In 2007, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) was one of seven institutions nationwide awarded a grant for the development of a new center focused on improving the health of older adults through innovative, interdisciplinary research. The two-year developmental award of $300,000 was largely funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation and RAND Corporation.

Leadership of the Interdisciplinary Center for Aging Research: Uniting Scientists (ICARUS) represents the combined efforts of the UNC Schools of Social Work, Nursing, and Medicine. Involved faculty are from multiple departments, schools, centers, and institutes across UNC-CH.  The mission of the Center is to create a strategic plan to focus aging research, provide interdisciplinary research and training opportunities for new and established investigators, and to develop and study innovative clinical and health services interventions in geriatrics. ICARUS works closely with community partners, and focuses on four interrelated activities: scholarship for discovery, integration, application, and teaching.

The lead director of ICARUS is School of Social Work Professor and Director of Aging Research, Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD. Co-directors are School of Nursing Umphlet Distinguished Professor in Aging Mary H. Palmer, RN,C, PhD and School of Medicine Professor, Chief of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Center for Aging and Health, Jan Busby-Whitehead, MD. ICARUS is administered through the School of Medicine.