15
COM Outlook . Spring 2014
Research/Scholarly Activity -
Faculty and Student Achievements
On February 7-8,
the Florida Coastal Ge-
riatric Resources, Edu-
cation, and Training
Center (GREAT GEC)
hosted its Seventh An-
nual Training Institute.
This year’s theme—
Socio-Medical Issues in
Aging
—focused on the
challenges faced by an
interprofessional geri-
atric workforce to meet
the growing social and
medical needs of a new
population majority in
the United States and worldwide.
In 2017, for the first time in human history, the popu-
lation aged 65 and older will outnumber the population
5 years and younger. This year’s training institute was
highlighted by speakers from around the United States,
Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. The college’s dean,
Anthony J. Silvagni, D.O., Pharm.D., M.Sc., FACOFP
dist.
,
opened the training institute, emphasizing the urgent need
for interprofessional geriatrics research to meet the grow-
ing demands resulting from increased longevity and a long-
term projection of increasing numbers of people over 65
years of age worldwide.
Approximately 135 geriatric professionals and students
participated in the 2014 event, where highlights included
presentations on mental illness and ethical considerations,
public health and successful aging, conscious aging in the
LGBT community, one-day surgeries for patients with de-
mentia, and compulsive hoarding.
“This year’s training institute was by far the largest and
best one yet. The interprofessional format and outstand-
ing topics provided all participants with an opportunity to
interact, discuss, and even plan for the future,” said Cecilia
Rokusek, Ed.D., RD, GREAT GEC executive director. “The
training institute also provided our GEC students with a
rich opportunity to hear from experts in geriatrics and to
actively participate in an interprofessional environment. Our
challenge for the future as we grow our training institute
will be to have a larger venue and to increase even more our
student and faculty participation. We are encouraging our
GEC students to be actively involved in geriatric research
and to think seriously about a career in geriatrics because
the future is wide open to all who go into the field.”
To learn more about the 2014 training institute, please
visit
.
GREAT GEC Hosts Seventh Annual Training Institute
Celebrating
Successful
Aging
