A planned gift to the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health is opening new doors for the next generation of researchers focused on aging and health.
The donor, Calvin Shrader (BUS ’52), lived to age 99 and included the school’s Center for Aging and Population Health (CAPH) in his estate plans, reflecting a belief in research that helps people live longer, healthier lives.
His $500,000 gift will establish the Calvin Shrader CAPH Endowment and support two funds focused on education and research. The Calvin Shrader Endowed Education and Travel Fund will help CAPH-affiliated trainees and faculty pursue experiential learning, conference participation, research, and global opportunities, with a particular emphasis on early-career faculty. The Calvin Shrader Endowed Pilot Grant Fund will support research at the Health Studies Research Center, CAPH’s clinical research facility for large cohort studies and clinical trials.
Together, these funds will help trainees and early-career investigators attend conferences, pursue new ideas, and generate preliminary data, all critical steps in building successful research careers.
Elsa S. Strotmeyer, PhD, MPH, professor of epidemiology and co-director of CAPH, said the gift will support innovation in how aging is studied and understood.
“It will allow researchers to develop novel ideas and test new approaches, which can lead to major advances in how we support healthy aging,” she said.
She added that the funding will be especially meaningful for those who often face barriers to traditional support.
“This will allow us to support a broader group of trainees, including international students and others who may not be eligible for certain training grants,” she said. “It helps ensure that talented researchers are not left behind.”
Beyond individual careers, the gift will help move the field of aging forward, particularly in its growing focus on improving not just lifespan but healthspan.
“This creates opportunities at all levels,” said Nancy W. Glynn, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology and co-director of CAPH. “From master’s students to postdocs to early-career faculty, it gives them the chance to explore new ideas and move more quickly toward discovery.”
“The goal isn’t just to live longer,” Glynn added. “It’s to live longer, healthier, maintaining independence and quality of life for as long as possible.”
Although they never met Shrader, both said his impact will be felt through the people and discoveries his gift makes possible.
“It’s the science, and the people behind it,” Glynn said. “The clinical staff, the research staff, and the participants who give their time to making this work possible.”
“This is a vote of confidence in the work we’re doing,” Strotmeyer added. “And in the people who will carry it forward.”
CAPH was founded in 2006 by Anne Newman, MD, MPH, Distinguished Professor emerita of epidemiology, medicine, and clinical and translational science (emerita, 2026). Until fall of 2025, Newman and Jane Cauley, DrPH, Distinguished Professor emerita of epidemiology (emerita, 2025) led the center.
-Clare Collins