Studies have shown that the number of older adults will double between now and 2030. To address this vital need, the newly established Institute for Geriatric Studies at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia focuses squarely on the critical issues of business and policy affecting geriatric health by uniting resources to provide education and services.
“As a nation, we are not prepared to meet the growing healthcare needs of our aging population,” explained Dr. Richard Stefanacci, who will lead the development of the Institute’s offerings. “This is a crisis that will only get worse with time. University of the Sciences is positioned to train future professionals to meet some of those needs from health policy to pharmacy to physical and occupational therapy.”
The Institute is embedded in the University’s Mayes College of Healthcare Business and Policy, which was established in 2007 to connect the knowledge bases of healthcare, business, technology, and health policy.
“As a former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Health Policy Scholar, Dr. Richard Stefanacci brings a substantial understanding of the issues faced by seniors,” said William Ashton, interim dean of Mayes College. “In addition to his role as associate professor of health policy at Mayes, Richard continues to practice geriatric medicine through NewCourtland Elder Services and participate in Medicare and Medicaid policy development. Under his leadership Mayes College can be the nexus for geriatric health related programming.”
The Institute for Geriatric Studies is a result of combining the former Health Policy Institute and Advanced Concepts Institute. While undergraduate and graduate programs are currently under development, the Institute for Geriatric Studies is an umbrella for:
- The Nursing Home Administrators Certificate Program which enables students to sit for the state licensing exam. The only such certification associated with a university, the program is suited for home care and assisted living professionals who seek additional expertise in the field.
- The Center for Medicare Medication Management which is currently working with adjunct professor Dr. Mark Beers, Editor Emeritus of The Merck Manuals, on the distribution of the Preferred Beers Criteria, a comprehensive listing of recommended drugs for seniors.
- Publications: Continued support for Medicare Patient Management, the first, and only, medical journal focused specifically on practical approaches to enhancing care for seniors with Medicare coverage. As well as Assisted Living Consult, dedicated to serving assisted living providers and the related care team.
- Consulting with pharmaceutical companies and health plans on the formation of advisory boards and white papers. Recent work has included consulting with Eisai Pain Therapeutic Advisory Group and Eisai Medication Therapy Management Advisory Group.
- Hosting Conferences/Lectures/Workshops such as the recent Advancing Senior Healthcare Conference in Oct. 2008, which provided nearly 200 attendees education on an interdisciplinary team approach to healthcare for seniors. As well as the Geriatric Health Learning Series Seminar, a series of lectures given as part of the University’s Geriatrics Interdisciplinary Care course that provides a foundation to how to work in and with geriatric care teams.
- The Institute for Geriatric Studies will also seek to secure funding from non-industry sources such as government and foundations to advance its goals of a center for education and research of senior health issues.
At University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, students embark on a challenging learning experience in a proving ground for successful professionals in the healthcare-related fields. A private, coeducational institution dedicated to education, research, and service, and distinguished as the nation’s first college of pharmacy, the University has produced leaders in the healthcare marketplace since its founding in 1821, including founders of six of the top pharmaceutical companies in the world. With undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs in such disciplines as pharmacy, bioinformatics, physical therapy, healthcare business, and health policy, the 3,000 students in the University of the Sciences’ five colleges learn to excel in scientific analysis and to apply their skills to improving healthcare in their communities and in the lives of people worldwide.