HCOA collaborates with other departments within BCM as well as other institutions throughout Texas to provide education and training for research trainees, health professions students and current healthcare professionals in geriatrics and gerontology. The diverse education and training opportunities organized by the HCOA fall into four broad areas: Basic Science Education and Training, Clinical Education and Training, Continuing Education and Interinstitutional Geriatrics Initiatives.

• Basic Science Education and Training

• Clinical Education and Training

• Continuing Education

• Interinstitutional Education and Training

Basic Science Education and Training

Currently, the HCOA administers a NIA Cell and Molecular Biology of Aging Training grant which supports the training of five predoctoral and five postdoctoral trainees. Fifteen Baylor faculty members involved in aging related research participate as mentors in this training program. The purpose of the grant is to provide education and research experience in the field of aging at the molecular and cellular level. Trainees become well versed in the background studies and theories of aging enabling them to identify novel approaches to important questions in the field of aging. The HCOA also sponsors the weekly Biology of Aging Seminar for researchers in all stages of their careers. Local and visiting scientists present their original research findings on a wide variety of topics designed to increase participants' understanding of basic aging processes as well as applications of basic science knowledge to the major diseases of later life.

back to top

Clinical Education and Training

The John A. Hartford Foundation, Inc. (JAHF) of New York City recently approved the HcoA as a designated "Center of Excellence in Geriatrics". The mission of our Center of Excellence in Geriatrics is to train physicians to become academic geriatricians who will provide service, training, and research to meet the needs of older people. As a Center of Excellence, HCOA is committed to recruiting and training geriatric fellows as either clinical educators or investigators. Trainees will be selected from a variety of medical disciplines including medicine, family medicine, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, and rehabilitative medicine.

The Curtis and Doris K. Hankamer Foundation has provided generous support for clinical and research fellowships in geriatrics since 1990. During this time, six fellows have had the opportunity to explore research projects related to cell aging, a value history instrument, characterization of SDI1, a gene related to senescence in human cells, exercise responses in elderly patients with CHF, gene defects that cause unlimited growth in cancer cell and the examination of the genes related to the muscular atrophy of aging. A recent award from the foundation will enable five new fellows to gain valuable experiences in geriatrics.

The goal of the Student Training in Aging Research (STAR) program is to increase the number of students committed to academic careers in geriatrics and gerontology. Medical students are recruited during their first and second years of medical school. Graduate students are targeted their first year to do an aging-related research project. The process involves selecting a mentor who agrees to work with the STAR students and by submitting a written application to HCoA. The Texas Geriatric Interest Foundation (TGIF) is an organization for medical students wanting to learn more about aging. The primary goals are education and service. Monthly meetings, seminars, field trips, preclinical preceptorships, and community service projects give members personal experiences in geriatrics.

The John A. Hartford Foundation sponsored a Geriatrics in Primary Care Residency Training Initiative in the late 1990's. The HCoA, with the Departments of Medicine and Family Medicine, was one of seven sites in the country selected to implement strategies for enhancing the teaching and practice of geriatrics within residency training programs in primary care. Dr. Robert J. Luchi was the Principal Investigator. The other medical schools receiving this award were UCLA, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, the University of Chicago, the University of Connecticut and the University of Rochester. This effort supported development of instructional and clinical opportunities in geriatrics for hundreds of Baylor medical residents. Elements of the program are still on-going 5 years after implementation.

The Self-instructional Modules in Geriatric Medicine, a self-paced computer-based learning tool was begun under the Geriatrics in Primary Care Training Initiative. We are now distributing Edition 4 of this e-syllabus covering 23 topics in geriatric medicine.

back to top

Continuing Education

Numerous continuing education programs for various healthcare professionals are offered through the HCoA. The Geriatrics Multidisciplinary Conference provides continuing education in clinical geriatrics and gerontology to a multidisciplinary audience of faculty and staff. The monthly conference utilizes case presentations and topic-oriented discussions to present a comprehensive approach to a clinical disorder or issue important to effective care of older people. The Susan A. Shekelle Program of Excellence in Clinical Gerontology annual master class prepares professionals of all disciplines, particularly social workers, to provide high quality, direct practice services to older people and their families. The master class includes both didactic skills-based content and participatory practicum experiences with current clinicians involved in geriatric practice.

The Distinguished Visiting Professor in Geriatrics and Gerontology program supported by the Isla Carroll Turner Friendship Trust benefits a wide variety of health professional and health professions students. Throughout the year, distinguished scholars from leading medical institutions visit the Huffington Center on Aging and exchange ideas with HCOA faculty as well as make presentations on current issues in aging. By virtue of the increased practice knowledge and skills gained through this program, health professionals are better able to serve the older adults in Texas.

The Quarterly Faculty Dinner Lectures are presented to the HCOA faculty and faculty associates, clinical staff of the Michael E. DeBakey VAMC Extended Care Line, geriatrics fellows, and clinicians of the Baylor Department of Medicine, Section of Geriatrics. In its 15th season, the purpose of this lecture series is to keep faculty members abreast of advances in geriatric medical practice in a variety of areas, such as new drug therapies, infection control, new prosthetic devices, and changes in standards for prostate and breast screening in older people.

Since 1987, the Huffington Center on Aging, the Texas Consortium Geriatrics Education Center, and the University of Texas Houston Health Science Center - Center on Aging have sponsored a free monthly "Update in Aging" series for health care professionals, educators, and students. Speakers include faculty members from Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Houston Health Science Center and experts from the community. Some past topics include "Ethics, Law, and Medicine," "Touch Therapy and the Elderly," "Health Promotion Activities for Minority Elderly," and "Genetics and Aging-Related Diseases."

The center also coordinates a nine-week Medical Terminology course that enables persons to better understand the language of medicine by focusing on the derivation of medical terms in the context of the structure and function of the human body.

back to top

Interinstitutional Education and Training

As one of 47 GECs in the country, the Texas Consortium Geriatrics Education Center (TCGEC), established in October 1985 and located at HCoA, is comprised of nine academic institutions. Dr. Robert Roush serves as Director of the TCGEC. The members of the consortium are Baylor College of Medicine, University of North Texas, UT-Pan American University, Texas Southern University, The University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas A & M University, University of Houston, and Texas Woman's University. Member institutions collaborate to advance the development of health professionals' capabilities to improve the lives of older Texans, through programs, service delivery activities, and resources in the field of aging. The TCGEC sponsors an annual Professional Development Institute and other programs. To date, over 40,000 health professionals have attended TCGEC offerings. The TCGEC is completing its fifth year of a five-year grant awarded in July 2000.

The Houston Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training Project (HGITT) Baylor College of Medicine's Huffington Center on Aging was awarded a three year grant beginning in January of 1997, to develop HGITT - the Houston Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training Program. The Huffington Center on Aging combined under its leadership the educational and clinical training expertise of seven educational programs with six primary care facilities to establish HGITT. There were 419 students who received HGITT training between January 1997 and December 1999. These students included medical residents, advanced practice nurses, masters level social workers, pharm D students, psychology students, psychiatry residents, and physician assistant students. Principal investigator, Nancy Wilson led the project partners to establish continuing HGITT training availability long after the grant had officially ended.

The HCOA Interdisciplinary Research Seminar provides a forum for intensive interactions between basic scientists, clinicians, and educators within the Huffington Center on Aging. The goal of these interactions is to broaden the knowledge base in geriatrics and gerontology of all members of the center. All faculty and trainees of the center are encouraged to attend this quarterly meeting.

back to top