What can we learn from physical capacity about biological age? A systematic review
Key findingPhysical capacity measures are robust, low-cost indicators of biological aging.
View DOI
Gerontology · Health Equity · Public Health
Dr. Khalil Iktilat
Dr. Khalil Iktilat
RN, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow — Department of Occupational Therapy, Tel Aviv University
I study how social environments, inequality, community violence, minority status, inflammation, gut microbiota, cognition, physical capacity and digital-health interventions shape the way we age — and what makes some people age more resiliently than others.
7Peer-reviewed & in-progress papers
420Adults in doctoral cohort study
20+Nursing textbooks authored
3Continents of conference lectures
What I study
Four lenses on how we age
My work connects the social world to the biological one — tracing how environment and inequality get "under the skin" and shape aging trajectories.
Aging & Health Equity
How social inequality, minority status and neighborhood context shape who ages well — and who doesn't.
Explore themeEnvironmental Stressors
Chronic exposure to community violence and deprivation leaves a biological signature that accelerates aging.
Explore themeBiological Mechanisms
Inflammation and gut microbiota as messengers — translating life stress into measurable change in the body.
Explore themeHealthy & Successful Aging
Physical activity, cognition and digital-health innovation as levers for frailty prevention and resilience.
Explore theme
Selected work
Featured publications
Three papers that anchor the research program — from a top-ranked systematic review to the flagship doctoral study.
The link between exposure to violence and psychological distress among middle-aged Muslims in Israel: the role of gender
Key findingChronic community violence predicts elevated psychological distress, moderated by gender.
View DOIPhysical capacity is associated with attention but not with general executive function in middle-aged adults
Key findingBetter physical capacity correlates with stronger attention, but not broader executive function.
View DOI
In the field now
Current projects
Two active, multi-institutional studies exploring digital-health innovation and genetic risk in brain aging.
Olfactory Stimulation During Deep Sleep
Investigating whether a simple scent delivered during deep sleep can improve sleep quality, cognition and gait — a non-pharmacological approach to protecting the aging brain.222
Collaborating institutions
University of HaifaTechnionHebrew UniversityKIMBA (neurotechnology)
APOE4 & the Aging Brain
A multinational comparative study deciphering the impact of the APOE4 gene variant on brain aging and its association with Alzheimer's disease.
Team & funder
Prof. Debbie RandProf. Aviad Tur-SinaiRamat Gan Alzheimer's Center
Research programme
Six themes, one question: what shapes how we age?
Each theme below combines biological, psychological, and social measures to explain aging trajectories — and to find the levers that protect health across the lifespan.
Theme 01
Environmental and Social Determinants of Aging
Drawing on a cohort of 420 middle-aged Arab adults in Israel, this work examines how community violence, socioeconomic inequality and neighborhood deprivation influence biological and cognitive aging trajectories.
In plain language: where you live and what you're exposed to can age your body faster than your birthday would suggest.
Theme 02
Biological Mechanisms of Aging
Integrating blood biomarkers, salivary measures and gut-microbiota profiling to trace the physiological pathways connecting psychosocial stress to functional decline.
In plain language: stress doesn't stay "in the head" — it shows up in inflammation markers, and even in the bacteria living in our gut.
Theme 03
Psychological Distress, Resilience and Mental Health
Investigating how gender, culture and minority status shape psychological responses to chronic stress and violence exposure among middle-aged and older adults.
In plain language: the same stressful environment can affect men and women differently — resilience isn't one-size-fits-all.
Theme 04
Physical Capacity, Cognition and Functional Aging
Examining how measures of physical capacity — gait speed, strength, balance — relate to attention, executive function and biological-age markers across the adult lifespan.
In plain language: how fast you walk may reveal as much about your brain and biological age as a lab test.
Theme 05
Frailty, Robustness and Successful Aging
Using longitudinal SHARE cohort data across European countries to identify modifiable protective factors — physical activity, cognitive engagement, financial security — that sustain robustness and delay frailty.
In plain language: frailty isn't inevitable. Staying active, engaged and financially secure helps people stay robust for longer.
Theme 06
Innovation in Healthy Aging
Postdoctoral work integrating digital health, neuroscience and nursing science to design non-pharmacological interventions — including a multi-institutional project on olfactory stimulation during deep sleep and its effects on sleep quality, cognition and gait.
In plain language: a simple scent delivered during deep sleep might help protect memory and movement as we age.
Peer-reviewed & in-progress work
Publications
H-index 3 · 37 citations (Google Scholar) · ORCID 0000-0002-3180-5421. Filter by research theme, or read the plain-language summary under each finding.
