AFAR to Honor Barzilai, Gerlach, and Hodes at November 5 Awards Ceremony

The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), a national non-profit dedicated to supporting and advancing healthy aging through biomedical research, will present its annual Scientific Awards of Distinction on Thursday, November 5, 2026, from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm ET. The ceremony takes place in Room 313/315 at National Harbor, MD, in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). AFAR Scientific Director Steven N. Austad, PhD, will host the event and present the awards to Nir Barzilai, MD, Lauren B. Gerlach, DO, MS, and Richard J. Hodes, MD.

Each recipient will share lectures or remarks, and a reception will follow the presentations. Nir Barzilai, MD, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, will receive the 2026 George M. Martin Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award. The award honors George M. Martin, MD (1927–2022), a pioneer in aging research who served as AFAR's Scientific Director for more than a decade and devoted his career to growing the field while fostering the careers of junior colleagues.

It recognizes individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary mentorship in aging research over the course of their careers and carries a cash prize of $5,000 along with a plaque. Dr. Barzilai holds the Ingeborg and Ira Leon Rennert Chair of Aging Research and is a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he also directs the Institute for Geroscience and the BIO-VITAL Batia and Idan Ofer program for Validation of Interventions Targeting Aging and Longevity. He will share remarks at the ceremony.

Lauren B. Gerlach, DO, MS, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan, will receive the 2026 Terrie Fox Wetle Rising Star Award in Health Services and Aging Research. Named for Dr. Wetle, who has devoted her professional career to improving the lives of older persons, the award was established in 2020 and is given to a health services researcher whose contributions are expected to be highly influential in shaping practice and research for decades to come. Like the Martin award, it carries a $5,000 cash prize, along with a framed citation.

Richard J. Hodes, MD, Director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will receive the 2026 Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction. Established in 1982 and named after AFAR's founder, it is the organization's most long-standing award and recognizes exceptional contributions to basic or clinical research in the field of aging; it is recognized with a framed citation. AFAR Executive Director Stephanie Lederman, EdM, noted that the Martin, Gerlach, and Wright awards are named in honor of farsighted scientists and that recipients are chosen for their leadership and accomplishments.

"This year's awardees join an impressive roster of scientists and practitioners who are advancing and applying research to improve health for older adults," she said.

Subject of Research: AFAR's 2026 Scientific Awards of Distinction honoring three aging research leaders

Article Title: Nir Barzilai, MD (Albert Einstein College Of Medicine), Lauren B. Gerlach, DO, MS (University Of Michigan), and Richard J. Hodes, MD (National Institute On Aging) to be honored by AFAR on November 5

Article References: Nir Barzilai, MD (Albert Einstein College Of Medicine), Lauren B. Gerlach, DO, MS (University Of Michigan), and Richard J. Hodes, MD (National Institute On Aging) to be honored by AFAR on November 5. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)

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Keywords: AFAR, aging research, Nir Barzilai, Lauren Gerlach, Richard Hodes, Gerontological Society of America, awards, mentoring, health services research, National Institute on Aging, geroscience, Barzilai