Our Mission

As an integral part of the Department of Community Health at Boonshoft School of Medicine, the Lifespan Health Research Center's mission is to advance and disseminate knowledge through the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research and professional service. As a unit of a community-based medical school in a metropolitan university, the Lifespan Health Research Center is committed to maintaining and expanding its national and international prominence in health-related biomedical research.

A primary goal of the Lifespan Health Research Center is to conduct research related to the changes that occur in individuals throughout their life span. Home of the Fels Longitudinal Study, the world's largest and longest running study on human growth and body composition, the center's major emphases involve growth, maturation and aging, body composition, risk factors for cardiovascular disease and the genetic epidemiology of complex traits.