With the nation's elderly population growing, Brown researchers are riding what one professor called a "silver tsunami," bringing increased attention - and funding - to Alpert Medical School's research and education programs on aging.
In December, the Med School's Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research was named a Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Training by the John A. Hartford Foundation, which will give the program a $1.3 million grant. This follows a grant of more than $10 million the Med School received for aging research in November from the National Institute on Aging.
This distinction shed light on a program at Brown that has "a very long and distinguished record of excellence in research regarding aging," said Richard Besdine, director of the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research and professor of medicine.
Terrie "Fox" Wetle, associate dean of medicine, public health and public policy, said the research is important because of the "silver tsunami" the nation faces.
"We have an increased need to understand health care and provide quality care efficiently to our elderly citizens," Wetle said.
The Hartford Foundation recognized Brown's gerontology program as one of "only a handful of programs that will train tomorrow's medical teachers," said Christopher Langston, the foundation's program director. The foundation also recognized similar programs at Wake Forest University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this past year, which was "the first time that the foundation has awarded three programs," Langston said.
While the foundation has been recognizing programs in gerontology research for more than a decade, Brown's Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research has been gradually growing in size and influence. The center was recognized by the University in 1986, and "in 2000 we recruited Dr. Besdine, who increased the focus on bench sciences," said the center's former director, Vincent Mor, professor of medical science and chair of the Department of Community Health. Mor leads the team that won the $10 million NIA grant in November.
With Besdine's appointment, the center has increased its focus on "training medical students in dealing with elderly people," Wetle said. "Brown is viewed as a natural leader because of its long history of research, compounded with the high quality of its researchers. This combination has led to Brown's continued influence."
Since 2000, the University has added 10 geriatric specialists, according to the center's Web site. According to Besdine, there is no set number of staff the program is looking for in order to continue its growth.
"We are not going for numerical records. We are just reaching demands," Besdine said. "The story everywhere in the U.S. is, as the population of 65 years and older doubles, the demand for expertise in medical care and research to understand aging will increase. We will continue to grow."
Besdine's emphasis on building a staff and promoting continuing education has proven a trend in his career. "This is essentially the third geriatric program he has been leading," Langston said. "He has done similar work in the past and has a known track record of building excellence." Besdine previously worked at Harvard and the University of Connecticut.
"He has a good understanding of the scope of building a program like this one," Ian Buchanan MD'10 said. "I think there is a firm base at this point in the program, and that as time goes on, the program will continue to mature and that this maturation will happen naturally."
The recognition from groups such as the Hartford Foundation helps spread the word about the demand for aging research and medical education, Besdine said. The grant "gives us time to develop more sources and to ensure the best for our academic centers," he said.
"The foundation helps us fund junior faculty and train our students on how to take care of older people. This is a skill that will be necessary whether they are involved in the sciences, or are more policy-related or involved in the bench sciences," Mor said.
Buchanan said the program has changed how he approaches medicine. "I never expected to be working in gerontology, but now I see it as an opportunity to approach something outside of my previous experience, and I will learn from it even though I doubt that I will be practicing primary care," Buchanan said. "No matter what kind of doctor I become, I know that I will come into contact with the elderly, and this experience will make me a better physician."
