About Us
Caption:(L to R) Herbert Karp, Mario, DiGirolamo, Wayne Alexander (Chairman of Medicine), Joseph Ouslander, Ted Johnson
The Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology is dedicated to advancing the healthcare of the elderly population. Based primarily at the Wesley Woods Center of Emory University and the Atlanta VA Medical Center, the program has also expanded to establish a Geriatrics Center at Grady Memorial Hospital, a major site for training Emory students and residents. Excellence in clinical care of older adults in outpatient, acute hospital, and long-term care settings remains a focus of the division, though there are growing. The Division has been led since inception by Drs. Herbert Karp (1983-1990), Mario DiGirolamo (1990-1996), Joseph Ouslander (1996-2008), and Ted Johnson (2008- ). Under their leadership, the Division has doubled in size to its current 25 full-time physician faculty and 5 PhD researchers.
The Division's accredited Fellowship program has options for 1, 2, or 3 years of training. In collaboration with the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Emory received a grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation to become the "Southeast Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine." The Division was also awarded a grant in from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation in 2003 to strengthen physician training in Geriatrics.
Program Overview (June 2008)
The Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology in the Department of Medicine
The Division has programs at Wesley Woods Center, the Atlanta VA Medical Center, Grady Hospital, community-based long-term care facilities, and an inpatient hospice. The Division has 25 faculty geriatricians: 13 at Wesley Woods Center, 11 at the Atlanta VA, and one at Grady Hospital + a geriatric dentist; and 5 active Gerontologist. In addition, 5 doctorally prepared gerontologists hold their primary appointments in the Division. Each year the Division trains 5-6 fellows as well as rotating internal medicine and family medicine residents and medical students. Major foci of research in the Division include: improving function and quality of life among frail, cognitively impaired nursing home residents; urinary incontinence and nocturia; sleep disorders; fall and injury prevention; and androgen therapy in older men. Geriatric Medicine at Emory has been consistently highly ranked nationally (11th in 2007 and 2008, and 13th in 2009) by U.S. News and World Reports.
Wesley Woods Center of Emory University
Wesley Woods Center is located on a 72-acre campus adjacent to Emory University, approximately 1 mile from the medical school and 2 miles from the Atlanta VA Medical Center. Since 1998 Wesley Woods has been a formal center of Emory University and Emory Healthcare. Approximately 25 Emory faculty members in Geriatric Medicine, Psychiatry, Neurology, and Rehabilitation have their primary offices on the Wesley Woods campus. They are involved in a variety of research projects funded by federal agencies, foundations, and industry. Trainees in each of these disciplines rotate at Wesley Woods on a variety of inpatient and outpatient rotations. Wesley Woods' affiliates include a variety of community-based programs such as assisted living facilities, visiting nurse home care, day care centers, and hospices.
The Wesley Woods campus includes:
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The100-bed Wesley Woods Geriatric Teaching and Research Hospital, which is comprised of acute medicine, long-term acute medicine, psychiatry, rehabilitation, and neuropsychiatry units
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A variety of outpatient clinics including a primary care geriatric practice, neurology, psychiatry and rehabilitation medicine clinics that together have over 30,000 patient visits per year
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Specialty programs including memory loss/dementia, late-life depression (including an electroconvulsive therapy program), movement disorders, sleep disorders, and continence
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Two skilled nursing facilities with a total of approximately 330 patients (Budd Terrace, which is owned and operated by Emory Healthcare, and A.G. Rhodes at Wesley Woods)
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An independent living tower with two floors of assisted living (total of 220 residents)
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A 24-bed inpatient hospice
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Visit the Wesley Woods Website by click here.
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Take a virtual tour of the Wesley Woods campus by clicking here.
Atlanta VA Medical Center (VAMC)
a. Geriatrics and Extended Care Service
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The Atlanta VAMC Geriatrics and Extended Care Service, directed by Dr. Priscilla Zahn, includes nine faculty members, a 100-bed nursing home, a home-based primary care program, a consult service, and outpatient clinics. There are two geriatric medicine fellows rotating on these clinical services at any one time. In addition to these clinical teaching services, geriatric and gerontological research is conducted in the Birmingham/Atlanta Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC) and the Atlanta VA Rehabilitation R&D Center.
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Visit the Atlanta VAMC website by clicking here.
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For more information about the VAMC facility, click here.
b. Birmingham/Atlanta Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC)
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The Birmingham/Atlanta GRECC is the most recently funded in the VA GRECC program. The GRECC is directed by Dr. Richard Allman at UAB, with Dr. Ted Johnson serving as the Atlanta site director. It has three primary foci: genitourinary disorders, mobility disorders, and palliative care. Genitourinary disorders and mobility assessment clinics are being established at both VA sites using common protocols and databases. These provide the infrastructure for developing clinical research and training programs in the GRECC these focus areas. The GRECC is also developing clinical, training, and research activities in the area of palliative care.
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Visit the GRECC website by clicking here.
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The GRECC is also developing clinical, training, and research activities in the area of palliative care. Through the Special Fellowship in Advanced Geriatrics, there are opportunities for post-doctoral training following the completion of the clinical fellowship.
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Visit th GRECC Special Fellowship Link by clicking here.
The SCEGM, supported by the John A. Hartford Foundation, involves collaboration between the programs in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at Emory and UAB. Dr. Johnson serves as its co-director along with his counterpart at UAB, Dr. Richard Allman. The SCEGM was funded in January 1998, with matching support from UAB and Emory. The primary goal of this Center is to provide support for fellows and junior faculty pursuing careers in academic Geriatric Medicine, and support for pilot projects in aging and Geriatrics.
Visit the Southeast Center of Excellence in Aging by clicking here.
The Emory Reynolds Program to Strengthen Physician Training in Geriatrics
The Reynolds Program, supported by a $2 million grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and Emory institutional support, provides innovative training in Geriatrics to medical students, residents, and faculty throughout the School of Medicine.
History
For History, Click Here.
 Dr. and Mrs. Digirolamo and some of the photographs that he donated to the Division. His personal website can be found by clicking here. |
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