在欧姆研究所为研究义工举办的晚宴上互相感谢

如果研究领域真有摇滚明星的话，那么布莱恩·克拉克(Brian Clark)博士.D.是吗?. At the recent 俄亥俄州肌肉骨骼和神经学研究所 (OMNI) Healthy Aging 研究 Appreciation Dinner, many attendees made it clear they are big fans and shared glowing praise of Clark and OMNI, 他是哪里的执行董事. 

However, these aren’t ordinary fans cheering from the sidelines, they are all in. 作为OMNI研究志愿者, they participate in various testing designed to help scientists better understand how to extend the health span of older adults. 

米米勒, 她脸上露出灿烂的笑容, 说她忍不住滔滔不绝地谈论布莱恩·克拉克和莱莎·克拉克, D.P.T., a research assistant professor who interacts with research participants almost daily.

“布莱恩·克拉克排名第一. He’s been responsible for bringing millions of dollars worth of research (funding) to this university. The whole community should be extremely grateful for not only that but the kind of work that he does,米勒说。. “他非常善于合作……他非常富有同情心, 他很善解人意, 他完全公正, 在任何方面都没有歧视. So, all of those things factor into working with someone who’s brilliant in his field anyway.”

Clark, professor of physiology and neuroscience and Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Harold E. Clybourne D.O., 特聘研究主席, works alongside researchers and graduate students from across newbb电子平台 (OHIO) in their collective search for ways to improve the diagnosis, 肌肉骨骼和神经疾病的治疗和预防. OMNI一直是一个生产强国, 在大学内外建立合作关系, so much so that the institute recently created two research divisions: one focused on pain, 损伤和康复和其他老化系统和退化. 

在表彰活动上, 克拉克回忆起十年前的情景, he was approached by a small biotechnology startup called Regeneron Pharmaceuticals because it had a drug that was ready for testing on humans. OMNI也加入进来，使俄亥俄州成为美国五个测试地点之一.S., 和哈佛一起, 华盛顿大学, 塔夫茨大学和佛罗里达大学, 以确定该药物是否有助于改善随着年龄增长的肌肉功能.

“We were really worried we would not be able to recruit enough people to do that study because 雅典 is three percent the size of Boston,克拉克说。. 德鲁·埃沃茨走进了他的办公室. 她听说过这项研究. 与所有研究一样，志愿者必须符合资格标准. On this particular study, Evarts did not meet the criteria and was unable to participate.

“I didn’t think much about it until two days later when my phone starts blowing up and my email starts blowing up. Dru had started contacting everyone she knew to tell them about the study,克拉克说。. “从那以后，剩下的就是历史了. 这让我们在地图上成为一个可以在衰老方面进行重大研究的地方.”

晚些时候, 在和其他网站的电话会议上, Regeneron executives noted how well OHIO was doing with recruitment and asked Clark if he was running advertisements on local subways and buses.

“我不得不笑，”他说. “不，我们有一个人给她认识的每个朋友都打了电话.’ That’s when I realized her caring heart and her commitment to paying it forward, 所以, 从那时起, for more than a decade we have given out a community ambassador award that we named after Dru, because we certainly could not have done that key pivotal study so long ago…without her.”

Each year OMNI asks its study volunteers as well as people from the 雅典 community to submit nominations for the Dru Riley Evarts Community Ambassador Award, which recognizes an outstanding community or senior citizen advocate whose work or volunteer activity has had a positive effect on the lives of those in the community.  At this year’s dinner, the first in four years due to COVID-19, three individuals received the award. 

米勒是获奖者之一. Miller, former director of development at Appalachian Community 访问ing Nurses & 临终关怀, is a consultant with Rural Action and was instrumental in starting a medical supplies and equipment recycling program. 她还活跃于雅典 Rethink Plastics, a group that lobbied for the single-use plastics ban that began in 雅典 at the start of 2024. 在感谢晚宴上的讲话中, Clark noted that Miller was raised in Ohio after her family immigrated to the U.S. 

“Her family clearly instilled a work ethic and a compassion for others that she has carried on throughout her entire life,克拉克说.

克里斯汀·克尼斯利还获得了大使奖. After retiring from her role at the 传统骨科医学院’s Office of 研究 and Grants, Knisely served on the 雅典 City Council as well as the local and state boards of the League of Women Voters. Clark pointed out that she has been active in numerous projects over the years and is a role model for healthy aging.

克拉克说:“克里斯在退休期间没有让小草生长。.

贝瑞Dilley, who has been volunteering for OMNI research studies for a decade and is also very involved in many community projects, 获得第三届大使奖.  Dilley said initially it was her 好奇心 that led to her involvement as a research volunteer. 她想和别人比较一下自己的健康状况，看看自己做得怎么样.  

“同时, 我不喜欢和别人比较，因为他们会说, 平均而言,’我也不想成为普通人, 因为很多和我同龄的普通人都已经不在人世了,迪利说.  

Clark told dinner attendees, “I put Berry into one of those quote unquote ‘super ager groups.“她的敏捷总是让我惊讶, 她的热情, 我问她什么对她来说是重要的, 她说, “玩, 好奇心, 参与, 订婚, 分享, 学习, 笑声, 高兴的是, 友谊, 归属感和个性.任何了解贝瑞的人都知道，这句话很好地概括了这一点.”

除了认可OMNI研究参与者的服务之外, OMNI颁发杰出服务奖给Judith Rioch和Timothy Law, D.O. 里奥克之前在俄亥俄州的研究和赞助项目办公室工作. Law是OMNI的医疗主管. 

The appreciation dinner also gives volunteers the opportunity to hear the results of the studies in which they’ve been involved, 这样他们就可以了解他们的工作是如何产生影响的. 

“They always describe in detail what the purpose of the study is and why it’s important that you participate and what will be done with this information and for me, 谁是真正的研究狂人, 对于我们这些接受过高等教育或申请过助学金的人来说也是如此, 这涉及到很多研究, 所以我很荣幸. 我很喜欢. 我很高兴能成为其中的一员。. 

The deep respect and affection the OMNI scientists have for their volunteers was apparent at the dinner, during which investigators shared tips on healthy living gleaned from their own research findings. 志愿者们明确表示，这种感觉是相互的, 这就是为什么, 几个说, 一次又一次的研究, 他们不断地回来. 

这种关系的好处是显而易见的. OMNI的科学家们已经汇编了超过1个,发表研究论文600篇,在与衰老相关的研究中被引用了5000次, 腰痛, 骨科损伤等等. 2022年，OMNI收到了3美元.拨款200万美元，创历史之最. 

“In Appalachian Ohio with the kind of poverty that we have and the kind of health care risks that we have, 这种研究变得更加重要,knely说。. “The people who are parts of the study are also eventually the benefactors of the products of that research, 所以这是非常重要的. 这是一种共生关系.”

“我对自己有了很多了解, 通过研究项目了解工作和身体是如何工作的,迪利说. “I really like working with them and I like the idea of meeting other people who are doing the research as well.”