Author Archives: Jamie Garrett

If you go to the fifth floor of the recently opened Roper Hall, you’ll find Room 5227F. A small plaque by the door of this clinical exam room reads, Through the generosity of a grateful patient in honor of Ellen Parker Wilkes, ANP-BC. Wilkes, an Adult Nurse Practitioner in the...

For Dr. Meredith Gilliam, UNC-Chapel Hill is home. She completed her undergraduate studies, MD, and MPH here. She also met her husband here. Before coming to medical school, she considered being a chemist and a teacher (she even taught middle school English classes in Japan). But her career path led...

Age-related loss of muscle mass and strength affects almost 15 percent of adults 60 and over. Also known as sarcopenia, clinicians often prescribe home-based exercise programs as a remedy to this loss. However, once clinicians assign the exercises, they face a major obstacle: patient compliance. A new Bluetooth-enabled device is...

On September 7, staff from the Center for Aging and Health represented the UNC School of Medicine at the Duke Caregiver Community Event. The goal of the daylong event was providing caregivers access to education, support, and resources. Held at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Durham, conference organizers included the...

When caring for older adults, falls prevention is a crucial issue. According to the CDC, falls is the leading cause of injury death for among adults 65 and older. In 2020, emergency departments recorded 3 million visits for older adult falls. And the annual cost medical costs associated with older...

Since she was small, Dr. Maureen Dale always wanted to be a doctor. At age four, her physician father started teaching her to ‘read’ chest x-rays. Even though she considered other careers along the way, medicine has always been the frontrunner. After completing both her undergraduate studies and medical school...

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has selected Dr. Adrian Austin to join the 2023 Butler-Williams Scholars Program. Presented by the NIA Office of Special Populations, the program offers opportunities for junior faculty and researchers to gain additional experience in aging research. It also helps these researchers to expand their...

In 2011, the first Baby Boomers reached the age of 65. According to Dr. Luke Rogers, chief of the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Branch, the 65-and-older population has grown by over a third since 2010. And no other age group has grown so quickly. As more Americans enter their later...

Fourth-year UNC School of Medicine student Reaves Houston exemplifies exceptional talent, kindness, and compassion as a medical student. Currently, she is also collaborating with the Division of Geriatric Medicine on various research projects. Recently, Houston was selected to participate in the Physician Leadership in Quality and Safety Concentration program. As...

Increasing evidence shows that BMI (body mass index) isn’t the sole measure to predict mortality risk. According to a recent JAMA Network article, a new study further demonstrates that this measure by itself doesn’t fully capture risk of death. The article quotes associate professor Dr. John Batsis, much of whose...

Laura Hanson has worked for UNC-Chapel Hill for 31 years in a variety of roles, most recently as a professor of geriatric medicine and the medical director of the Department of Medicine’s Palliative Care and Hospice Program. Read about her research journey.

Adrian Austin, MD was recently highlighted by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Assemblies as the June 2023 Critical Care Assembly Early Career Professional. The program showcases early career professionals by promoting and disseminating their work and encouraging collaboration and networking. Dr. Austin is a Intensivist, Pulmonologist, and Geriatrician with a...