 as the nation’s very first professional school devoted to research and education in gerontology - the study of aging across the lifespan. Today we are at the forefront of a global field that has grown more essential than ever, as people aged 65 or older are soon expected to outnumber children younger than five. And we are growing too. Our expanding faculty include world-renowned experts in biology, psychology, nutrition, demography, policy and the arts. Each year we welcome ever-larger classes of students, who join our influential alumni, in helping to improve our changing world.

We anticipated this age of aging and now lead the way in advancing science and scholarship to improve how long and how well we all live.

Now that is a vision we hope you can share.

SINCE 1900 THE GLOBAL AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY HAS MORE THAN DOUBLED (Oxford University)

OUR MISSION IS LIFELONG.

We pursue scientific breakthroughs that improve the prevention and treatment of diseases of aging and dare to imagine how we might one day prevent or cure Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes or heart disease. We promote evidence-based approaches that encourage independence and harness the untapped creativity and experience that older adults have to offer to their neighborhoods and the world. We produce events, curricula and collaborations to shape and share best-practices for the senior living, financial services, caregiving and other industries so vital to successful aging. We protect the vulnerable among us from pain, abuse, isolation or injuries through research, and advocacy work that advance age-friendly policies and practices. We prepare today’s students - tomorrow’s leaders - to invent new ways to help us age with health and meaning and implement the innovations that will get us there.

We work to provide a better future for all ages. Won’t you help us get there?

THE NEEDS OF AN AGING POPULATION ARE EXPECTED TO DRIVE A LARGE SHARE OF NEW JOB CREATION PROJECTED THROUGH 2026. (U.S. Department of Labor)

GIVE THE GIFT OF VITALITY.

When you donate to the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology you enable the education of remarkable students who share our passion for the human lifespan and for improving the aging process for people everywhere.

You endow professorships that free our scholars to pursue their research in delaying Alzheimer’s disease, understanding how the foods you eat or the air you breathe impacts your health, or developing programs to help decrease elder abuse or increase financial security. Your generosity allows us to acquire tools, advance research and attract talent but it does so much more. It sends a message that each of us at every age deserves to be happy, healthy and secure. Your investment in us makes all this possible. We can’t think of a more meaningful gift than that.

Please join us as we continue to unlock the mysteries of aging and improve lives throughout the world.

THE USC LEONARD DAVIS SCHOOL OF GERONTOLOGY PLANS TO SUPPORT STUDENTS WITH CLOSE TO $1 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIP AID IN THE COMING ACADEMIC YEAR.

EILEEN CRIMMINS

“Is 60 the new 50? Older Americans are experiencing ‘delayed aging’ — and better health.

Extending life by slowing aging can lead to a host of benefits for individuals and society.”

University Professor Eileen Crimmins, a National Academy of Sciences member, is an expert on demographic trends and population health.

MEI-LEE NEY

VALTER LONGO

“I invested in the mission, method, and marvelous minds of the USC Leonard Davis School. Bringing top scientists from disparate fields together to advance new approaches for healthy aging will lead to breakthroughs that benefit us all.”

Board of Councilors Member Mei-Lee Ney’s $20 million gift established the Ney Center for Healthspan Science.

CATHERINE PÉREZ

“Other than genes, it is hard to think of something that can be more powerful than food in determining our health and longevity.”

Professor and Longevity Diet author Valter Longo’s recent clinical trial showed that a periodic, fasting-mimicking diet reduced risk factors for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other age-related diseases.

JOHN AND LINDA SEITER

“A career in the financial industry has taught me the importance of economic security.

The USC Leonard Davis School protects older adults when they need it most with education and advocacy in various areas of financial security and beyond.”

Board of Councilors Member John Seiter and his wife Linda are longtime supporters of the school.

“I want to do my part in improving the lives of people in my community and beyond. The mentoring I receive here motivates me to assist others.”

Catherine Pérez, a first-generation student of Puerto Rican, Honduran and Arawak Indian descent, researches health disparities in minority communities and is a recognized student leader.

RICK MATROS

“My degree from the USC Leonard Davis School set me on my path and is at the heart of what matters to me. There’s a whole human connection that motivates me.”

Alumnus Rick Matros founded and leads Sabra Health Care REIT, one of the country’s largest owners of seniors housing.

AGING IMPACTS EVERYONE. USC Leonard Davis School provides real world solutions through research, advocacy and education around:

Health & Wellness

Environment & Security

Community & Connection

Healthy Minds and Bodies

Safe Homes and Environments

Age-friendly Communities

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Purposeful and Personalized Aging

Financial Security

Technology and Product Development

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Disease Prevention

Fraud and Abuse Prevention

Intergenerational Caregiving

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End-of-life Planning and Care

Caregiver Support

Social and Cultural Engagement

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GERO.USC.EDU

Design: Golden Design Studio

YOUR IMPACT. YOUR LIFE. CREATING A NEW AGE.