The John A. Hartford Foundation has recognized the IU Geriatrics Program as a Center of Excellence (CoE). There are 24 Hartford Centers of Excellence, and the IU center is one of three in the Midwest, along with the University of Michigan and University of Chicago.

The CoE initiative supports advanced training in geriatric medicine for academic physicians to teach and conduct research. The three-year, $450,000 matching grant, along with support from the IU School of Medicine, Wishard Health Services, the Roudebush VA Medical Center and Clarian Health Partners, will allow the IU Geriatrics Program to increase the number of geriatric specialists trained from four to seven each of the next three years.

“This recognition is important to the aging population in Indiana,” said Dr. Steven Counsell, director of the IU Geriatrics Program. “We currently lag behind many other states in the number of geriatricians available to treat the specific problems of aging. The senior population is expected to nearly double in the next 25 years and demand will be even greater for geriatricians.”

The IU Center for Aging Research, the research arm of the IU Geriatrics Program, is one of six newly established Edward R. Roybal Centers for Research on Applied Gerontology. The National Institute on Aging designation has been awarded to only 10 centers in the U.S. The Roybal Center award includes a five-year, $1.25 million grant, said Dr. Christopher Callahan, the Cornelius and Yvonne Pettinga Professor in aging research and director of the IU Center for Aging Research.

“This grant is a tribute to the progress our program has made in geriatric health services and behavioral research,” he said.

By facilitating collaboration, Roybal Centers nationwide expedite transformation of beneficial social and behavioral research ideas into useful programs, policies and practices to improve the lives of senior citizens. The IU Roybal Center’s concentration will be to develop methods for patient self-management in a vulnerable, older population with a focus on doctor-patient interaction.

“‘Bench to bedside’ has become a catch phrase in medicine for applying new research to patient care,” said Callahan. “With the recognition and assistance from the Hartford Foundation and the NIA, the IU Geriatrics Program and its Center for Aging Research now are better positioned to positively influence the care given to our aging citizens.”

http://iucar.iu.edu/news/IUGer21.pdf