The Claude Pepper Older Americans Independence Center honors the memory of Claude Denson Pepper (1900 - 1989), a congressman from Florida who was known nationwide for his advocacy of the rights of older adults. A vigorous man throughout his life, he rejected the idea that physical and mental decline were part of normal aging.

In 1991, Congress gave money to the National Institute on Aging to establish special aging research and education centers across the country. These Centers are named for Mr. Pepper because their primary goal reflects his interest in helping older Americans maintain their independence for as long as possible. The research of the Pepper Centers supports this goal by working on ways to delay or even prevent chronic diseases that can disable so many older people and cause them to become dependent on others. As an educational resource, the Pepper Centers also work to educate and encourage older adults, sharing free health promotion information about ways we can improve our health and better our lives.

In 1996, the University of Connecticut Health Center was awarded a $5.7 million grant to establish a Pepper Center, the UConn Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC). The University of Connecticut is privileged to have been chosen as one of only ten such centers in the country. The original award (1996-2001) led to two major Intervention Development Studies studies which validated safe and effective strategies involving hormone replacement and exercise for improving bone health in older women. Many other OAIC funded or enhanced projects have made important contributions in a variety of areas including male osteoporosis, cardiology, basic bone biology and genetics of aging. In addition to nationally recognized expertise in the recruitment of older research volunteers from minority communities, UConn OAIC has developed a strong core of successful research-intensive academic geriatricians and attracted productive investigators from other disciplines to research in aging.

Although full OAIC funding ended in September 2001, key personnel have been retained, major core functions have continued, and all projects were successfully completed. UConn OAIC has continued to thrive, consolidate its established strengths and expand into selected new areas. Major progress has been made in terms of important research performance indices such as external research funding, scope of funded research, publications, numbers and quality of trainees, as well as the generation of preliminary data to support new research initiatives.