Lynn Daucher, B.S. (California Department of Aging)
Lynn Daucher is the Director of the California Department of Aging (CDA). She was appointed to this position on February 6, 2007, by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Prior to her appointment to CDA, Daucher served as the Assemblywoman from the 72nd District, which is located within Orange County. Recognizing the importance of senior issues, Daucher served as Vice-Chair of the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care. Please visit aging.ca.gov for further information.
Gilbert Rishton, Ph.D. (Channel Islands Alzheimer's Institute)
Dr. Rishton is the Founder and Director of the Channel Islands Alzheimer's Institute, and has led drug discovery programs in pharma for over 15 years. During his years at Amgen, he was the founding medicinal chemist at the Thousand Oaks site. He has managed drug discovery programs in inflammation, oncology, and central nervous system disease. Dr. Rishton has a passionate interest in Alzheimer’s disease drug discovery and led the medicinal chemistry program for Amgen’s Secretase Team. This effort was among the first to produce small molecule secretase inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents for Alzheimer’s disease. Please visit Alzheimer's Institute for further information.
Rita Effros, Ph.D. (Department of Cellular & Molecular Pathology, UCLA)
Dr. Effros is an immunologist who has been at the UCLA School of Medicine since 1979. She began as a Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, and then joined the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, where she became a full professor in 1992. Dr. Effros earned her B.A. in Biology from Brandeis University, and her Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Pennsylvania, under the mentorship of Peter Doherty, 1996 Nobel Laureate.
Her laboratory discovered that during aging and HIV disease many immune cells have critically short telomeres, paving the way for certain types of immunotherapy that would prevent telomere shortening. In addition to teaching medical and graduate students, she has been a major force in UCLA undergraduate education, having established a year-long freshman interdisciplinary Honors course on human aging. Please visit Rita Effros for further information.
Steven Clarke, Ph.D. (Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, UCLA)
Dr. Clarke has been on the faculty of the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry since 1978. He is currently a Professor of Biochemistry and Director of the UCLA Molecular Biology Institute. He did his undergraduate work at Pomona College in Claremont, majoring in Chemistry and Zoology. Dr. Clarke obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Harvard University working as an NSF Fellow with Professor Guido Guidotti.
His laboratory studies the biochemistry of the aging process. They are particularly interested in the generation of age-damaged proteins by spontaneous chemical reactions and the physiological role of cellular enzymes that can reverse at least some portion of the damage. Please visit Steven Clarke for further information.
Anne Stirling Hastings, Ph.D. (Licensed Psychologist, Westlake Village, CA)
Dr. Hastings has been a licensed psychologist since 1982 and specializes in sexuality and preventive health. She recently has studied the influence of obtaining preventative health care on enhancing the speed and ease and magnitude of emotional recovery. She has found that when combined with relationship or trauma or addiction recovery, Functional Medicine or Anti-Aging Medicine can provide the additional emotional strength to make the process easier, less painful, and faster. Please visit Anne Stirling Hastings for further information.