November 2009, Volume 3, Number 10

News and Events

 

CoA Members Present at GSA 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting

The 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting for the Gerontological Society of America will take place November 18-22, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. The theme for GSA's 62nd Annual Meeting is "Creative Approaches to Healthy Aging". The following is a list of presentations, posters, and their authors:

Symposium: The Geriatric Nursing Leadership Academy: Nurse Fellows Prepare to Lead Best Practices
The Leadership Project: Implementation and Evaluation
G. Pepper, T.A. Harvath

Symposium: Increasing Geriatric Nursing Capacity: Academic Exemplars
Enhancing Basic and Advanced Geriatric Nursing Competence
G. Pepper, P.H. Berry, V. J. Flattes, J. Abramson

Symposium: The Impact of Spousal Bereavement on Late Life Health: New Directions in Theory, Research and Practice
Social Support in Early Widowhood
B. De Vries, D. Lund, M. Caserta, R. Utz

The Health and Health Behaviors of the Bereaved
R. Utz, M. Caserta, D. Lund, B. de Vries

Oxygen transport and utilization in skeletal muscle: the impact of age
R. Richardson

Poster: Legislating Advance Health Care Planning: An Innovative Approach
M. Henry & M. Luptak

Poster: Pain Research Gone Bad: Confessions from Someone who Should Have Known Better
P. H. Berry

Paper: How do Medications Increase Fall Risk?
G. Pepper, B. Wong, J. Basset

Member Achievement

CoA Members Awarded Stimulus Grants

In response to the new research funding opportunities of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the following CoA members applied for and were awarded stimulus grants:

Raminder Nirula: Decompressive craniotomy versus medical therapy for refractory intracranial hypertension - RC1 (Challenge Grant)

Alfred K. Cheung: Maturation of Hemodialysis Arteriovenous Fistulas

Julie M. Fritz: Biomechanical and Neurophysiological Effects of Spinal Manipulative Therapy

Lorise C. Gahring: Peripheral Nicotinic Cholinergic and Inflammatory Dysfunction in Aging

Steven C. Hunt: Morbidity and Mortality Related to Gastric Bypass Surgery

Bellamkonda K. Kishore: Potential Therapeutic Applications for Ecto-Nucleotidases in Lithium-Induced NDI

Mary T. Lucero: Functions of Pacap in Olfactory Neurons

Jared P. Rutter: A Conserved Module Required for Mitochondrial Function and Viability under Stress

Ken R. Smith: Neighborhood Characteristics and Body Mass Index: Selection or Causation?

Monica L. Vetter: Retina-Derived Signals Regulating Development of the Vitreous Hyaloid Vasculature

Anesthesiology Professor and CoA Member to Lead Univeristy of Utah's Women in Medicine Program

Harriet W. Hopf, M.D., Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, has been appointed as Chair and Liaison for the School of Medicine's Women in Medicine (WIM) Program. In conjunction with her role in the WIM Program, Dr. Hopf will also serve as Director of Mentoring in the medical school's Faculty Administration Office. The Women in Medicine Program (WIM) was created by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to improve the pathways for women in medicine and science to contribute fully to academic medicine. Dr. Hopf joined the faculty at the University of Utah in 2006. Prior to her arrival at the "U", she was a professor of anesthesia and surgery at the University of California, San Francisco.

Internal Medicine Professor and CoA Member to Direct New Center of Excellence (COE) in Public Health Informatics at the U

Mathew Samore, M.D., will be the director of Utah's Rocky Mountain Center for Translational Research in Public Health Informatics. Dr. Samore is a professor of internal medicine and the director of the Informatics, Decision-Enhancement and Surveillance Center at the VA. The new COE will receive approximately $5 million during the next five years to develop and test novel systems to advance core public health missions, such as detection and response to known and emerging disease threats.

College of Nursing Associate Professor and CoA Member Inducted into American Academy of Nursing

Patricia Berry, Ph.D., APRN, FAAN, Associate Professor, College of Nursing, and palliative care expert, was formally inducted into the American Academy of Nursing as a 2009 new fellow. The Academy is constituted to anticipate national and international trends in health care, and address resulting issues of health care knowledge and policy. In addition to being a certified gerontological nurse practitioner and an advanced practice palliative care nurse, Dr. Berry is Associate Director, Education and Practice, for the University of Utah's Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence.

Congratulations to all!

Grant Opportunity

The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is pleased to announce the 2010 AFAR Grant Programs. AFAR will offer seven grant programs in 2010, providing funding opportunities for medical students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty and mid-career faculty.

Since 1981, AFAR has provided more than $124 million to nearly 2,600 new investigators and students. To learn more about their grant programs, go to http://www.afar.org/grants.html or contact the grant princesses at grants@afar.org

About our logo: The bristlecone pine tree (Pinus longaeva) the earth's oldest inhabitant with a life span of 4,000 years is found only in Utah and five other western states. Its extraordinary longevity and ability to adapt and survive in extremely harsh environmental conditions above 10,000 feet embodies the investigative spirit and mission of the Utah Center on Aging.

If you have questions about the University of Utah Center on Aging, please visit us online at http://aging.utah.edu 801-585-9540 or aging@hsc.utah.edu

Best,

Mark A. Supiano, MD
Executive Director - Center on Aging