Welcome to the Center for Aging and Health

Caring for seniors at UNC Chapel Hill dates back to the beginning of the national geriatric movement in the United States in the late 1970’s. The origins of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Center for Aging and Health began in 1978 with an interdepartmental research initiative, the Study of Aging. Following the findings of the study in 1979, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) awarded a substantial grant to UNC Chapel Hill for the development and deployment of a geriatric curriculum. It was at that time UNC founded the Program on Aging, one of the first of only a handful of national programs dedicated to the advancement of research and care of older adults.

Nearly 40 year years later, the Center for Aging and Health is a leading geriatric clinical, research, education, and training site based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the oldest public university in the United States.

From providing patient care to finding ways to bring evidence-based research and training to improving clinical care, our faculty, clinicians, researchers, and educators all work to improve the quality of life for our aging population—that’s why we are the Center for Aging and Health. Our interdisciplinary, award-winning Geriatrics Specialty Clinic, Palliative Care Program, and our Geriatric Inpatient Hospital Service at the UNC Hillsborough Campus are dedicated to providing first-class care of the highest standard.

Jan Busby-Whitehead, MD
Mary and Thomas Hudson Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Geriatric Medicine
Director, Center for Aging and Health