Southeast Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine (SCEGM)
Structure:
The Southeast Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine (SCEGM) is a collaborative
venture of the schools of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
and Emory University in Atlanta under the direction of Theodore (Ted) M. Johnson, M.D., M.P.H.
(Emory), and Richard M. Allman, M.D. (UAB).
Sponsors:
The John A. Hartford Foundation provides support for the SCEGM with matching funds
from UAB Center for Aging, UAB Department of Medicine, UAB School of Medicine, Emory
University School of Medicine, and Wesley Woods Health Center at Emory.
Purpose:
The primary mission of the SCEGM is to provide advanced training for physicians
preparing for academic careers in geriatric medicine. The center capitalizes on
the proximity, mutual areas of research expertise, and other synergistic collaborations
to enhance the capabilities of both UAB and Emory programs to serve the educational
needs of physicians interested in careers in academic geriatric medicine, and to
provide them with the expertise, mentorship, and environment they need for success.
In addition to providing training and support for senior geriatric medicine fellows
and junior faculty, the center seeks to foster interdisciplinary and inter-institutional
research programs that capitalize on pre-existing mutual interests and expertise.
Services:
The SCEGM uses two basic mechanisms to financially support fellows and junior faculty
physicians interested in pursuing professional development and research training
in geriatric medicine. Training support grants provide one year of salary support
up to 50% Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) or $50,000 plus benefits for senior geriatric
medicine fellows (postgraduate years four and five) and physician junior faculty
to support their career development as either researchers or clinician educators.
Pilot research project grants provide senior fellows and junior faculty with up
to $20,000 in funding to conduct one-year, pilot research projects that will yield
preliminary data for scientific presentations, publications, and subsequent major
grant proposals. Interdisciplinary applications for pilot research grants being
submitted by junior faculty from other health professions must include, as a collaborator,
a geriatrician or other physician meeting program criteria.
Opportunities for Faculty Involvement:
In keeping with its training focus, the SCEGM requires the involvement of mentors
in each funded program. Mentors are generally senior academic geriatricians or other
faculty who can provide professional development guidance and have a strong interest
in aging. Areas of research expertise available through the center include but are
not limited to:
- Urinary incontinence and related lower urinary tract disorders
- Mobility disorders and their complications (e.g., balance disorders, pressure ulcer
prevention, and exercise interventions)
- Quality improvement and outcomes in geriatric health care.
Additional areas of mutual interest and expertise that might generate collaborative
research include basic and clinical research in dementia and vision impairment.
Primary Contact Person:
Peter A. Bosworth, M.B.A.
Associate Director for Administration
201 CH 19
Birmingham 35294-2041
(tel) 205-934-9261
(fax) 205-934-7354
Leaders and Key Staff:
- Richard M. Allman, M.D., Co-Director at UAB
- Theodore (Ted) M. Johnson, M.D., M.P.H., Co-Director at Emory
- Peter A. Bosworth, M.B.A., Associate Director for Administration