11-18-2025
OMRF Panel: “The Science of a Healthy Lifespan”
- Moderator: Dr. Courtney Montgomery, Director of the Center for Biomedical Data Sciences and Professor, Genes and Human Diseases Research Program
- Panelist: Dr. Benjamin Miller, Professor and Program Chair, Aging & Metabolism Research Program
- Panelist: Dr. Scott Plafker, Professor, Aging & Metabolism Research Program
Courtney Montgomery
Dr. Courtney Montgomery is the Director of OMRF’s Center for Biomedical Data Sciences, a collaborative center created to optimize the data collected in OMRF studies. Through advanced analysis techniques and training, her team multiplies the impact of research. Dr. Montgomery is also a professor in the Genes & Human Disease Research Program, where she studies sarcoidosis, an immune system disease that affects 200,000 Americans.
Dr. Benjamin Miller
Dr. Benjamin Miller leads OMRF’s Aging & Metabolism Research Program. Dr. Miller’s goal is to extend our healthspan – the period of life we enjoy good health. He investigates how we can slow the biological process of aging, which is key in combating chronic diseases. His current work includes a large collaborative study looking into why some people benefit more from certain types of exercise.
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientist Scott Plafker, Ph.D.
Dr. Scott Plafker’s research focuses on nutrition serving as the foundation for healthy aging. As a professor in OMRF’s Aging & Metabolism Research Program, his lab studies how diet contributes to eye diseases that cause blindness, age-related macular degeneration and optic neuritis associated with multiple sclerosis. Dr. Plafker’s ultimate goal is to empower patients with dietary information and practices that they can apply to maintain and improve their health and vision.
Chair of the Day: Penny Voss, Vice President of Philanthropy and Community Relations
