Exploring the NIA-Funded ESCAAR Program for Early-Career Researchers in Aging
Recorded On: 02/26/2026
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Join us for an informational webinar introducing the Entrepreneurship and Science Communication for Aging Research (ESCAAR) program at the University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies in Baltimore, a National Institute on Aging (NIA)–funded, 10-month training opportunity. This cohort-based training program runs for 10 months, from July 2026 through April 2027. It combines two in-person sessions in Baltimore with flexible online learning and is designed to help early-career researchers in aging strengthen science communication skills, explore translational and entrepreneurial pathways, and expand the impact of their work. The application deadline is March 15, 2026. The session will provide an overview of the program and application process.
J. Howard Kucher, DPA, MBA
Associate Professor
University of Maryland, Baltimore
Dr. J. Howard "Jim" Kucher is an Associate Professor of Social Innovation at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. An award-winning teacher and internationally recognized thought leader, he is the author of several books on Social Entrepreneurship and has assisted over 100 area nonprofits and social enterprises in developing new models for meeting the needs of their constituents while increasing the sustainability of their organizations.
Isabell May, PhD
Associate Professor
University of Maryland, Baltimore
Isabell C. May, PhD directs the Entrepreneurship and Science Communication for Aging and Aging-Related Research (ESCAAR) program and the Certificate in Science Communication at the University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies, and she leads the UMB Writing Center. She specializes in inclusive, interdisciplinary science communication across audiences and sectors and serves as Co-PI on an NIH Fogarty R25 focused on research ethics education in Morocco. A faculty fellow with Teach Access and the National Federation of the Blind, she advances accessibility in higher education and regularly publishes on science communication pedagogy.
Diane Martin, PhD
Associate Professor
Geriatrics/Gerontology Education/Research program- University of Maryland, Baltimore
Dr. Diane Martin is an associate professor in the Graduate School, where she also serves as director of UMB's Geriatrics & Gerontology Education and Research (GGEAR) program, a state-funded program developed in 1987 to support interprofessional educational and research activities in the field of geriatrics and gerontology. Programs are designed to bolster the well-being of older adults and improve quality of later life. In partnership with the Maryland Area Health Education Centers and other agencies and organizations throughout the state, Dr. Martin develops interprofessional training opportunities related to aging and older adults for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in health science and social science programs, as well as conferences and programs for professionals and the general public across the state. As an applied gerontologist, Dr. Martin maintains an active interdisciplinary research program supportive of geriatric interprofessional education, workforce development, and quality of later life initiatives (i.e., aging-in-place, person-centeredness, promoting optimal aging). She earned her doctorate in Psychology from Northcentral University, a Master's in Experimental Psychology from Towson University, and received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. Dr. Martin served as a GLOBALtimore Fellow, is a member of the Gerontological Society of America and the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education, and currently serves as President of Sigma Phi Omega, the International Academic Honor & Professional Society in Gerontology.