We hope to inspire healthier choices today and healthy habits for tomorrow. Through science, education and inspiration, we seek to improve human lives and our community. Working with world-leading researchers and diverse populations in Southern California, the UCI Center for Healthspan Sciences provides science education and practical knowledge to help improve everyday life. As part of the UCI School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, within the Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, the goal of the Center for Healthspan Sciences is to increase human longevity and improve healthspan, the time in peoples’ lives when they experience mental and physical well-being.

“Healthspan sciences is a relatively new field focused on extending healthy human life,” says Center director Dr. Mahtab Jafari, UCI Professor of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences. “The main goal of the Center is to develop evidence-based, multidisciplinary research and educational programs to help improve everyday life in a way that will inspire healthier lifestyle choices and habits.”

The Center for Healthspan Sciences will serve as a platform for scientists and educators from various fields such as Medicine, Nutrition, Exercise, Psychology, Healthspan Pharmacology, and Health Coaching to collaborate, develop and present science-based new knowledge with the goal of improving human health. And in turn, we hope to become the go-to place for people seeking trustworthy answers to important health-related questions. Through the classes, symposia and lectures we offer, participants will learn about the latest scientific studies related to healthy aging. This information will help participants choose healthy lifestyles that serve them well both in the present and in the years ahead.

In addition to their research endeavors, Center members will develop educational resources for students and the community. The Center’s educational initiatives include a “Your Healthspan” seminar series, the popular course “Life101: Mental and Physical Self-Care” which is now offered to students on all 10 UC campuses and on Coursera, and a new “Healthspan Sciences” course for students and community. Eventually, the Center will also offer grant opportunities to those looking to engage in innovative, multidisciplinary research in the field of human healthspan.