With the second largest elderly population in the U.S., Pennsylvania
and its residents deal with many of the geriatric health care problems
facing America today. These issues will become increasingly important
to address as the number of elderly is expected to double by the
year 2020.
The Geriatric Education Center of Pennsylvania (GEC/PA) stands
committed to provide leadership to meet this critical health care
need in our state. The consortium of the University of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania State University, and Temple University provides educational
and training opportunities for health care professionals and educators.
GEC/PA’s mission is to maintain and improve the health and
well-being of Pennsylvania’s elderly population by increasing
the level of geriatric expertise among existing as well as future
health care professionals. GEC/PA provides both interdisciplinary
and discipline-specific geriatric education to individuals working
in clinically oriented disciplines.
The Geriatric Education Center of Pennsylvania (GEC/PA) was founded
in 1985. It operates today as a consortium consisting of the University
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania State University, and Temple University.
During its first six years, GEC/PA was a collaboration between
the University of Pittsburgh and Temple University based at the
Institute of Aging in Philadelphia, Pa. Its main objective during
this time was training educators throughout the state. To achieve
this goal an intensive 60-hour interdisciplinary training program
was developed and implemented, and more than 200 faculty were trained.
A direct result of this effort was the institutionalization of geriatric
content and training programs in universities and colleges throughout
Pennsylvania.
In 1991, GEC/PA moved its main operations to the University of
Pittsburgh, and the consortium expanded with Pennsylvania State
University joining the original members. At that time, GEC/PA decided
to broaden its mission and began to develop and implement training
programs targeting health care practitioners in both rural and urban
areas throughout Pennsylvania. Today, GEC/PA provides geriatric
education and training to a wide range of health care professionals
from physicians and dentists to social workers and podiatrists.
Current education objectives focus on providing health care professionals
and educators instruction on leading indicators identified by the
prevention agenda, Healthy
People 2010.
To learn more about GEC/PA and its activities, call toll-free 888-33-GECPA.
These health care professionals are the primary faculty members
of GEC/PA. They are listed below along with their specialties and
teaching responsibility.
| Name & Degrees |
Position |
Specialties |
Project Role |
| A. Ausim Azizi, MD, PhD |
Professor and Chair of Neurology |
Movement disorders, Stroke |
Develop online module on neurological problems in the elderly |
| Noel H. Ballentine, MD, FACP |
Associate Professor of Medicine |
Geriatric medicine, Internal medicine |
Contribute to the development of an interdisciplinary curriculum on geriatric mental health & provide training to diverse geriatric practitioners |
| Donna Fick, PhD, APRN-BC, FGSA |
Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Department of Psychiatry |
Delirium in persons with dementia, Older in use medication, Clinical & health outcomes |
Contribute to the development of an interdisciplinary curriculum on geriatric mental health & provide training to diverse geriatric practitioners |
| Albert J. Finestone, MD Professor of Medicine, Temple University |
Professor of Medicine, Temple University |
Internal medicine and geriatric medicine |
Faculty training and mentoring; Curriculum development in the areas of geropharmacotherapy, hypertension in the elderly, death and dying |
| Carol Gold, PhD |
Senior Research Associate, Penn State Gerontology Center |
Women’s health issues |
Long-term care, overseeing geriatric mental health module curriculum development and presentations |
| Michael J. Green, MD, MS |
Professor of Humanities and Medicine |
Medical ethics, Advance care planning |
Develop, test, and revise a training tool on end-of-life decisions and provide training to health care professionals |
| Melissa Hardy, PhD |
Distinguished Professor Director, Gerontology Center Pennsylvania State University |
Demography of work and retirement transitions, household saving behavior, and financial security in old age |
Long-term care, geriatric mental health module development |
| John G. Hennon, EdD |
Assistant Director of the GEC/PA, University Center for Social and Urban Research, University of Pittsburgh |
Policy, planning, and evaluation studies, educational technology |
Training program development for Community Based Outpatient Clinics in conjunction with the VA. Organization of an educational collaborative on geriatric mental health issues. |
| Ann M. Kolanowski, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN |
Professor of Nursing |
Dementia behavior in the elderly, Non-pharmacological interventions for behavioral symptoms in dementia |
Contribute to the development of an interdisciplinary curriculum on geriatric mental health & provide training to diverse geriatric practitioners |
| Benjamin H. Levi, MD, PhD |
Associate Professor of Humanities and Pediatrics |
Ethics education, Advance directives |
Develop, test, and revise a training tool on end-of-life decisions and provide training to health care professionals |
| Mark D. Miller, MD |
Associate Professor of Psychiatry |
Late-life depression |
Training primary care and mental health providers |
| Jon F. Nussbaum, PhD |
Professor of Communications Arts and Sciences |
Older adults interactions with the health care system & their relationships with health care staff |
Develop and disseminate a curriculum on health literacy and cultural competency |
| Benjamin Sanchez, MD |
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Temple University |
Coronary Artery Disease |
Developing curriculum for the Coronary artery disease in the elderly |
| Sara Salmon-Cox, MS, OTR/L |
Mental Health Program Coordinator, MIRECC |
Mental health of elderly veterans |
Training primary care and mental health providers |
| Robert W. Schrauf, PhD |
Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics |
Cognitive aging and bilingualism, Processing of medical information by older limited-English-proficiency patients |
Develop and disseminate a curriculum on health literacy and cultural competency |
| Richard Schulz, PhD |
Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh. Director of the Geriatric Education Center of Pennsylvania |
Psychiatry and Caregiving Research, Adult development and aging |
Faculty training and mentoring; Caregiving and caregiver train-the-trainer workshops |
| Jonathan G. Shack, MD |
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science |
Co-morbid substance abuse disorders, Adult psychiatry |
Develop online modules on mental health problems in the elderly |
| Linda K. Shumaker, RN, MA |
Executive Director, PA Behavioral Health and Aging Coalition |
Gerontological nursing, Community mental health, Geriatric assessment |
Contribute to the development of an interdisciplinary curriculum on geriatric mental health & provide training to diverse geriatric practitioners |
| James D. Tew, Jr., MD |
Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry |
Older adult behavioral health screening |
Training primary care and mental health providers |
| Steven H. Zarit, PhD |
Professor of Human Development |
Prevention and treatment programs for mental health problems in later life |
Contribute to the development of an interdisciplinary curriculum on geriatric mental health & provide training to diverse geriatric practitioners |
