GERIATRIC LEADERSHIP ACADEMIC AWARD

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This is a competitive renewal application for a Geriatric Leadership Award for William B. Ershler. Shortly after the original award was made, Dr. Ershler was appointed Head of the newly-established Section of Geriatrics and Gerontology within the Department of Medicine. He was also appointed Director of the University's Institute on Aging and Adult Life. In the second year, he and coworkers competed successfully for a Geriatrics Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) at the Madison VA Hospital. A case is made in this renewal that perhaps the most important accomplishment during these three years was the successful coordination of these programs into a unified campus program in gerontology. Most of the enumerated objectives for the first three years have been met. Gerontologic investigation, especially in biology and clinical geriatrics, has expanded markedly and it is proposed that some of this expansion is the result of the coordinated efforts and collegial spirits that have facilitated new collaborations. Furthermore, clinical programs in geriatrics have been established as proposed in the original application. These include the development of an acute care in-patient geriatrics unit with an associated four bed geriatrics evaluation and management unit (GEM) and the establishment of problem-focused geriatric clinics that include specific assessment teams in osteoporosis, incontinence, falls, developmental disabilities and memory disorders. The clinics are commercially successful, but more importantly serve an important service for our community and as a research venue for interdisciplinary clinical research. Still, there is a major deficiency on this campus in gerontology. This pertains to educational programs at all levels within our university. It is the expressed major goal of the renewal application to expand geriatrics and gerontology education. For undergraduates we propose to establish a certificate program that would be appropriate for students from diverse disciplines. A strategy is also proposed to expand geriatrics within the medical school curriculum (both in the preclinical and clinical phases). Finally, the organization of a coordinated effort to provide a Ph.D. program in biogerontology is presented. The overall goal of this continuation of the Geriatric Leadership Award is to direct our newly achieved resources to create a comprehensive (research, clinical care and education) center of excellence at the University of Wisconsin. Although we have come a long way in the last three years we have a ways to go.