News & Events
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Division of Geriatrics and Geriatric Psychiatry & Memory Care Host Older Adult Community Engagement Event
Monday, December 6, 2021
On November 16th, Annette Medina-Walpole, M.D. and Elizabeth Santos, M.D. in partnership with Senior Expressions hosted a Community Engagement Event for Older Adults at Keeler Park Apartments in Rochester, NY. Participants engaged in a discussion on the prevention of falls, followed by a focused needs assessment on how URMC can assist and serve Rochester’s aging population. Other URMC attendees were Christine Annis (Neurology), Laura Stamm, Ph.D. (Medicine), Ida Earner, N.P. (Medicine/Geriatrics) and Laura Robinson (Medicine/Geriatrics).
Call for Applications: Geriatrics Faculty Scholars Program
Monday, November 29, 2021
The University of Rochester Aging Institute (URAI), Division of Geriatrics & Aging, and the Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center (FLGEC) at the University of Rochester are pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2022 Geriatric Faculty Scholars Program. The Geriatric Faculty Scholars Program is open to junior and mid-career academic faculty from the School of Nursing and School of Medicine & Dentistry with an interest in aging who wish to spearhead program development through geriatric education within their School, Program, Division, and/or Department. The Geriatric Faculty Scholars Program will enhance the Scholars’ teaching and leadership skills and facilitate their career development as academic leaders with a clinical, educational, and/or research niche in geriatrics and gerontology that advances the paradigm of the Age-Friendly Health System (AFHS). An AFHS incorporates “4Ms” of care that health systems need to address for older adults: what matters, medication, mentation, and mobility.
More information: Geriatric Scholars Program
UR Aging Institute, Department of Medicine and Divisions of Geriatrics and Geriatric Psychiatry & Memory Care Support Senior Expressions Senior Ball
Friday, September 24, 2021
The UR Aging Institute, Department of Medicine and Divisions of Geriatrics and Geriatric Psychiatry & Memory Care and School of Nursing supported and attended the Senior Expressions Ball on September 24, 2021. The Ball provided a forum to bring together Rochester’s single seniors to meet and develop friendships to address isolation and loneliness. URMC attendees were Charles White (Neurology), Ruth O’Regan, M.D., Marie Laryea, B.Sc., M.D.C.M., Laura Stamm, Ph.D. and Jessica Stern, M.D. (Medicine), Annette Medina-Walpole, M.D., Ida Earner, N.P., Laura Robinson, John Seymour, M.D. (Medicine/Geriatrics) and Elizabeth Santos, M.D., Angela Kristan, M.D., M.T.S. (Psychiatry/Geriatrics), and Tamala David, Ph.D., M.P.A., M.S., F.N.P. (Nursing).
Annette Medina-Walpole Recognized with Faculty Academic Mentoring Award
Monday, September 20, 2021
Annette Medina-Walpole, M.D., Paul H. Fine Professor in Medicine and Chief of the Division of Geriatrics & Aging, received the Faculty Academic Mentor Award at the School of Medicine & Dentistry 2021 Convocation ceremony in recognition for her mentoring of junior faculty members. "It is such an honor to be able to serve as a mentor. It truly makes me a better leader and a better Division Chief. Seeing our faculty develop and flourish is the ultimate honor."
Brian McGarry Leads National Study of Nursing Home COVID-19 Vaccination Rates
Thursday, September 16, 2021
Brian McGarry, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Geriatrics and Aging, Department of Medicine, was quoted in a New York Times article about the findings of a study which showed that, on average, just 60% of nursing home staff have been fully vaccinated. The study, published in the September 16th issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, provides important context as the nursing home industry prepares for a new federal staff vaccination mandate.
Study in JAMA Intern Medicine: Association of Nursing Home Characteristics with Staff and Resident COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage
Article in NY Times: Aides in U.S. Nursing Homes Were Least Likely to be Vaccinated, a Study Shows
Brian McGarry and Ryan Gilmartin Publish Study of State Responses to COVID-19 in Nursing Homes
Thursday, September 16, 2021
Brian McGarry, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine and public health sciences, and Ryan Gilmartin, MHA, Senior Program Administrator for the UR Medicine Geriatrics Group, have collaborated with other researchers across the nation in an article published in the Journal of Long-term Care entitled, "State Policy Responses to COVID-19 in Nursing Homes." The aim of the research was to assess state specific responses to the coronavirus pandemic related to nursing homes in the first half of 2020. The research involved an in-depth examination of 12 states’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes through June 2020, using publicly reported information such as government decrees, health department guidance, and news reports. The results of the research suggest that the states that handle the ongoing pandemic in nursing homes best will be those that find ways to make sure nursing homes have the resources to follow best practices for testing, PPE, separation, and staffing.
Geriatrics Division Supports Annual Highland Hospital Golf Tournament
Monday, August 9, 2021
Members of the Division of Geriatrics and Aging turned out to support the 18th Annual Highland Hospital Foundation Annual Golf Classic. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the south tower modernization project, which will transform nearly all its patient rooms to private. Private, single rooms will provide more space for both our patients and their families, as well as groups of clinicians to meet at the bedside, ensuring coordination of care and communication. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that private rooms are needed now more than ever. The division’s sponsorship of this event continues its rich history of support and collaboration with Highland Hospital.
Pictured, L to R: Corey Romesser, MD; Egan Allen, MD; and Kevin McCormick, MD. Also in attendance were Tim Holahan, DO; Jennifer Muniak, MD; and Ryan Gilmartin, MHA.
