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UNC Geriatrics 2024 Highlights and Milestones

January 15, 2025
What were the 2024 milestones and highlights for the UNC Division of Geriatric Medicine and the Center for Aging and Health? Read about grants, awards, international visits, and more!

CAH Article Wins Gerontology & Geriatrics Education Best Article Award

November 22, 2024
A CAH co-authored article was selected for the David A. Peterson Award. The honor was officially announced at the AGHE Presidential Symposium and Recognition Event on Friday, November 15 at GSA’s Annual Scientific Meeting in Seattle, Washington.

Consumer Reports Explores Effectiveness of Weight Loss Drugs in Older Adults

November 11, 2024
Older adults may have heard about weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound. However, even though these meds may be beneficial for them, older adults may not be fully aware of their drawbacks. Recently, Dr. John Batsis spoke to Consumer Reports about older adults using these medications for weight loss....

HRSA Awards CGWEP $5 Million Grant

August 21, 2024
The UNC Center for Aging and Health is pleased to announce that the Carolina Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (CGWEP) has been awarded a grant of $5 million by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). This funding will support programming over the next five years, from 2024 to 2029. According...

Batsis to CNN: What People Should Know About Healthy Aging

August 7, 2024
In a recent interview with CNN, Dr. John Batsis listed a few things everyone should know about healthy aging. Specifically, he listed things that people can do now to help ensure they remain in good health into their later years. Batsis said that proper nutrition along with regular physical activity...

John Batsis Presents at RCCN Workshop on Nutrition and Aging Biology

June 28, 2024
Dr. John Batsis recently presented at the National Institute on Aging’s Research Centers Collaborative Network Workshop on Nutrition and Aging Biology in San Francisco. He spoke on GLP-1 Receptor Agonists’ Effect in Older Adults. Dr. Batsis’ UNC colleague Danae Gross also gave presentation at the conference. Her talk was entitled...

Why are GLP-1 Drugs Like Ozempic Risky for Older Adults?

June 10, 2024
Among older adults, losing weight can be a life-changing choice. In some cases, weight loss can help extend a person’s lifespan by reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. These are two conditions which affect older adults in greater proportion than younger people. Although GLP-1 drugs like...

Dr. Fernando Diaz Focuses on Health Disparities Among Spanish-speaking Cancer Patients

May 30, 2024
While working in a primary care setting during his medical residency, Dr. Fernando Diaz observed a striking disparity. He was seeing many older patients with advanced-stage cancer diagnoses. And many of them were Spanish-speaking, foreign-born, and uninsured. As the child of immigrants, Dr. Diaz says, “I saw my family in...

Batsis: Weight Loss Drugs are Only One Part of a Comprehensive Plan

March 20, 2024
Dr. John Batsis recently spoke with Verywell about his concerns regarding the prescribing of weight loss drugs. Batsis believes that some people want quick fixes from providers who are willing to prescribe weight management medications. However, he said that weight loss medications are only one part of a comprehensive plan....

Division of Geriatric Medicine to Hold Interdisciplinary Geriatrics Conference

March 14, 2024
The UNC Division of Geriatric Medicine will hold this year’s Interdisciplinary Geriatrics Conference May 15, 2024 at the North Carolina Botanical Gardens. It will focus on the 4Ms model of care – Mentation, what Matters, Medications, and Mobility – with a particular focus on the care of hospitalized people with...

UNC Geriatrics Discusses Heart Failure and Guardianship on Core IM Podcast

February 16, 2024
A recent episode of The Core IM podcast featured several UNC Department of Medicine practitioners who discussed issues related to heart failure and guardianship. The episode is divided into three segments. In Deep Dive 1, UNC geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine Dr. Emily Cetrone discussed ways for approaching guideline-directed...

Dr. Meredith Gilliam Speaks to AARP About Diagnosing Depression

February 2, 2024
In general, diagnosing depression can be challenging. Since there’s no single, definitive test for diagnosing the condition, it is important to consider other possible reasons behind depression-like symptoms in older adults. In a recent AARP article, Dr. Meredith Gilliam says, “the symptoms may overlap with chronic medical conditions, early dementia,...