Director, Center on Aging · Professor, Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health
Jordan Lewis, PhD, MSW, CPG is Aleut and Sugpiaq and has worked with American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities to identify characteristics that enable Alaska Native Elders to age successfully — or age in a good way. Using the lessons and experiences of AIAN Elders, Dr. Lewis' research develops generative-based approaches to improve the health of all generations.
Indigenous Elder Health & Intergenerational Research
Postdoctoral Researcher · Center for One Health Research · College of Indigenous Studies
Lena Thompson, PhD is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center of One Health Research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Indigenous Studies. Her research explores Alaska Native aging experiences, pathways to intergenerational sharing, and emergency preparedness in Indigenous communities.
Culturally-Adapted Interventions & Alaska Native HealthMedical Student · Founder, Project Blue Star
Fyzeen Ahmad is a medical student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and founder of Project Blue Star, an MIT AgeLab–funded organization that connected over 800 older adults with high school students across six chapters in Minnesota before merging with The Melody Project in August 2026. His research focuses on loneliness, social isolation, and artificial intelligence in healthcare. A recognized leader in this space, Fyzeen has testified before the Minnesota Legislative Task Force on Aging and was a 2025 Gates Cambridge Scholarship finalist.
Loneliness, Social Isolation & AI in Healthcare
Researcher · Former Outreach Director, Project Blue Star
Andrew Toensing is a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and former Outreach Director at Project Blue Star. As Outreach Director, he led the expansion of three new chapters and cultivated relationships with both regional and national partners. His current research focuses on developing machine learning methods for antimicrobial drug discovery. He is also a member of the Minnesota Intergenerational Advisory Group, where he advises the Department of Human Services on policies to make Minnesota an age-friendly state.
Machine Learning, Drug Discovery & Aging PolicyEvery program element draws on peer-reviewed findings in music therapy, intergenerational connection, and aging science — not just intuition.
Our advisory board includes leading researchers and field experts who bring decades of real-world experience working directly with elder communities.
Chapters track and document outcomes across sessions, building a growing body of evidence that this model works — and can scale.
The Melody Project