The Frailty Science Team profoundly mourns the passing of Dr. Jeremy D. Walston on June 10, 2025. He was 64 years old. Jeremy was an internationally renowned scientist who directed numerous healthy aging research programs at Johns Hopkins; our Frailty Science team was fortunate enough to be one of them. His contributions to the science of frailty and resilience provided critical insights and advancements to frailty assessment, aging-related biology, and clinical translation. He was a gifted program leader who fostered interdisciplinary collaborations and championed early career faculty and students as the next generation of research leaders. In short, he was an outstanding researcher, doctor, mentor, colleague, and friend. We will miss him dearly. We send our deepest condolences to his family. You can read more about his remarkable career and life in recent posts from Johns Hopkins leaders and beyond: Message from Dean DeWeese and President Sowers; Obituary; Baltimore Sun article (2025) ; Baltimore Banner article (2025).

Jeremy is survived by: his spouse Mr. George Lavdas of Baltimore, as well as two sons, Oliver Walston-Lavdas, of Baltimore and Alexander Walston-Lavdas (Willow Washington), of Cocoa, Florida; a sister, Wendy Walston Vaughn (Alan Vaughn), of Pemberville, Ohio; a step-mother, Ellen Walston, of Pemberville; two step-brothers, Brent Sandberg (Kelly), of Perrysburg, Ohio and Justin Sandberg (Melissa), of Pemberville. Jeremy was laid to rest in his hometown, Pemberville, Ohio on June 20^th.

Here we are honored to share a handful of personal remembrances and loving vignettes from his colleagues that speak to Jeremy’s vision, dedication, innovation, brilliance, kindness, humanity, warmth, and hope in medicine to improve the lives and health span of older adults.

—–

“Jeremy was a founding force behind the Biology of Healthy Aging group at Johns Hopkins, and a pioneer in the field of aging biology. His vision, mentorship, and scientific rigor shaped the core of our work and the direction of our field.  As we grieve this tremendous loss, we also take time to celebrate Jeremy’s lasting impact. His commitment to advancing biological discovery, fostering collaboration, and mentoring the next generation of scientists will remain central to our mission.  Let us honor Jeremy’s legacy by continuing to push the boundaries of aging biology, welcoming new members into our research projects, and preserving the collaborative spirit that he championed. We have important work ahead, and we carry it forward, inspired by all that Jeremy built and believed in.”

–Dr. Peter Abadir, Associate Professor of Medicine; Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Older Americans Independence Center

—–

“Jeremy was extraordinary. He’s well known for being thoroughly gracious, generous, and kind. He shone as a mentor. Sometimes lost in the accolades over his sterling character is that he was a prodigious scholar: His contributions include identifying roles of mitochondrial dysfunction, angiotensin and kynurenine biology, and pro-inflammation underlying frailty, delineating frailty as both a marker and a target for clinical intervention and practice, advancing understanding of implications of stress-response physiology in both frailty and resilience, and delineating opportunities to better older adult health through technology and by addressing psychosocial factors. He was an exceptional program builder, attracting dozens if not hundreds of scholars from a wide array of disciplines to research on older adults.  Above all, Jeremy was one of the best human beings I’ve had the privilege to know. He not only accomplished greatly, and fostered others’ accomplishment—he elevated the lives of everyone with whom he interacted by so doing. My life has been enormously enriched by knowing him.”

–Dr. Karen Bandeen-Roche, Professor of Biostatistics; Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Older Americans Independence Center

—–

“Jeremy was not only an exceptional scientist and mentor, he was also a pioneer in the field of aging biology and frailty, and a kind and beloved friend to many in our community and beyond. We will never forget his many contributions to our work and our lives, from his time as a valued member of our Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology to his development and leadership of many aging and mentoring scientific programs at Hopkins and nationally.  Here at Hopkins, to name just a few, Jeremy co-directed the Older American Independence Center and the Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratory, and created and led the Human Aging Project. Jeremy also helped build the Clin-Star network, building the field of aging research across the country. Jeremy loved his work and the communities that work built, and he made everything he touched better, as a geriatrician, a professor, a mentor, a researcher, and a friend. We will miss him deeply.”

