Category: Geriatric Medicine
Accolades, Awards and Appointments Archive
Congratulations to department faculty who received the following accolades, awards and appointments May 1 – May 31, 2026. David Rosen, MD, PhD, was promoted to Professor of Medicine. Asher Schranz, MD, MPH was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine. Jonathan Sorah, MD, was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine. Christopher Dittus, DO, MPH, was promoted to Professor of … Read more
Dr. John Batsis joins the UNC Nutrition Research Institute as the Clinical Research Core’s Medical Director
John Batsis, MD Recently, the UNC Nutrition Research Institute welcomed Dr. John Batsis as Medical Director of the Clinical Research Core (CRC). Throughout his professional career, Dr. Batsis has dedicated himself to caring for older adults through clinical care, research, and education. Since the CRC supports human studies and helps researchers translate discoveries into real-wo … Read more
Dr. Hillary Spangler Appointed as 2026 Butler-Williams Scholar
Hillary Spangler, MD, MSCR Assistant Professor of Medicine Dr. Hillary Spangler was recently accepted into the Butler-Williams Scholars Program. Held annually, this summer’s program will take place August 3-6, 2026 in Rockville, Maryland. Sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the program addresses both the opportunities and challenges of aging research. Dr. Spangler … Read more
UNC Geriatrics and Center for Aging and Health Visit Nagoya University in Japan
Members of the UNC visiting contingent along with Nagoya University faculty and staff Last month, Associate Professor of Medicine, John Batsis, MD, made his second official visit to Japan for a five-day international symposium. Hosted by the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Aging in the Community’s main goal was connecting research and policy discussions with frontl … Read more
C. Adrian Austin Co-Wrote a Summary on Caring for Older Adults in the ICU
C. Adrian Austin, MD, MSCR, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, is a co-author of the newly published “Executive Summary: Society of Critical Care Medicine Guidelines on Caring for Older Adults in the ICU,” appearing in Critical Care Medicine. The guidelines were developed by a multidisciplinary panel convened by the Board of the Americ … Read more
Dr. David Lynch Receives K23 Award for Dementia Research
David Lynch, MD Associate Professor of Medicine Dr. David Lynch was recently awarded a K23 from the NIA. According to the NIH, the K23 award provides support for, “an intensive, mentored research career development experience for individuals with a clinical doctoral degree who have made a commitment to patient-oriented research.” It also provides five years of salary and research … Read more
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Batsis Addresses Sarcopenic Obesity in Nature Medicine Article
In a recently published Nature Medicine article, Dr. John Batsis and colleagues discussed unintended risks of sarcopenic obesity during weight-loss interventions in older people. According to Batsis, drugs being prescribed to older adults for weight loss (incretin mimetic drugs or GLP-1s) do reduce fat, but may reduce muscle as well. Consequently, preserving muscle in older adult … Read more
$4.1 Million Grant Will Advance Care for Older Adults and Those Living with Dementia
The UNC School of Medicine’s Department of Emergency Medicine has received $4.1 million in new grant funding to advance emergency care for older adults and individuals living with dementia.
Featured UME Educator: Emily Cetrone, MD
Emily Cetrone, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Fellowship Program Associate Director for Geriatrics. Our Undergraduate Medical Educator of the month is Dr. Emily Cetrone! Dr. Centrone provides patient care in the Geriatrics Clinic and focuses her clinical work on geriatric primary care, dementia, and caregiver stress. Her academic interests center on medical edu … Read more
January 2026 Division of Geriatric Medicine Updates
Faculty Promotions Ben Blomberg, MD and David Lynch, BMBS have both been promoted to Clinical Associate Professor. Drs. Blomberg and Lynch Faculty Achievements Hillary Spangler, MD recently graduated from the UNC-CH Master of Science in Clinical Research Program. Dr. Hillary Spangler Open Positions in the Division of Geriatric Medicine Division Chief Position After leading the Di … Read more
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‘Start Low, and Go Slow’: GLP-1 Weight-loss Drugs for Older Adults
John Batsis, MD “The people I see in clinic, they care about getting out of a chair, playing with their grandchildren, not being admitted into a nursing home,” says Dr. John Batsis. So when working with older adults with obesity, he considers various factors. And his motto on GLP-1 weight-loss drugs is, “Start low, and go slow.” In a recent AAMC article, Dr. Batsis says, “We don’ … Read more
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Batsis Participates in Treat and Reduce Obesity Act Briefing
John Batsis, MD Dr. John Batsis recently participated in a virtual Capitol Hill briefing focused on comprehensive obesity treatment. As part of this effort, Dr. Batsis advocated for advancing the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act and encouraged Congress to support coverage of obesity medications for weight loss in older Medicare beneficiaries. This initiative was coordinated through t … Read more