PACIFIC ISLANDS GERIATRIC EDUCATION CENTER (GEC): :
The GEC grant is a U.S. Public Health Service program designed to alleviate the critical shortage of health care professionals and faculty in Geriatrics. The region covered by the Pacific Islands GEC includes the State of Hawaii and other Pacific Islands formerly known as the U.S. Trust Territories, including: the Federated States of Micronesia; the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas; Guam; the Republic of the Marshall Islands; the Republic of Belau; and American Samoa. The disciplines served include: Medicine; Nursing; Social Work; Public Health; Psychology; Speech Pathology; Audiology; Occupational Therapy; and Physical Therapy. The GEC holds programs of continuing education in Geriatrics in the form of conferences, seminars, individualized instruction, and inservice instruction at sites throughout the region. GEC faculty and staff provide consultation to schools and facilities for program development and education in Geriatrics and to develop curriculum. The GEC also offers an evening course entitled "Mental Health and Aging", designed to help health professionals better recognize, diagnose, and manage cognitive and behavioral disorders among older patients.
THE JOHN A. HARTFORD CENTER OF EXCELLENCE (COE) IN GERIATRICS:
The COE was selected as one of 10 sites across the U.S. The main goal of this grant is to train academic geriatricians to fill the shortage of medical school faculty positions in geriatrics.
The objectives are:
- Faculty Scholar Program to train junior faculty as academic geriatricians. Three junior faculty positions are partially supported by the Hartford grant. Three academic career paths have been identified, all requiring special training: medical education; program development and administration; and research;
- Fellowship Scholar Program to train fellows in research, teaching, and administration. Fellows are assisted in career development to prepare them for careers in academic geriatrics;
- Strengthening the preparation of junior faculty and fellows in research methodology;
- Strengthening the preparation of junior faculty and fellows in medical education;
- Providing pilot funds for fellows and junior faculty for research and medical education projects;
- Concurrent advance degree for fellows - since the COE began, six fellows have received an MPH degree, one received a PhD degree in Biomedical Sciences, and three have received a Certificate in Gerontology;
- Attracting senior faculty from other programs or departments as mentors for fellows and junior faculty;
- Medical student Hartford scholarship program, where medical students spend the summer learning about geriatrics and complete research projects.
REYNOLDS COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMS TO STRENGTHEN PHYSICIANS’ TRAINING IN GERIATRICS:This educational grant is designed to address the critical shortage of physicians needed to prevent, recognize, assess, and manage the acute and chronic medical problems that impact the health of individuals and families as we age. The program builds upon the strengths of the school's capabilities for innovations in curriculum development and the strong fellowship and research programs in aging to infuse geriatrics into the entire medical school curriculum, seven of its residency programs, and continuing medical education. The project is designed with a focus on knowledge, attitudes, and clinical skills that builds from the first unit of the medical school year through a continuous updating of the skills of the experienced clinician. The project serves the interdisciplinary geriatric education needs of the school and the clinicians of Hawaii. The goal is to provide every student, resident and clinician with the benefit of progressively increasing skills in caring for elders, regardless of their eventual choice of specialty.
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