Category: Geriatric Medicine
Civic Life Suffers From Pressure On Black Men
Christine Kistler, MD About the same number of young Black men and women reach voting age in North Carolina every year, but there’s a huge gender gap each time ballots are counted. In 2020, when Donald Trump won the state by 74,500 votes, Black women cast 622,000 ballots but Black men cast only 402,000 — a startling gap of 220,000 votes. Christine E. Kistler, MD, MASc, associate … Read more
How Older Adults Can Regain Their Game After Being Cooped Up For Over a Year
John Batsis, MD John Batsis, MD, associate professor in the division of geriatric medicine and Gillings School of Public Health, told CNN that older adults should start slow and build steadily, after being cooped up for over a year during the pandemic. “From my experience, older adults are eager to get out of the house and do what they did a year ago. And guess what? After being … Read more
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The Startling and Troubling Voting Gap with Black Men
Christine Kistler, MD Christine Kistler, MD, MASc, associate professor in the division of geriatric medicine and department of family medicine, was featured in a Yahoo report, originally published in the News and Observer. The report recognizes the gender gap among the number of Black men and women who reach voting age in North Carolina every year. “You are less likely to have a … Read more
Department of Medicine Grants & Funding: April 1 – April 30, 2021
Division of Geriatric Medicine John Batsis, MD, was awarded $225,000 from the NIH’s National Institute on Aging to develop and test a remote-sensing resistance band exercise system with a team of researchers from Dartmouth. Joshua Niznik, PharmD, PhD, was awarded a 5-year K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award by the NIH’s National Institute on Aging for “Deprescribing … Read more
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Batsis Team Receives NIH Startup Funding for Remote Physical Therapy Monitoring System
John Batsis, MD John Batsis, MD, associate professor of medicine in the division of geriatric medicine, and a team of researchers from Dartmouth who founded SynchroHealth, have been awarded nearly $225,000 from the NIH’s National Institute on Aging to develop and test “BandPass.” The remote-sensing resistance band exercise system will allow health care providers to monitor, evalu … Read more
Niznik Receives KO8 Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award
Joshua Niznik, PharmD, PhD Joshua Niznik, PharmD, PhD, assistant professor in the division of geriatric medicine, was awarded a 5-year K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award by the NIH’s National Institute on Aging for “Deprescribing Bisphosphonates in Nursing Home Residents with Dementia.” The study seeks to evaluate the risks and benefits of deprescribing versus cont … Read more
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Sarcopenic Obesity Associated with Increased Risk of Impaired Cognitive Function in Older Adults
John Batsis, MD The prevalence of obesity with sarcopenia is increasing in adults aged 65 years, and this geriatric syndrome places individuals at risk for synergistic complications. John A. Batsis, MD, associate professor in the division of geriatric medicine, led a study to investigate whether sarcopenia or sarcopenic obesity are associated with greater long-term risk of impair … Read more
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Nearly All Seniors Take Meds That Raise Their Odds of Falling
Josh Niznik, PharmD, PhD Among older Americans, deaths from falls are up sharply, dovetailing with a surge in use of medications that increase the risk of falling, researchers say. Two decades ago, about 57% of U.S. seniors took medications that increased their risk of falls. By 2017, that number had risen to 94%, and deaths caused by falls had more than doubled, a new study foun … Read more
Experts Recommend Shared Decision-Making Prior to Lung Cancer Screening
Dan Reuland, MD, MPH In a viewpoint perspective published in JAMA on March 9, 2021, a University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher and two other experts endorsed the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) requirement for a patient and their doctor to engage in a shared discussion of benefits and harms before proceeding with a low-dose … Read more
Busby-Whitehead Talked With the Wall Street Journal About Older People Participating in Activities After the COVID-19 Vaccine
Jan Busby-Whitehead, MD A Wall Street Journal report about the first Americans to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, older people, recognizes how many are still struggling to know what activities are safe. Jan Busby-Whitehead, MD, interviewed for the report, said she and colleagues continue to urge caution because most of the US population isn’t vaccinated. There are also new, … Read more
UNC Geriatricians Help Skilled Nursing Facilities Fight COVID-19 With Collaborative Problem Solving and Mentoring
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, 40% of all deaths have been residents of nursing homes. Although the vaccine roll-out is now well underway, long-term care facilities continue to be high risk environments disproportionately affected by the virus. To help administrators and nursing leadership fight the spread of COVID-19, the UNC Center for Aging and Health is training and suppo … Read more
Warshaw Interviewed By Eldercare Voices: Covid Edition
Gregg Warshaw, MD Gregg Warshaw, MD, professor of medicine in the department of medicine’s geriatric division and the department of family medicine, was interviewed by Eldercare Voices, a blog published by the Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation. In the article, Warshaw recognizes how the pandemic has affected seniors and what he’s learning now that signals the di … Read more