–Dr. Cynthia Boyd, Professor of Medicine and Division Director, Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology

—–

“Jeremy was an internationally renowned clinician-scientist in geriatrics. For the last six years, the Center for Innovative Medicine (CIM) has enthusiastically supported Jeremy’s pursuit of the Human Aging Project (HAP), created to more fully understand, delay and prevent the health consequences of aging.  With Jeremy’s leadership and with CIM support, the HAP has become one of the most successful multidisciplinary projects at Johns Hopkins, involving faculty in the Hopkins’ Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Nursing, Engineering, and Business.  The HAP has grown into a $60 million enterprise that funds major initiatives in basic science, clinical research, and artificial intelligence aimed at preserving robust health while aging.  The cohesiveness of the HAP speaks volumes not only to Jeremy’s scientific excellence but also to his many admirable personal qualities.  Because of his humility, generosity of spirit, and impish sense of humor, Jeremy became a treasured friend to us and to so many others. We will miss him terribly.  Each year that I was chairman of the Department, I tried to convey to every new class of interns that Medicine is a jewel; I extended the metaphor to claim it is the joyful and sacred obligation of each person who joins Johns Hopkins to learn how to use a ‘jeweler’s cloth’ and dedicate themselves to adding luster to the gem.  Jeremy’s many distinguished accomplishments have burnished the Johns Hopkins Medical jewel in a spectacular, everlasting, fashion.  We deeply mourn his loss while we celebrate his remarkable work, his legacy and, most of all, his friendship.”

–Dr. David Hellmann, Aliki Perroti Professor of Medicine and Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Innovative Medicine

—–

“I remember Jeremy sitting down with me to review my manuscripts and grant applications. Line-by-line, with a red pen, he would cut down and simplify my message. Each time, there was the same lesson – focus, in the clearest possible language, on how this research will help improve the lives of older adults. Working with him for seven years, I believe he applied this singular principle at every scale of his work, from drafting the abstract to a first-year geriatrics fellow’s research poster to building entire research programs. I am grateful for my time learning from Jeremy and I know the research community he has built will continue the work to realize his vision.”

–Dr. Thomas Laskow, Assistant Professor of Medicine

—–

Jeremy Walston was an amazing mentor to fellows and junior faculty. He was a role model for asking curious questions in research, demonstrating how collaborative science can lead to groundbreaking discoveries, and boosting the careers of junior faculty by providing them with career building opportunities. In addition to all of the great work Jeremy did at our institution, nationally, and internationally, he remained approachable and was so present and focused when he met with us during regular mentorship meetings. He would always ask what we needed for our lab projects, our grants, and our overall career development, and would be the first to step up to help find ways to get these resources. Now with mentees of my own, I strive to embody even a few of Jeremy’s qualities to help others experience the constant support, the encouragement during tough times, and to celebrate the successes. Thank you so much, Jeremy.

–Dr. Lolita Nidadavolu, Assistant Professor of Medicine

—–

I had the honor of knowing Jeremy for almost 20 years as a mentor, colleague, and friend. His kindness and sincerity made everyone he worked with feel valued and critical to his research mission of improving the lives of older adults. He motivated people to go above and beyond the bounds of typical research by providing insights from his personal experiences with the older adults in his life. This commitment left a lasting impact on those who were lucky enough to work with him. As a fellow gardener, I enjoyed his stories about growing up on a farm in Ohio (and he taught me why store-bought tomatoes don’t taste the same as home-grown). His passing leaves a huge hole at JHU and beyond. We will miss him greatly, and his legacy will long be remembered.

–Dr. Jennifer Schrack, Professor of Epidemiology and Director, Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health

—–

Part Two of this tribute series will be published in the coming weeks with information on Jeremy’s memorial service in Baltimore, which is scheduled to be held on September 9 from 3-5pm in the Atrium of the Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center. The next post will also include more recollections and stories about him. If you would like to submit a brief personal story or recollection about Jeremy, please email tony.teano@jhu.edu by July 31.  Meanwhile, the following links further chronicle Jeremy’s research vision and achievements:

• Walston Receives Dean’s 2025 Distinguished Mentor Award (includes link to recording)
• ICFSR 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award
• AFAR 2024 Award of Distinction
• CGTN America Interview (2024): What healthy aging looks like: Human Aging Project’s Dr. Jeremy Walston
• Baltimore Sun (2023): Staying Vital Longer: Johns Hopkins Takes On Human Aging (Guest Commentary)
• Fighting Frailty Podcast (2021): Frailty In Older Adults With Dr. Jeremy Walston