"Grant co-investigators Michele P. Pugnaire, MD, associate professor of family medicine & community health and senior associate dean for Educational Affairs, and Jerry Gurwitz, MD, the Dr. John Meyers Professor of Primary Care Medicine, professor of medicine and family medicine & community health and chief of the Division of Geriatric Medicine, bring foundational expertise in researching and implementing best practices in geriatric care and curriculum development. “The time is right for this project at UMass Medical School,” said Dr. Pugnaire. “We are in the midst of a major curriculum redesign, and aging has been endorsed by our curriculum committees and redesign teams as a unifying theme for all components of our new curriculum

Specific initiatives of the four-year UMMS project will include an integrated educational program in geriatrics spanning undergraduate and graduate medical education, with faculty development focusing on the principles of providing high quality care to the elderly; a new Geriatrics Education Resource Center to bring together the essential state-of-the-art educational services, technologies and expertise in curriculum development; a special program to educate chief residents across the medical and surgical specialties regarding the unique considerations in providing care for older patients; and the recruitment of new geriatrics faculty."