Dr. Sarah Howd Discusses Challenges of Assisted Living Committee
Sunday, August 1, 2021
Sarah Howd, MD, CMD, assistant professor in the Division of Geriatrics and Aging, spoke to Caring for the Ages, the official newspaper of the AMDA (The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine) about the challenges facing the Assisted Living subcommittee she chairs. Among the issues she and her subcommittee will address are promoting on-site medical care and consistency in clinical leadership. Read the full article here.
Division of Geriatrics and Aging Supports the ROC 10th Annual Community Health Fair
Saturday, July 31, 2021
The Geriatrics Division took part in the ROC 10th Annual Community Health Fair, which promotes health and wellness in Rochester’s Black and Brown Community, on Saturday, July 31st. Members of the division sponsored a booth to provide information on healthy aging and offered people in the community the opportunity to ask questions of health care professionals representing the Division of Geriatrics. This was our first year sponsoring a booth at the event and we will surely plan to continue our support for future years to come.
Pictured (left to right): Naveen Silva, MD, Diane Morrison, NP, Michael Loy, DO, Thomas Caprio, MD, Annette Medina-Walpole, MD, Tamala David, PhD, MPA, MS, FNP
Dallas Nelson Named President of the NYS Medical Directors Association
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Dallas Nelson, M.D., associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics & Aging will serve a two-year term as President of the New York Medical Directors Association.
The New York Medical Directors Association, the professional association of Medical Directors, Attending Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants and others practicing in the long term care continuum, is dedicated to excellence in patient care and provides education, advocacy, information, and professional development to promote the delivery of quality long term care medicine. NYMDA is a state chapter of the national professional society AMDA—The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care.
Jennifer Muniak Receives Highly Competitive Fellowship Scholarship
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Jennifer Muniak, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine, has been awarded an Age-Friendly Health Systems Scholarship for the American Hospital Association’s Next Generation Leaders Fellowship. She will work with senior leaders to make the University of Rochester an Age Friendly Health System, an initiative which will ensure that every older adult treated by the U of R receives the highest quality, evidence-based care.
Sarah Howd Recognized as 'Emerging Leader in Aging'
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Sarah Howd, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine in Geriatrics and Aging, was selected for the 2021-2022 Tideswell AGS Emerging Leaders in Aging Program, which augments and leverages existing leadership skills for clinical, research, policy and educational initiatives in aging.
Learn more about the Tideswell AGS Emerging Leaders in Aging Program
SMH, HH Receive Age-Friendly Health System Certification
Monday, February 15, 2021
The University of Rochester Aging Institute has announced that both Strong Memorial and Highland hospitals have been certified as Age-Friendly Health System (AFHS) participants, part of a nationwide movement to improve health care for older adults.
"This is one of the first steps on our transformative journey to ensure age-friendly care to older adults across all UR Medicine care settings," said Annette Medina-Walpole, M.D., the Paul H. Fine Professor of Medicine, chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Aging, and director of the University of Rochester Aging Institute. "The goal of providing high-quality, age-friendly care is successfully met across our system every day as part of our patient-centered, holistic approach to medicine, but it is accomplished in many different ways."
The Geriatric Fracture Centers at Strong Memorial and Highland are examples of age-friendly locations in our health system. "Sharing best practices among our own providers and other AFHS institutions will result in the best, most consistent care possible," said Jenny Shen, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine, who leads the AFHS initiative for the Geriatric Fracture Center at Strong.
The Age-Friendly Health System is an initiative of The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States. New York State has set a goal to have 50 percent of its health systems designated by AFHS within the next five years.
AFHS follows the "4Ms" paradigm, ensuring that medical encounters addresses mobility; mentation; medications; and what matters to each older person, aligning care with each older adult's specific health outcome goals and care preferences, including end-of-life care. As one of the largest health systems in Upstate New York, URMC will play a major role in advancing the AFHS initiative and serve as a model for health systems nationwide.
URMC is taking a multi-pronged approach to its AFHS transformation, Medina-Walpole said, convening an expert team of interdisciplinary health professionals across hospitals and care settings to put the 4Ms into practice by developing care pathways and tracking of older adults who receive 4Ms care. Current sites include Strong and Highland, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, the URMC Center for Perioperative Medicine and the UR Medicine Geriatrics Group outpatient practice.
"By collecting data and defining for our health system the best ways to provide care for the older adult population, we can champion the 4Ms as a package that will create consistency across all clinical locations," said Robert J. Panzer, M.D., URMC chief quality officer. "It's an excellent opportunity to improve what is already being done on our journey towards achieving high reliability."
As part of this work, the University of Rochester was awarded funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration through the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program—a five-year, $3.75 million award and the Geriatric Academic Career Award to provide support to disseminate the Age-Friendly Health System initiative through interprofessional education.
Serving as AFHS champions within their subspecialties and clinical practice sites are current Geriatric Academic Career Award awardee Jennifer Muniak, M.D., Division of Geriatrics and Aging; and Geriatric Faculty Scholars, Szilvia Arany, DMD, Ph.D., Department of Dentistry; Ciandra D'souza, M.D., MPH, Division of Geriatrics & Aging; Heather Lander, M.D., Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine; and Jenny Shen, M.D., Division of Hospital Medicine.
Jennifer Muniak Honored with Susan B. Anthony Center Leadership Award
Thursday, February 11, 2021
Jennifer Muniak, M.D., assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Aging, was a recipient of this year’s Susan B. Anthony Emerging Leader Award. The Emerging Leader Award was established in 2018 by the Susan B. Anthony Center to recognize a female leader who is in the early stages of her career. Candidates have made significant contributions to and have strong engagement in the community, demonstrate strong leadership ability, and exhibit high potential for collaboration. Overall, the emerging leader is dedicated to making a positive impact in the University of Rochester and or Rochester-area community.