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| The faculty and fellows of the Geriatric Medicine Program are involved in a number of clinical, basic science, and epidemiological research programs. Formal instruction in research methods is provided to fellows individually and in group sessions, including two courses, one in research methods and statistics, and the other in epidemiology. Some of the large epidemiological studies include:
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THE HONOLULU HEART PROGRAM (HHP):
Perhaps the best known research study affiliated with the Geriatric Medicine Program is the HHP, a long-term epidemiological study of cardiovascular disease in a cohort of Japanese-American men. It is currently the largest health follow-up study of a minority group in the U.S. The HHP began in 1965, with 8006 Japanese-American men living on Oahu, born between 1900 and 1919. It was originally part of the Ni-Hon-San Study, to study the effects of genetics and the environment on cardiovascular disease in men of Japanese ancestry at 3 sites: Hiroshima, Honolulu, and San Francisco. Over the past 38 years, several outcomes have been studied, including coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus, lipid abnormalities, chronic lung disease and cancer. This study has primarily been funded by the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and is located at Kuakini Medical Center, also the home of the Geriatric Medicine Program. The Principal Investigator of the HHP, Dr. J. David Curb, is also the Director of Research for the Geriatric Medicine Program.
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THE HONOLULU-ASIA AGING STUDY (HAAS):
In 1991, HAAS was initiated in the HHP cohort to study age-related problems and dementia. There are comparison studies of dementia in Seattle and Japan. Several outcomes have been studied, including dementia, Parkinson's disease, physical disability, and depression. HAAS has had several ancillary studies, including topics such as MRI brain scans in dementia, caregiving and dementia, and the relationship between sleep apnea and cognitive function. This study has primarily been funded by the NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and is located at Kuakini Medical Center, also the home of the Geriatric Medicine Program. The Principal Investigator of the HAAS, Dr. Lon White, is also on the clinical faculty of the Geriatric Medicine Program. Several other Geriatric Medicine faculty members are Co-Principal Investigators or Co-Investigators in the Program.
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THE WOMEN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE (WHI):
Hawaii is one of 40 centers for the Women's Health Initiative, a multi-center study funded by the National Institutes of Health. This is a nationwide clinical trial and observational study to address the effects of hormone replacement therapy, low fat/high fiber diet and calcium and Vitamin D supplementation on the overall health of post-menopausal women. The Hawaii Center of the Women's Health Initiative is also involved in several ancillary studies, including the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study and others.
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THE FAMILY BLOOD PRESSURE PROGRAM (FBPP):
This is a study of the genetic determinants of high blood pressure funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. This is a collaborative study between Stanford University and Hawaii, designed to search for genes linked to hypertension and insulin resistance in populations of Asian ancestry.
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THE PACIFIC GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDY OF AGING (PACGEN):
This study is funded by the National Institute on Aging, to develop a network of experts in genetics, epidemiology, geriatrics and biostatistics, to conduct studies on the genetics of healthy aging and longevity, among men of the Honolulu Heart Program longitudinal cohort and their offspring.
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