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Category: Geriatric Medicine

  • Kevin Biese, Chair of ACEP's GEDA Accreditation Board

    COVID-19 in Older Adults: Biese Publishes Key Points for ED Providers

    Kevin Biese, MD, MAT Kevin Biese, MD, MAT, associate professor of emergency medicine and associate professor of medicine in the division of geriatric medicine, with co-authors, has published key information on the role of the ED in diagnosis and acute management of COVID-19 in older adults. The article, published in the Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine, includes two case s … Read more

  • Christine Kistler, MD

    Supporting Older Adults During the Coronavirus Crisis, Kistler Interviewed for CNBC News

    Christine Kistler, MD, MASc Christine Kistler, MD, MASc, associate professor in the division of geriatric medicine and the department of family medicine, was interviewed by CNBC describing the need to support seniors, who are among the most vulnerable, during the coronavirus crisis. She explained the importance of reaching seniors in new ways to help them stay healthy. Kistler al … Read more

  • claire-larson

    Larson Recognized In Carolina Care Highlight

    The Carolina Care Highlight features Claire Larson, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the division of geriatric medicine, this week. Here’s what one of Dr. Larson’s patients had to say: “Dr. Larson is fantastic. She had read my note to her prior to the appointment and was prepared to discuss my specific concerns. Her manner is professional yet very warm. She listens well, an … Read more

  • Christine Kistler, MD

    Kistler Awarded Fulbright Scholarship

    Christine Kistler, MD Christine E. Kistler, MD, MASc, associate professor, division of geriatric medicine and department of family medicine, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for “Improving Primary Care Clinicians’ Communication Skills in Advance Care Planning for Patients with Dementia.” This project continues work begun with Laura Hanson, MD, MPH, professor, division of … Read more

  • geriatric-award-cropped

    Dementia Friendly Hospital Initiative Receives TBJ Health Care Heroes Award for Community Outreach

    UNC Health Care and the Dementia Friendly Hospital Initiative received the Triangle Business Journal’s 2020 Health Care Heroes Award for Community Outreach on Thursday February 13. The award honors an individual or organization for the development of a program that improved access to, and the quality of, medical service in an underserved area. Jan Busby-Whitehead, MD, Chief, UNC … Read more

  • Josh Niznik, PharmD, PhD

    Deprescribing in Older Adults: an Interview with Josh Niznik, PharmD, PhD

    “More than half of older adults are exposed to polypharmacy and the unfortunate thing is that those people are more susceptible to side effects and they’re more vulnerable to drug-drug interactions. It’s important for physicians, patients, and caregivers to realistically discuss the benefits a medication can and can’t provide, and to have a plan for de-escalating or stopping cert … Read more

  • Bryan Godfrey, UNC Geriatrics Clinic Social Worker

    WRAL interviews Bryan Godfrey on Benefits of Seeing a Geriatrician

    UNC Geriatrics Specialty Clinic’s Social Worker Bryan Godfrey speaks with WRAL’s Liisa Ogburn on why older adults seek primary care providers with geriatrics expertise. “Our providers are physicians with certifications in internal or family medicine, but they also have specialized training in geriatrics. This means they are especially attuned to the challenges older adults often … Read more

  • JAGS | Niznik Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors Study in Nursing Home Patients

    Addressing Overmedication in Nursing Home Patients with Severe Dementia

    A recent study from Assistant Professor Joshua Niznik, PhD, PharmD, Division of Geriatric Medicine, in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society suggests de-prescribing Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors (AChEls) as a reasonable approach to lowering polypharmacy and risk of serious falls or fractures without increasing risk for all-cause negative events in nursing home residents wi … Read more

  • WRAL interviews Meredith Gilliam, MD, MPH, on falls prevention

    Gilliam and Falls Prevention on WRAL

    Meredith Gilliam, MD, MPH, was recently interviewed on WRAL on the topic of falls prevention for older adults. According to NC’s Division of Public Health, one quarter of North Carolinians 65 and over will fall in a year. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries in older adults, causing 1,094 deaths, 18,771 hospitalizations, and 78,799 Emergency Department visit … Read more

  • Dementia-friendly training

    Busby-Whitehead, Dale discuss dementia-friendly training in Modern Health Care

    Dementia patients “often forget where they are and that they are not in their home,” says Maureen Dale, MD, in Modern Health Care. “When clinicians are coming in and out of their room to do their job, it can be alarming.” Busby-Whitehead also emphasizes that staff members feel more confident speaking with patients and reorienting them, after this training.

  • Christine Kistler, MD

    Kistler receives pilot award to test feasibility of pharmacogenomics to reduce adverse events to medication

    Christine Kistler, MD, MASc The UNC Program for Precision Medicine in Health Care (PPMH), which aims to transform patient care through evidence-based precision medicine, and the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences (NC TraCS) Institute at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) have awarded three pilot grants. The pilot grants have direct clinical o … Read more

  • Kittra Felton and Maureen Dale, MD

    Geriatric medicine celebrates three-year anniversary in Hillsborough

    UNC Hospitals Hillsborough Campus The opening of UNC Hospital’s Hillsborough Campus in 2015 provided a unique opportunity for medicine services to expand. Ron Falk, MD, chair of the department of medicine, envisioned a service that could be accessible and comfortable to the geriatric population, combining specialized geriatric care with all of the amenities at UNC Hospital’s new … Read more