About Us
Our Mission
Imagine living with strength and vitality throughout your life span, growing older with vigor and without a disability. The Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies brings together the world’s leading scientists in aging and longevity research and providing them with the latest technologies in the application of cutting-edge research methods, supports their drive for excellence in scientific inquiry, an essential element to bringing good health and enhanced quality of life to our aging population.
Aging affects everyone. Never before in the history of humankind has understood how and why we age been so important. As human life expectancy continues to increase, so must our scientific knowledge of aging processes to ensure healthy longevity, free of the disabilities brought about by age-related diseases and conditions.
Our Mission is to understand the basic biology of aging, discover therapies that will treat and cure the diseases of aging by fostering dynamic, collaborative research, education, and training of our future scientists and clinicians, as well as promoting public awareness of age-related issues.
Our Vision
This vision of a world-class center for aging research first came into focus in 1991, when Dr. Edward J. Masoro founded the UT Health Science Center’s Aging Research and Education Center through a leadership award granted to him by the National Institutes of Health.
In 2001, the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies was born thanks to a generous donation from Mr. and Mrs. Sam Barshop, prominent San Antonio philanthropists. Dr. Musi and the faculty members at the Barshop Institute are extremely grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Barshop for their vision and steadfast support in helping to develop the Barshop Institute into an unparalleled center for studies of aging and age-related diseases.
Learn more about some of the research ongoing at the Barshop Institute.
Meet Our Interim Director
Adam Salmon, PhD is a basic scientist with a long-standing interest in understanding the biology of aging with an overall goal of improving healthy aging. His interest in the field began during his graduate training at the University of Michigan studying cellular mechanisms of long-life. He began his affiliation with the Barshop Institute during his post-doctoral training in 2007, after which he joined the faculty as part of the Department of Molecular Medicine. He also holds a position as Research Health Scientist in the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the South Texas Veterans Healthcare System. Currently he also serves as Co-Director of the San Antonio Nathan Shock Center, Core Leader in the San Antonio Claude Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, Deputy Site Director of the San Antonio Interventions Testing Program and Co-Leader of the San Antonio Marmoset Aging Program.
Dr. Salmon’s research expertise is in the biological mechanisms that regulate the aging project. Using models ranging from cells to non-human primates, his interest lays in understanding how interventions, including genetic, dietary and pharmaceutical, can improve the aging process. He is an active educator and mentor and supervises postdoctoral trainees, graduate students, post-baccalaureate students and undergraduate students from local colleges and universities. His long-term goal is building an aging research and training program that can have sustained and long-term impact on aging health and disease.
Adam Salmon, PhD
Our collaborative partners
Resources for geriatric clinical science and clinical practice are provided by the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Medicine.
Also, many of our Barshop faculty members are cross-appointed at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, Audie L. Murphy Division, where the research division supports the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC). Our researchers and physician-scientists affiliated with the Audie Murphy VA Hospital are involved in a wide range of basic and clinical programs designed to promote healthy aging and quality of life.
Our Collaborative Partners Include:
Contact Us
Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies
UT Health San Antonio
7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7755
San Antonio, Texas 78229
Phone: 210-562-6140
BarshopInstitute@uthscsa.edu