Researchers from all disciplines who are working on ways to help older people live independently are invited to the “2025 Annual Future Living Showcase: Innovations in Aging-in-Place.”

• When: May 15, 1-4 p.m.
• Where: Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston auditorium, 6901 Bertner Ave.
• Register: By May 5

“Addressing the challenges of designing living spaces and providing care for our aging population requires collaboration among health scientists and engineers as well as financial, legal, and policy experts. This showcase is an opportunity for researchers in disparate fields to network, share ideas, and inspire one another,” said Cizik School of Nursing Associate Dean for Research Constance Johnson, PhD, RN, FAAN.

The event will feature presentations by those with accepted abstracts and a keynote speech by Xiaoqian Jiang, PhD, Associate Vice President for Medical AI, Chair of the Department of Health Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and the Christopher Sarofim Professor at the McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston. 

Seven Aging-in-Place Research Awards have been granted since January 2020, when the Smart Apartment opened at Cizik School of Nursing. This laboratory, which simulates a one-bedroom apartment, is equipped with sensors, monitors, robots, and other devices that researchers can use to test technologies that can help monitor self-management of chronic diseases and detect health and behavior changes in aging and disabled adults. It is now managed by the interdisciplinary Cizik Nursing Research Institute (CNRI), which was established in September 2024.

Jiang is a multiple principal investigator on one of the 2024 awards for the assistive robotics project, “Healthcare Mobile ALOHA: Enhancing Independent Living for Aging Populations.” A team co-led by CNRI Director Carolyn Pickering, PhD, RN, is upgrading and training an AI-powered robotics system in the Smart Apartment.

The Aging-in-Place Research Awards are funded through Johnson’s Maria C. and Christopher J. Pappas Family Distinguished Chair in Nursing Endowment. Two projects will receive awards this year, including one designated specifically for students.