University of Pittsburgh Division of Geriatrics Designated a National Center of Excellence
PITTSBURGH, April 19, 2001 — The division of geriatric medicine at the University of Pittsburgh has been designated a national Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine by the John A. Hartford Foundation. The designation is accompanied by a grant of $500,000.
"With this designation, the division joins the ranks of a select group of centers, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Yale, and UCLA," said Neil Resnick, M.D., professor of medicine and chief, division of geriatric medicine and gerontology at the University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "This designation allows us to build on the already excellent clinical training in geriatric medicine, which has led to more University of Pittsburgh medical students receiving summer American Federation for Aging Research scholarships than from any other school and more UPMC residents entering geriatrics fellowships than from any other U.S. program."
This also will allow the division to complement this excellence by adding a "clinician scientist" training track to the program. This track will train many of the division fellows to become future leaders in geriatric investigation as well, according to Dr. Resnick.
"The designation is especially meaningful in this region where we have such a large population of elderly patients who require excellent care and a wide array of services," Dr. Resnick said. "It is also a testament to the leadership and vision of the department of medicine, the School of Medicine, and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center."
The John A. Hartford Foundation, Inc. of New York City is a private philanthropy established in 1929 by John A. Hartford. Mr. Hartford and his bother, George L. Hartford, both former chief executives of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, left the bulk of their estates to the foundation upon their deaths in the 1950s. The majority of the foundation's current grant making relates to enhancing geriatric research and training, and integrating and improving health-related services to the elderly.
“This well-deserved award is evidence of the excellence of the division and its longstanding commitment to a high caliber of patient care and clinical training. Dr. Resnick's leadership in the field of geriatric medicine and his skill and experience in research and clinical geriatrics has played a pivotal role in securing this honor,” said Arthur Levine, M.D., senior vice chancellor for Health Sciences and dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
The division of geriatric medicine at the University of Pittsburgh is one of the largest and considered one of the best academic geriatric divisions in the United States. It has one of the largest groups of fellowship trained and board-certified geriatricians nationally and has developed an extensive community and clinic based care network throughout the region. With funding from the Hartford Foundation and integration with existing programs, the number of fellows trained annually at Pitt will more than double.
The division's research is known nationally for its work in medical ethics, nutrition, home care, urinary incontinence, epidemiology of aging, osteoporosis, the evaluation and management of chronic pain, the epidemiology and implications of cardiac disease, and dementia and behavior management. Other areas of research activity include infections in long-term care and assessment of cognition.