The link between exposure to violence and psychological distress among middle-aged Muslims in Israel: the role of gender
Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1382053
Key findingChronic exposure to community violence predicts elevated psychological distress in middle-aged Arab adults, with gender moderating the strength of the association.
In plain language: living with ongoing community violence wears on mental health differently for men and women in midlife.
The Relative Contribution of Academic Passion to Academic Well-Being Among Nursing Students
European Journal of Education Studies, 11(11)
Key findingAcademic passion significantly predicts overall wellbeing among nursing students.
In plain language: students who feel genuine passion for nursing report better overall wellbeing.
CRP, but not fibrinogen, is associated with gait speed as early as middle age, in females but not males
Scientific Reports, 13(1), 15571
Key findingElevated CRP (an inflammation marker) is linked to slower gait speed in middle-aged women, but not men — an early, sex-specific signal of biological aging.
In plain language: a simple blood marker of inflammation may reveal early walking-speed decline in women well before old age.
What can we learn from physical capacity about biological age? A systematic review
Ageing Research Reviews, 77, 101609
Key findingPhysical capacity measures — grip strength, gait speed, balance — are robust, low-cost indicators of biological aging. Ranked 3rd of 73 journals in Geriatrics & Gerontology.
In plain language: how well your body moves can say more about your "true age" than your birth certificate.
Physical capacity is associated with attention but not with general executive function in middle-aged adults
PLoS One, 20(5), e0321450
Key findingBetter physical capacity correlates with stronger attention, but not broader executive function, in midlife.
In plain language: staying physically fit may sharpen focus and attention even before formal old age.
Protective factors for sustaining robustness in older adults: longitudinal evidence from European countries
Manuscript submitted for publication
Key findingPhysical activity, cognitive engagement and financial security predict sustained robustness across the SHARE cohort.
In plain language: staying active, mentally engaged and financially secure helps older adults avoid frailty.
Integrating gut microbiota and violence exposure metrics to classify psychological distress in middle-aged adults
Target journal: Communications Medicine (IF 6.3, Q1)
Key findingCombining gut-microbiome profiles with violence-exposure metrics improves classification of psychological distress.
In plain language: gut bacteria patterns, combined with life-stress history, may help identify people at risk of mental-health struggles.
Where the work is headed
Current projects & future vision
Active studies today, and the academic vision guiding the next decade of research.
Olfactory Stimulation During Deep Sleep
A multi-institutional project exploring non-pharmacological interventions for cognitive aging: whether targeted scent stimulation delivered during deep sleep improves sleep quality, cognition and gait in older adults. Part of a broader postdoctoral programme integrating digital health, neuroscience and nursing science.
Collaborating institutions
University of HaifaTechnion — Israel Institute of TechnologyHebrew University of JerusalemKIMBA (neurotechnology company)
Deciphering the Impact of APOE4 on the Aging Brain
A multinational comparative study examining the APOE4 gene variant's association with Alzheimer's disease and brain aging trajectories, funded by the Ramat Gan Alzheimer's Center.
Team & funder
Prof. Debbie Rand — Co-PIProf. Aviad Tur-Sinai — Co-PIRamat Gan Alzheimer's Center — Funder
Academic vision
Where this research programme goes next
01
A new longitudinal cohort. Establish a longitudinal cohort in Arab and mixed communities in northern Israel to study environmental, psychosocial and biological predictors of healthy aging.
02
Structural mechanisms of disparity. Integrate quantitative registry data with qualitative, community-based research to inform policy interventions that reduce health disparities.
03
Biological-behavioral models of resilience. Combine biomarkers, digital-health data and machine learning to predict frailty and cognitive decline before they emerge.
04
A Healthy Aging and Environment Lab. Build an interdisciplinary home for research and student training in population-based nursing science.
Academic journey
PhD & Postdoctoral Work
From registered nurse to gerontology researcher — two decades of clinical grounding behind the science.
2001 – 2005
BA in Nursing & Registered Nurse
Tel Aviv University + Sheba Nursing School
2005 – 2008
MA in Nursing
Tel Aviv University
2019 – 2024
PhD in Gerontology
University of Haifa · Supervisors: Prof. Maayan Agmon, PT, PhD & Dr. Michal Isacson, PhD
Dissertation: "The relationships between the environment and aging process among middle-aged Muslims in Israel." 127 pages, English. Built on a large-scale cohort of 420 middle-aged Arab adults integrating biological (blood, saliva, microbiota), cognitive and physical measures — submitted November 2024.
