Harvard Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Training Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Grant Summary

The John A. Hartford Foundation renewed grants for five centers of excellence in geriatric medicine and training at Duke University, Harvard/ Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center, University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at San Francisco and University of Michigan to continue their efforts to increase the number of physician faculty dedicated to geriatrics. This funding will support the training of at least 100 advanced fellows to prepare them for careers in aging research and teaching geriatric medicine. Funding to the centers of excellence supports the recruitment and development of larger numbers of future faculty in geriatrics more rapidly than would otherwise be possible and is used variously for direct salary support, pilot research, developing service venues for research, tuition or other additional training expenses, or hiring necessary research support personnel. In addition to attracting and retaining academic geriatricians, the centers of excellence contribute greatly to the growth and dissemination of knowledge about geriatric medicine to other physicians and the larger medical community. Since 1987, the John A. Hartford Foundation has helped address this problem by awarding $25.1 million to create 24 centers of excellence in geriatric medicine and training. Current projections suggest that by 2020 the nation should triple its production of faculty in geriatric medicine to adequately train the physicians needed to care for a rapidly growing aging population, yet most fellowship programs in geriatric medicine produce physicians who go into practice, rather than research or training. The infrastructure to create and sustain faculty members in geriatric medicine, or to attract faculty from other areas of medicine, is small and under resourced relative to the need. Additionally, federal funding is not available for second, third, or fourth years of advanced training when physicians complete substantive research projects, further develop a research or medical education niche, expand their curriculum vitae or prepare manuscripts for publication - all important steps in an academic career. The centers of excellence provide opportunities and financial support for this critical time. The six centers of excellence receiving renewal funding have been operating since 1997 and have received $6.5 million in prior grant awards. The centers of excellence fall within the John A. Hartford Foundation's overall support of advanced training in geriatrics, to which the foundation has awarded $36.4 million since 1987.