Reddit Journal of Science

Hi Sebastien, So you are interested in aging biology and lifestyle medicine (you're in good company, bridging these two themes is one of the inspirations behind my account)... but where to start? [Good Post to Pin & Contribute to from the standpoint of your own lab or organization]👇 1️⃣The field is literally massive, and growing. Refining your interests (research? clinical? personal? ) & reaching out to others in careers most closely resembling your vision is not a bad place to start. 2️⃣Once you better identify your passion, get to know the key labs, and read everything you can find on it, and if research is your direction touch base with a PI (most provide contact info with their publications) when you feel/are ready. Ideally your medical school has someone who if not a geroscientist at least has collaborated with a biogerontologist. Keep in mind this is an oversimplification- there is no one "best sequence." Sometimes it's easier to reach out to mentor and get plugged into a part of something larger while you gain experience. It's iterative and has not set order, but perseverance and introspection are key elements as you acquire knowledge- including self-knowledge. 3️⃣Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. When students can identify their passion and are proactive and diligent independently researching their interests, the vast majority of labs take interest (esp. if you have a larger chunk of time available, depending on the project). 4️⃣For textbooks, the latest edition of goodreads.com/book/show/1644… provides a nice foundation for those with some biology background (you should be fine being in medical school. There are other good ones too- thumb through depending on your knowledge base and interest, and dive in. Bear in mind that while research requires and builds upon a foundation, just as important is the study of and critical appraisal of emerging research- and creative adaptation of conceptual models to new concepts, technologies and experimental designs to empirically test them. Sometimes inspiration comes from unexpected places. Many of the guests @foundmyfitness, @PeterAttiaMD, @hubermanlab & @ihmc_stemtalk are world-experts in their niche. What knowledge gaps need to be filled? What Inspires you that can help others? 5️⃣No connections and not ready to reach out to PIs? See: teapaw.org/agingdoc1/status… courtesy @OpenLongevity ). There are less and more formalized versions of this; some focus for example on startups (@OnDeckLongevity / @realNathanCheng & Reason's guide: fightaging.org/pdf/how-to-st…), others on decentralized democratized research enterprises (@Molecule_dao/ @vita_dao / @GolatoTyler) ... & bringing in talent into @NIH supported labs where they can be mentored in research and developing an academic career (Visit the @NIHAging, @americanaging, @NathanShockCtrs, @BuckInstitute & @AFARorg for great mentorship). In particular AGE has some great resources for trainees at americanagingassociation.org…, and as you climb the academic ladder you will find @NIHAging a wealth of information on opportunities. 6️⃣More (brief) input here to original question: teapaw.org/agingdoc1/status… 7️⃣I'm CCing here a few organizations that may take an interest in volunteers and/or responding with resources they have or recommend for someone like yourself. Thank you in advance for responses, hopefully helping cultivate the talent pool for your respective organizations & labs: @AFARorg, @geronsociety @americanaging @MattYousefzadeh (pulling you in Matt! 😉... may be a candidate for peer-reviewing journals under mentorship among other AGE resources)), @NathanShockCtrs,@senstweet, @vita_dao, @4ever_healthy, @LifespanIO/@LifespanNews, longevity @rsciencejournal, @BuckInstitute (@EricVerdin Eric I seem to remember you have/had a program), AgingBiotech.info maintained by @KarlPfleger), @jpsenescence's senescence.info/ Pedro's quick overview (the last link) may be exactly where you want to start. 8️⃣This is nowhere near comprehensive nor even examines your question from all angles. Hence crowdsourcing here and hopefully it can be bookmarked / Tweeted as a resource for others who take such an interest. 9️⃣[@agingdoc1 followers: Other advice, resources, programs, etc. you'd like to share, please respond to this Tweet with what you may have to offer interested medical students such as Sebastien]. 🔟TL;DR is read, read, read, reflect & network with others especially as you more narrowly hone your interests- be they clinical, personal, research- or other contributions to the field. Most important see what others (some whom I CCed) have to say. Everyone has a unique perspective, and the best approach is the one that best fits *you* Remember, “Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity..." So... good luck! 🍀 Your friendly neighborhood @agingdoc1 🧑‍⚕️