geriatric medicine division
Kevin Foley, MD, Director of Geriatric Health
The division of geriatric medicine has had another remarkably successful year in advancing its goals. Research and scholarship have moved to the forefront during 2018 and collectively, our faculty has published 5 peer reviewed manuscripts with another two in review. Additionally, there were 12 presentations at national or regional meetings, 2 poster presentations, and 6 CME lectures given over the year.
Dr. Erin Sarzynski continues to receive grant support for her work eliciting patients’ feedback to improve electronic health record (EHR)-generated medication lists provided to patients at hospital discharge. For 2019, Dr. Sarzynski will continue evaluations of health information technology used in the hospital discharge process. In addition, Dr. Sarzynski and Dr. Mark Ensberg are collaborating with Sparrow Health System to improve post-acute care for patients admitted to the hospital for heart failure who are subsequently discharged home with a home health care referral.
Our geriatric medicine fellowship program graduated one fellow in 2018 who returned to her hometown of Flint, Michigan to practice. Our fellowship has graduated a total of 21 fellows since 1986 and receives national recognition for the development of the MSU geriatrics fellowship network, launched in 2010. The mission of the network is to spread geriatric care and education into Michigan communities that are underserved by geriatricians. Further, our fellowship program has received osteopathic recognition by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and is the first geriatric medicine program in the United States to receive this notable distinction. Although the program has been dually accredited by the ACGME and American Osteopathic Association for several years, this special designation will allow us to continue our emphasis on recruitment of osteopathic residents into geriatrics.
For the coming year, the collective efforts of our clinical faculty will continue to be focused on improving medically complex older adults’ access to geriatric care services. Planning is already underway to expand our research with grant support in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease translational science, transitions of care, and dissemination of essential geriatrics knowledge to a wide-range of health professionals who care for the elderly.
