Faculty:
The Department of Geriatric Medicine has a large and experienced faculty, with teaching, research and clinical expertise in Geriatrics. Faculty from other departments of the medical school are actively involved in the geriatrics clinical, research and teaching programs. Trainees include students from the medical school and other health professions schools, residents, fellows and continuing education participants from the community. The department has 35 geriatricians and 27 associate faculty (18 physicians from a variety of disciplines such as Geriatric Psychiatry, Neurology, Cardiology, Epidemiology; and 9 doctoral level faculty from disciplines such as Gerontology, Public Health, Social Work, Sociology, Nursing, Law, Audiology, Dentistry and Statistics). Several of the department’s faculty (e.g., Drs. Blanchette, Masaki, Curb and Rodriguez) are nationally and internationally recognized leaders in geriatrics and aging research whose advice is often sought by other programs. They are active members of national committees, commissions and boards. Mid-level faculty, for example Drs. Valcour and Tanabe, hold national leadership positions in aging in HIV and Ethnogeriatrics, respectively. Dr. Blanchette is directly responsible for initiating and nurturing several other geriatrics programs both locally and nationally. The academic environment for fellows and junior faculty is rich with activities and opportunities and improved care for older people has always been the motivating force behind the development of new programs and new faculty.
Academic Activities and Productivity:
Faculty members and fellows in the department actively participate in academic activities. Over the past 8 years, there have been over 280 publications from the department (average of 20-44 each year) and over 280 abstracts presented (average 20-46 each year). This provides a rich academic environment for junior faculty and fellows.
Faculty Fellowship in Medical Education:
The medical school’s Office of Medical Education (OME) offers a 10-month fellowship in medical education that requires 20% of a faculty member’s time. The goal of this program is to prepare junior faculty for careers in academic medicine by providing training in curriculum design, educational theory, teaching principles, problem-based learning, educational research and academic leadership. Faculty fellows participate in a weekly seminar series that covers important topics in medical education. With the assistance of OME faculty, they complete a number of medical education projects. Faculty fellows are expected and encouraged to seek presentation and publication opportunities. The fellowship has been praised for its excellence in helping fellows and junior faculty develop teaching, curriculum development and academic skills. The Department of Geriatric Medicine has actively participated in this program, and 10 junior faculty members and 7 advanced fellows have completed this program since 2001.
Faculty Development Seminar Series:
Personal effectiveness, leadership and teaching are critical skills for any academic physician. However, these skills are often overlooked and under-emphasized in the career journeys of many clinician educators. The Department of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine has partnered with the Office of Medical Education to propose a monthly Faculty Development Seminar Series. All Department of Geriatric Medicine will be invited to participate in this series of workshops. Developed and led by senior faculty from the Office of Medical Education and the Department of Geriatric Medicine, these workshops will focus on advanced topics in personal effectiveness, leadership, teaching, and educational administration. Topics will include time management, career planning and academic advancement, conflict resolution, team building, facilitating organizational change, learner assessment, program evaluation, and ethical issues in academia, among others. It is felt that this shared career development component among all Department of Geriatric Medicine faculty will not only result in growth within each individual awardee, but also lead to a greater sense of group identity, networking, collaboration and camaraderie.
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