Fall 2005

The University of Colorado Denver

Volume 8, Number 1

The Hartford/Jahnigen Center of Excellence (COE) in Geriatrics recently awarded Assistant Professor Stipends to Cari Levy, MD, and Stacy Fischer, MD, and Fellowship funding do Heidi Wald, MD.

Dr Levy has been funded as a co-investigator on two national studies related to home care and hospice care; however, she will continue her research on improving the use of advance directives in nursing homes while pursuing her doctorate in Health Services Research with her COE funds. Dr. Fischer will use her Assistant Professor Stipend to pursue her ongoing research related to palliative care education and to complete her dissertation for a doctorate in Health and Behavioral Sciences.

Dr. Wald will use her continued COE funding in conjunction with other funding to continue her research related to perioperative care for older persons and to pursue coursework toward a Masters Of Science in Public Health degree at UCD. Further information about Dr. Wald and her research interests can be found in the Profile section on Page 2.

Drs. Cari Levy Stacy Fischer,
and Heidi Wald have been
awarded Hartford/Jahnigen
COE Stipends for the 2005-2006
academic year.

The 2005 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Geriatrics Society was held May 11-15, 2005 in Orlando, Florida. Several UCD faculty members and fellows attended the meeting to discuss their research and learn about the newest developments in aging research. Eric Coleman, MD, MPH, Associate Professor in the Divisions of Health Care Policy and research and Geriatric Medicine,

served as Moderator/Chair of a discussion on the role of health information technology in improving quality of geriatric care, and also presented abstracts on care transitions and post-hospital medication discrepancies. Patricia Heyn, PhD, Geriatric Postdoctoral Fellow, presented a poster during the Presidential Poster Session related to strength and endurance of outcomes in geriatric rehabilitation.

UCD partnered with UCLA
to receive designation as an
NIA-Hartford Medical Student
Summer Research Training in
Aging Program site.

UCD served as a training site for two students this summer as part of the Medical Student Summer Research Training in Aging Program, a National Institute on Aging-John A. Hartford Foundation partnership, conducted in collaboration with the American Federation for Aging Research. UCD partnered with the University of California, Los Angles, to receive one of seven T35 grants awarded nationally. The program awards scholarships to promising students from medical schools across the country interested in aging research and geriatrics. Participating students conduct a focused research project, receive instruction, and gain clinical experience in the field of geriatrics.

Monica Corrigan, a second year medical student from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, collaborated with Dr. Cari Levy in a retrospective study of geriatric nursing home residents to assess their use of hospice and palliative care in relationship to their mortality risk. Data derived from Ms. Corrigan's research will be used to develop a program to promote awareness of hospice and palliative care for residents at high risk of mortality.

Continued on Page 4....

The University of Colorado now offers the first dedicated Geropsychology doctoral program in the country at the Colorado Springs campus. The program was launched in Fall 2004 under the direction of Dr. Sara Qualls. Students are accepted into the program to focus on aging research and services while receiving training in the core science and practice of psychology. The eight students accepted into the first two cohorts were attracted by the high level of integration of curriculum, research, and clinical training, as well as the caliber of faculty.

The focal point of the program is the CU Aging Center, a community-based clinic that serves as the primary site for faculty to train doctoral students in research and services. Located within a senior services complex in the community, the Center readily draws older adults and family members to participate in research and utilize services.

The University of Colorado at
Colorado Springs offers the first
dedicated Geropsychology
doctoral program in the country.

The CU Aging Center has three core services and research programs that operate in-house and in conjunction with other community services.
v The Memory and Cognitive Assessment Clinic provides screening of cognitive functions as well as full neuropsychological evaluations. It also houses an ongoing longitudinal study of a broad range of cognitive performances in healthy elderly.
v The Family Caregiver Program provides consultation, counseling, and psychoeducational classes for families

Continued on Page 3....