The University of Arizona, College of Medicine has been awarded a prestigious grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation to train medical and surgical specialists in high value care for older adults. The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation is a national philanthropic organization founded in 1954 by the late media entrepreneur for whom it is named. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, it has committed over $245 million nationwide to its Aging and Quality of Life program.
This generous grant supports the Arizona Reynolds Program of Applied Geriatrics, and will create an enduring program that will spread geriatric principles of care to residents, chief residents, fellows, h
ospitalists, and selected surgical and medical specialists to improve the care of the elderly. In addition to training key specialists in geriatrics, the program will develop high value, team-based models of care for older, frail adults, including a Critical Care/Acute Care of Elders program in our Intensive Care Units.
Michele Rhodes, MD, an Emergency Department specialist has been selected as one of six Reynolds Scholars in Aging, outstanding physicians who have been selected to implement and extend staff training for these exciting new geriatric programs. Dr. Berry’s participation is supported by Dr. Sam Keim, Division Chief of Pulmonary/Critical Care, and Reynolds Mentor, Art Sanders, MD, Geriatric Emergency Medicine.
“Emergency departments are full of frail older adults with complex clinical presentations and medical/behavioral/functional and social needs that are frequently not met. All physicians involved in emergency care should receive geriatric emergency education and training to prepare them to meet the demands of this rapidly growing population,” said Dr. Rhodes.
Other specialist Reynolds Scholars in Aging include: Bellal Joseph, MD – Acute Care/Trauma Surgery; Sathish Karmegam, MD – Hospital Medicine; Evan Ong, MD – HPB/Surgical Oncology; Christine Berry, MD- Pulmonary Critical Care; and Jason Wild, MD – Orthopaedic Surgery.
PI, Mindy Fain, MD and Co-PIs Jane Mohler, NP, MPH, PhD and Barry Weiss, MD will use their expertise to train approximately 200 residents, chief residents, fellows, hospitalists and selected surgical and medical specialists, all with the overarching aim of improving care for Arizona’s frail elderly. The program will create sustainable, high value programs to meet the special needs of older adults, including Senior Emergency Rooms, collaborative Geri-Ortho Hip Fracture and Geri-Trauma services. They will be supported by our outstanding geriatric faculty, Drs. Ellyn Lee, Ana Sanguineti, and Elise Reinhard.
The University of Arizona, College of Medicine, in partnership with the University of Arizona Health Network, has established an institutional culture that embraces interprofessional geriatric education and practice. Geriatrics at the University of Arizona Medical Center is nationally recognized for excellence in care of older adults, ranking #34 in US News and World Report in 2013. The Next Steps in Physician’s Training in Geriatrics grant will further assure that all older adults receive the best of care when in our care.
For further information, visit www.geriatrics.medicine.arizona.edu or email loneill@aging.arizona.edu.