The American Geriatrics Society -

July 9, 2003

For Immediate Release

For Further Information
Pamela Ingham
(212) 308-1414, ext. 302
Scott Kramer
(212) 308-1414, ext. 329

American Geriatrics Society, John A. Hartford Foundation, and
The Atlantic Philanthropies Join Forces to Support Young Leaders in Geriatrics

New York, NY- Ten new winners of the Dennis W. Jahnigen Career Development Scholars Awards have been selected for 2003. Funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation and The Atlantic Philanthropies, the highly competitive two-year faculty development awards of $200,000 each provide a foundation on which individuals can initiate and sustain a career in geriatrics-oriented research and education within the surgical and related medical specialties.

Created through a partnership between the American Geriatrics Society, The John A. Hartford Foundation, and The Atlantic Philanthropies, the awards seek to nurture and support the development of new leaders in the surgical and related medical specialties who can bring an understanding of the unique characteristics of older patients to surgical training and practice.

Now entering its second year, the program seeks to ameliorate the shortage of trained academicians with a special interest in and knowledge of the care of older people in the surgical and related medical specialties, an area where the average age of patients is rapidly rising and where health outcomes are strongly influenced by the quality of care provided.

Ten young researchers from general surgery, emergency medicine, ophthalmology, gynecology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, otolaryngology, thoracic surgery, and orthopaedic surgery and have been selected for this year's awards for their innovative proposals in age-related macular degeneration, sleep apnea, improving the care for geriatric surgery patients, and a host of other areas critical to senior health but poorly represented in research on the national level.

Dr. Paul Katz, Professor of Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical School, and Chair of the Jahnigen Central Committee, was pleased with the proposals received for this year's awards. He noted that, "The quality of the proposals submitted this year is a clear sign of the increasing enthusiasm for geriatrics within the surgical and related medical specialties, not to mention the scientific rigor of the individual investigators. The future looks very bright indeed for the program!"

According to Dr. John R. Burton, Director of the program, Dennis W. Jahnigen, MD, the namesake of the new awards, "was a leading educator and geriatrician, and a driving force behind the movement to include geriatrics training in all medical specialty areas. With a looming shortage of geriatricians in general and a relative dearth of specialty physicians trained to address the complexities of health in aging, these career awards are not only a fitting tribute to his life's work but a much-needed boon to the survival and growth of geriatric research in areas that have been neglected for far too long."

This year's scholars are:

Emergency Medicine
Manish N. Shah, MD, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York "Prehospital Screening to Prevent Injuries and Illness"

Scott T. Wilber, MD, Summa Health System/Northeastern Ohio Universities, Akron, Ohio "Prediction of Short-term Functional Decline and Service Needs in Older ED Patients"

General Surgery
Brooke H. Gurland, MD, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, Maimonides Hospital, Brooklyn, New York
"Multidisciplinary Pelvic Floor Evaluation for Women with Lower Tract Dysfunction, Pelvic Organ Prolapse, and Defecation Disorders"

Clifford Y. Ko, MD, MS, MSHS, University of California, Los Angeles, California "Developing Quality Indicators to Improve the Care in Geriatric Surgery Patients"

Gynecology
Stacy Lindau, MD, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
"Sexuality, Intimacy, and Social Life in Older People with Life-Threatening Illness"

Ophthalmology
Jayakrishna Ambati, MD, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KentuckyB "Novel Mouse Models of Age-Related Macular Degeneration"

Orthopaedic Surgery
Susan M. Day, MD Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan
"Development of a Problem-Oriented, Computer-Based Geriatric Curriculum"

Otolaryngology
Edward Weaver, MD, MPH, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
"Sleep Apnea and Perioperative Complications in Geriatric Patients"

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Laura W. Lee, MD, University of Virginia Health Systems, Charlottesville, Virginia
" The Effect of a Hip Stretching Program on the Gait of Elderly People Who Have Had Hip Fractures"

Thoracic Surgery
David Yuh, MD, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
"Assessing the Efficacy of a Neuroleptic, Benzodiazepine and 5-HT3 Receptor Antagonist Regimen in the Treatment of Postoperative Delirium in Geriatric Patients After Cardiac Surgery"

For additional information on the award or to receive an application for the 2004 Dennis W. Jahnigen Career Development Scholars Awards Program, please visit the AGS website at www.americangeriatrics.org.

Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit association of geriatrics health care professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence and quality of life of all older people. The society supports this mission in many ways through its activities in: clinical practice; professional education on the clinical care of older people; research; public education and information; public policy efforts; and through collaborative relationships with other organizations. For more information about AGS programs and initiatives, visit the AGS Web site at www.americangeriatrics.org.