November 2017 Issue/Volume 11, Number 11
A PUBLICATION OF THE UNIV. OF UTAH CENTER ON AGING
Upcoming 2018 RFP Call for Pilot Grants
The Request for Proposals call will be issued in mid December. The Center on Aging sponsors an annual pilot grant program to promote the development of aging research at the University of Utah. The goal of this program is to encourage new investigator development, attract established investigators to aging research and stimulate interdisciplinary research collaborations ultimately leading to new externally funded research.
In the News....
Congratulations to Carole Baraldi, MD for receiving the Advocate of the Year Award from the Utah Geriatrics Society. Dr.
Baraldi was introduced by Dr. Fred Gottlieb (pictured below left). The award was presented
by the UGS President Dr. Michael Galindo (pictured below right).
and
Congratulations to Shaida Talebreza, MD who was elected as a Directors-at-Large Board Member for the American Acdemy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Utah Commission on Aging
The Utah Commission on Aging held its fall quarter meeting on Thursday, November 9.
Our host and sponsor was HealthInsight in Murray. It was well attended with 13 members
and 22 community partners and guests. The new Utah Commission on Aging logo (depicted
below) was unveiled along with plans to include the Falls Prevention Alliance and
Utah Geriatrics Society contact network in our website upgrade. The site will also
host educational materials and resources related to the Advance Care Planning workgroup
and ePOLST committee’s outreach programs for the public and health professionals.
New Commission member, Linda Milne representing the general public, discussed emergency
preparedness for older adults and vulnerable populations and described the pilot program
in Millcreek that will have quarterly presentations at the Millcreek Community Center.
Updates were provided on public policy initiatives that have been part of the interim
committee hearings and up for consideration in the 2018 state legislative session.
Included will be appropriations for expanded education and service levels in support
of DAAS and DOH work as well as the Alzheimer’s Coordinating Council. U4A is specifically
seeking additional funding for Meals on Wheels to stem the increase and demand for
services. Other policy issues the Commission supports are the Utah Nursing Consortium’s
effort to increase teaching capacity in our universities’ nursing programs and the
Falls Prevention Alliance request to remove barriers for EMS agencies and appropriate
access to personal health information to work with medical providers in addressing
risk of falls in the home.
The U Eccles School of Business under Debra Scammon received a PCORI grant on Taking
Care of Our Parents. The Commission is a partner and participant in the grant program.
Other items moving forward is the educational grant on financial victims, launching
in late November with Utah Legal Services, promotion of HealthInsight’s Vaccination
for Senior Citizens promotion, Serious Illness Conversation training with the U’s
Dr. Anna Beck, and others. The most compelling activity was generated around a New
Yorker article on guardianship abuses in Clark County, NV. Utah Courts WINGS coordinator
led a discussion around the guardianship issues in Utah that need to be addressed
to protect individual and family rights and property.
Member Spotlight
Welcome to a new Center on Aging Member:
Corrine Welt, MD is a Professor of Medicine and Interim Chief of the Division of Endocrinology,
Metabolism and Diabetes. Dr. Welt was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
and a medical student at Cornell Medical College. She then moved to Boston, where
she was an intern and resident at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an Endocrinology
fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital. She spent the next 20 years at MGH studying
female reproduction. Her recent work centers on the genetics of female reproductive
disorders that led to her receipt of a 2017 CoA pilot grant titled "Primary Ovarian
Insuffiency Genetics as a Marker of early Aging". In particular, she is interested
in the genetics of primary ovarian insufficiency and early menopause. She feels extremely
fortunate that she moved to Utah, which has the most complete genealogy database in
the U.S. In collaboration with the genetics and biochemistry groups at the University
of Utah, she has already identified two genes that are associated with early menopause
and looks forward to expanding these genetic studies to large Utah families.
Upcoming Events
Call for abstracts for the 2018 AGS Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando, FL. The
submission deadline is December 1, 2017. The website is located here:
http://meeting.americangeriatrics.org/submissions/submit-abstract
Member Updates/Center on Aging Membership Directory
As a mostly virtual Center, we depend on the accuracy and timeliness of our Web presence. Center members are urged to review and update their membership directory information. Please view your information on the Center’s Web site. Send any updates or requests for changes to Heather at heather.podolan@hsc.utah.edu or aging.utah.edu.
For past issues, please visit our NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES PAGE.
About our Logo
The bristlecone pine tree (Pinus longaeva) - the earth’s oldest inhabitant with a
life span of almost 5,000 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.
Best,
Mark A. Supiano, MD
Executive Director - Center on Aging