COM Outlook Winter 2020

40 | DR. KIRAN C. PATEL COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE RESEARCH NEWS RESEARCH News Thanks to the efforts of Naushira Pandya, M.D., CMD, FACP, professor and chair of the Department of Geriatrics and project director of the college’s South Florida Coastal Geriatric Workforce Enhance- ment Program, Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU’s) Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine received a $3.5-million federal grant to fund a Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP.) The national GWEP initiative was created to help establish a health care workforce that maximizes patient and family engagement and integrates geriatrics and primary care. “This program is designed to educate and train the primary care and geriatrics workforce to attend to older adults using an integrated care model,” Pandya said. “At NSU, interprofessional collaboration is in our DNA, so this grant will allow us to bring that approach to the area of geriatrics.” According to U.S. Census data, the nation’s population age 65 and older is expected to nearly double over the next 3 decades, jumping from 48 million to 88 million by 2050. With that in mind, it’s clear that providing for the health care needs of older adults is going to play a prominent role in the nation’s future. Pandya said there is a shortage in trained geriatricians and primary care health providers, as well as other health professionals, who possess adequate training in geriatrics to fill the complex health care needs of older adults. NSU project partners include the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University, graduate medical education programs and primary care sites, and multiple community organizations. “We want to create a collaborative model where we provide training to those who will be on the frontlines working with older adults,” Pandya said. “We want to ensure that all providers have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to provide whole-person geriatric care for older patients by fostering integration of age-friendly health care principles and practices into clinical sites with increasing community engagement.” The grant, which began on July 1 and is expected to run through June 30, 2024, is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award of up to $3.5 million financed from governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. o KPCOM RECEIVES $3.5-MILLION GERIATRICS GRANT Caring for a Vulnerable Population