The late Dennis W. Jahnigen was a leading educator and geriatrician. He was the driving force behind the American Geriatrics Society/John A. Hartford Foundation Project: Increasing Geriatrics Expertise in Surgical and Related Medical Specialties (Geriatrics-for-Specialists). This initiative grew out of Dr. Jahnigen's insight into the importance of including geriatrics training in all specialty areas as the growing numbers of people over 65 years were increasingly a prominent component of nearly all clinical practice in this country.

The Dennis W. Jahnigen Career Development Scholars Program is a fitting tribute to Dr. Jahnigen, who is remembered with respect and reverence for his dedication to improving the care of the elderly and his vision, courage, brilliance and integrity.

Purpose
The Jahnigen Scholars program offers two-year career development awards to support junior faculty in the specialties of anesthesiology, emergency medicine, general surgery, gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, otolaryngology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, thoracic surgery, and urology. The award is intended to allow individuals to initiate and ultimately sustain a career in research and education in the geriatrics aspects of his/her discipline.

The RFP for the 2007 awards, supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation and The Atlantic Philanthropies, is available at http://www.americangeriatrics.org/hartford/jahnigen.shtml.