01/2025 – Present
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (full time)
Department of Occupational Therapy, Tel Aviv University · Host: Prof. Debbie Rand
Integrating digital health, neuroscience and nursing to explore non-pharmacological interventions for cognitive aging, including the multi-institutional olfactory-stimulation sleep project.
Twenty years of scholarly exchange
Conferences & Invited Lectures
From Taipei to Boston — filter by year, conference, location or role to explore two decades of international and local presentations.
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Built with others
Collaborations
Research is a team effort — mentors, co-authors, institutions and communities that shape this work.
Mentors & Supervisors
MA
Prof. Maayan Agmon, PT, PhD
PhD Supervisor · University of HaifaMI
Dr. Michal Isacson, PhD
PhD Co-Supervisor · University of HaifaDR
Prof. Debbie Rand
Postdoctoral Host · Occupational Therapy, Tel Aviv UniversityResearch Collaborators
AT
Prof. Aviad Tur-Sinai
SHARE cohort & APOE4 studyNB
Dr. Nurit Bentur
Robustness & frailty researchRT
Dr. Ran Tzemah-Shahar
Physical capacity & biological ageYL
Prof. Yoram Louzoun
Computational modeling · Bar-Ilan UniversityOK
Prof. Omry Koren
Microbiome research · Bar-Ilan UniversityST
Dr. Sondra Turjeman
Microbiome researchGL
Dr. Gil Levin
Data integration · gut microbiota & violence exposureInstitutional Partners
University of Haifa
PhD, GerontologyTel Aviv University
BA, MA & Postdoctoral FellowshipTechnion
Olfactory stimulation & sleep projectHebrew University of Jerusalem
Olfactory stimulation & sleep projectKIMBA
Neurotechnology industry partnerRamat Gan Alzheimer's Center
Funder · APOE4 studyProfessional Societies
GSA
Gerontological Society of America
Member since 2023IGS
Israeli Gerontological Society
Member since 2019Contribution to society. Throughout my career I have advanced social equity in nursing education and healthcare — training thousands of nurses nationwide and helping integrate underrepresented groups into the profession, including new immigrants, Bedouin nurses in southern Israel, and 40 nurses from Jisr al-Zarqa. This community engagement reflects a long-term commitment to reducing health and educational disparities through academic empowerment and culturally adapted professional training.
The full record
Academic CV
A condensed view of education, appointments, memberships and grants. Download the complete CV for full detail.
3H-index
37Citations
7Publications
20+Textbooks
Education
| 2019–2024 | PhD, GerontologyUniversity of Haifa |
| 2005–2008 | MA, NursingTel Aviv University |
| 2001–2005 | BA + Registered NurseTel Aviv University & Sheba Nursing School |
Academic Appointments
| 01/2025–present | Postdoctoral Research Fellow (full time)Department of Occupational Therapy, Tel Aviv University |
Research Grants
| 2025 | Deciphering the Impact of APOE4 on the Aging BrainCo-PI with Prof. Debbie Rand & Prof. Aviad Tur-Sinai · Funded by Ramat Gan Alzheimer's Center · ₪20,000 |
Memberships
| 2023–present | Gerontological Society of America (GSA) |
| 2019–present | Israeli Gerontological Society |
Identifiers & Profiles
| ORCID0000-0002-3180-5421 | |
| Google ScholarView profile |
Need the complete document?
Full curriculum vitae including all academic ranks, contributions to science, and publication details.
Two decades in the classroom
Nursing Teaching & Books
Alongside research, a sustained commitment to nursing education — from bedside clinical instruction to authoring the textbooks nursing students study from nationwide.
| Course | Type | Level | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preparation for the National Nursing Licensure Examination | Lecture | BA | 2005–Present |
| Clinical Pharmacology | Lecture | BA | 2005–Present |
| Cardiology, respiratory, gastroenterology, surgery, endocrinology, nephrology, urology, hematology, oncology, neurology, neurosurgery & orthopedic disorders | Lecture | BA | 2005–2020 |
| Trauma and Emergency Medicine | Lecture | BA | 2005–2019 |
| Anatomy and Physiology | Lecture | BA | 2005–2019 |
Author of 20+ Nursing Textbooks
Widely used clinical nursing textbooks spanning the full undergraduate curriculum, including:
Clinical Pharmacology
Adult Nursing
Psychiatry
Law and Ethics
Pharmaceutical Calculations
Intensive Care
Geriatrics
Clinical Instruction
Maternity and Gynecology
Pediatric Nursing
Let's talk research
Contact
Open to collaboration, speaking invitations, and doctoral or postdoctoral inquiries in gerontology, health equity and healthy-aging research.