CELEBRATING THIRTY YEARS OF AGING
AND HEALTH 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
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INCREASE GERIATRICS EXPERTISE

1983

Increasing Geriatrics Expertise for Surgical and Related Medical Specialists

1992-present Surgeons and related medical specialists must address the unique needs of older adults. For example, older adults are more likely to suffer post-operative complications, and often need assistance in making the transition to another facility or home after surgery.

For over 20 years, the Hartford Foundation has supported a major initiative to ensure that physicians who care for older patients preparing for, receiving, and recovering from surgical treatments are geriatrically prepared. Targeting 10 disciplines, the project has worked with professional societies, specialty residency programs, and individual faculty members to change the disciplines from within.

The Hartford Foundation created the Dennis W. Jahnigen Career Development Awards Program, which has provided support for more than 80 young investigators to conduct research on geriatrics within their specialties, with the goal of improving care of older adults undergoing surgery.

Most Jahnigen Scholars compete successfully for federal funding to continue their research, with former Scholars receiving more than $36 million in aging research grants. Scholars have published over 1,000 peer-reviewed articles. Today, the Jahnigen Scholars program continues in partnership with the National Institute on Aging Grants for Early Medical and Surgical Specialists Transitioning to Aging Research (GEMSSTAR) program.

(Above) Mark Orringer, MD, with a post-surgical patient. He challenged the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association to increase the extent to which geriatrics issues are addressed during their residents’ training. Surgery is a major insult to the body that in older adults—who have naturally lost some physiological function and may have chronic health conditions—can lead to a cascade of deterioration. Researchers funded by the Hartford Foundation are creating the knowledge that allows for safer surgical procedures on older adults.” John R. Burton, MD
Professor of Medicine
Director
Johns Hopkins Geriatric Education Center
School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University

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