About Us

Jan Busby-Whitehead, Ellen Schneider, Ellen Roberts of the Center for Aging and Health — CAH Director and Chief, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Jan Busby-Whitehead, MD, with Ellen Schneider, MBA, and Associate Professor of Medicine, Ellen Roberts, PhD, MPH

The UNC Center for Aging and Health (CAH), housed within the School of Medicine, advances innovative, high-quality geriatrics interprofessional education, research, and clinical care to improve the health and well-being of the aging population across North Carolina and the nation.

The CAH achieves our mission by:

Developing innovative programs of geriatrics and gerontological education for physicians and interprofessional health providers, students, and the non-clinical workforce providing care to older adults.
Providing leadership and support for interprofessional clinical services for older adults in the UNC Health system and other health care partners across the state.
Promoting collaborative research in aging using principles of team science.
Providing aging expertise and service by collaborating with organizations, communities, and state agencies that promote the health and well-being of older adults.
Supporting and prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all we do.

Programs

CAH programs are developed, rolled out and coordinated by interprofessional teams of educators, researchers, geriatrics and other specialty faculty on a local, state, regional, national and international basis. Center staff manage such programs as:

Medical Students Training in Aging Research, or MSTAR, engaging medical students in a summer of hands-on training in aging research
Dementia Friendly Hospitals Initiative, training hospital staff throughout UNC Health in dementia friendly hospital care and communication
Carolina Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program, bringing best practices of aging health and geriatric medicine to NC providers, caregivers, and patients
NIDUS Delirium Bootcamp, developing a multidisciplinary pipeline of well-trained delirium researchers
Project ECHO® for Nursing Homes During COVID-19, telementoring groups of healthcare professionals to problem solve by sharing tough cases and suggesting systems improvements
The Otago Exercise Program, seeking to reduce falls in older persons through strength and balance exercises and walking

If you’re looking for information on our geriatricians or faculty, please visit the Division of Geriatric Medicine faculty and administration page. Provider information can also be found at UNC Healthcare’s “Find a Doc” website.