Building Scientific Bridges in Costa Rica with the Alicia and Yaya Initiative in Global Aging Research
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As part of an ongoing research collaboration through the Alicia and Yaya Initiative in Global Aging Research, eight researchers from UMB traveled to Costa Rica to explore collaborations at the University of Costa Rica (UCR), as well as high longevity sites, with the goal of developing aging-related research collaborations between the two universities.
For the first two days, the delegation visited the Nicoya Peninsula and Upala, part of a high longevity zone with a large number of centenarians.
“Listening to their life stories and observing their daily routines offered invaluable insight into how environment, diet, social connection, and purpose contribute to healthy aging,” Jacques Ravel, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology and director of the Center for Advanced Microbiome Research and Innovation (CAMRI), wrote in a post-trip reflection.
The third day brought the delegation to UCR’s main campus in San Jose, where they toured the campus and met with UCR colleagues. Dr. Ravel delivered a lecture on how the human microbiome shapes women’s health across the lifespan and Elana Fertig, PhD, professor of medicine and associate director for qualitative science at the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, spoke on tumor immune dynamics for predictive cancer immunotherapy.
On the final day, Michelle Giglio, PhD, associate director for education and outreach, and Joseph Receveur, PhD, bioinformatics analyst, both with the Institute of Genome Sciences, lead hands-on training workshops on microbiome data analysis and single-cell transcriptomic data analysis.
“These workshops exemplified the spirit of reciprocal collaboration that underpins this emerging partnership, pairing scientific discovery with education and skills development to ensure long-term impact,” Dr. Ravel reflected.
This visit to Costa Rica was the fourth collaboration trip supported by the Initiative, building on the connections forged in April when seven researchers from UCR visited UMB, touring the Institute for Genome Sciences, the UMB BioPark, and the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center.
One of the trip’s goals is for the UCR and UMB collaborations forged and solidified on this visit will lead to applications for the Alicia and Yaya Seed and Development Grants, which provide open for applications March 1. The Development Grants provide up to $10,000 to create the initial framework for future partnerships and collaborations, while the Seed Grants provide up to $50,000 to enhance existing partnerships between the two universities.