Pilot Grant Awards Announced

The Center on Aging Steering Committee has completed its review of 10 pilot grant applications that were submitted this year.  We had a difficult challenge to select from this group of meritorious projects and rank the ones that were ultimately selected for funding.

We are pleased to announce the following awards:  

 

Ashley Walker, PhD Research Assistant Professor Division of Geriatrics Department of Internal Medicine	Preventing age-related arterial stiffening to preserve cognitive function
Kalani Raphael, MD, MS Associate Professor of Internal Medicine Division of Nephrology & Hypertension Department of Internal Medicine	Sodium bicarbonate, a potential therapy to prevent chronic kidney disease
Heather Hayes, DPT, PhD Assistant Clinical Professor Department of Physical Therapy College of Health	Psychological, physical, and social influences on elder caregivers of stroke
Joel Trinity, PhD Assistant Professor Division of Geriatrics Department of Internal Medicine	Orthostatic Hypotension and Frailty in Geriatric Hypertension
D. Walter Wray, PhD Associate Professor  Division of Geriatrics Department of Internal Medicine	Inflammation and Vascular Function in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

 

Congratulations and Welcome...

Congratulations to Alexander Meier, MD and Brett Porter, MD for completing their Fellowship in Geriatric Medicine. Alex will be returning to her home town of Boise and joining a new geriatrics program with the Saint Alphonsus Medical System and Brett will join another former fellow, Meg Skibitsky, in the IHC Senior Clinic beginning in October.  

 

 

And, welcome to our new fellow Kristin Hueftle, MD, who is completing her internal medicine training  in our program this month.

 

Member Awards

Carole Baraldi, MD has recieved the Outstanding Subspecialty Faculty Teaching Award. Congrats Carole!

 

Member News

Tim Farrell, MD was accepted into the Tideswell Leadership Development Program.

Loan repayment program for Geriatric Healthcare Providers Utah is now not only for the greatest snow on earth, but now as another state that is providing loan repayment for geriatric health care providers.  I’m happy to share the exciting news that thanks to the work of the Governor’s Commission on Aging in 2007 geriatrics was added to the state’s rural health provider loan repayment program. The entire program lost funding in the wake of the 2008 recession, but funding was reinstated this year.  We just learned that one of the University of Utah Geriatric Medicine fellowship graduates Erika Noonan, MD now in practice in Provo, Utah and the Geriatric PharmD, Melissa Green, PharmD working in the University of Utah Geriatric Patient Centered Medical Home Clinic have both been selected to receive loan repayment awards this year.

This may be a local milestone, but it is one with an important national impact for two reasons.  First, it stresses that people across the country are recognizing the tremendous importance of supporting the eldercare workforce.  Second, it also represents a legacy of hard work led by AGS/ADGAP members. The example set by AGS/ADGAP leaders Victor Hirth and Paul Eleazer in South Carolina (where a geriatric loan forgiveness program has been in place since 2005), for example, played a central role in our own efforts here in Utah.  

In the News...

The 2016 Second Quarter AGS Newsletter - interviewed one of our own CoA members Marilyn Luptak, PhD.  Each quarterly newsletter includes a spotlight interview with an AGS member who shares thoughts about geriatrics and participation in the AGS.

Also, a great article was recently published in the Salt Lake Tribune on Rob Ence, the Executive Director of the Utah Commission on Aging.  

 

Upcoming Events

Utah Geriatrics Society and Regence BCBS
presents
"Payer Innovations in Advance Care Planning and Palliative Care-the Regence BCBS Perspective"
Marriott City Creek
July 13, 2016
 6:30pm
Guest Speaker: Dr. Bruce Smith, Executive Medical Director for Regence Palliative Care

 

Repertory Dance Theatre SummerDance 16
Moving with Parkinson's 
with David Marchant
Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center
July 16, 2016
2:30pm

 

 

Save the Date....

 

14th Annual Rocky Mountain Geriatrics Conference

"Embracing Geriatric Complexity: Applying Assessment Tools in Multidisciplinary Environments"

August 29-30, 2016

This year's conference will be held at the Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, by Salt Lake City, Utah.

Conference information, as it becomes available, can be found at: http://medicine.utah.edu/internalmedicine/geriatrics/conferences/rm_conference/index.php

Presented by: Division of Geriatrics, University of Utah, School of Medicine

Member Updates

A reminder to check your profile details for accuracy on our MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY. Please send any desired updates to Heather Podolan, heather.podolan@hsc.utah.edu​

 

For past issues, please visit our NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES PAGE.

Center on Aging Membership Directory

As a mostly virtual Center, we depend on the accuracy and timeliness of our Web presence. Center members are urged to review and update their membership directory information. Please view your information on the Center’s Web site . Please send any updates or requests for changes to aging@utah.edu.