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Our History
Primary Faculty
Meeting the demands of geriatric care in our communities
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.
An Early Focus on Training
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.
Establishing a Broader Reach
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.
Current GEC/PA initiatives and priorities include:
- development of a community outreach recruitment model for African
American health professionals
- online training for vision disorders, foot health, and fall
prevention
- front-line health care worker training on foot and fall assessments
- osteoporosis education
- community health assessment training
- educational programs for rural health practitioners, particularly
those at community health centers in medically underserved communities
- regional and national educational video conferences
- interdisciplinary training within Pennsylvania
Area Health Education Center (AHEC) network
- educational programs for vision specialists
- ‘train-the-trainer’ workshops on elderly caregiving
needs
- interdisciplinary geriatric institutes
- geriatric certificate program for graduate students
- medical residency education
- review of geriatric education materials for cultural competency
- annual minority health leadership summit
- faculty development in geriatric dentistry
- mentoring the next generation of geriatric health education
and research leaders
Additional Information
GEC/PA is funded in part by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services’ Public Services Health
Resources and Services Administration’s Bureau of Health Professions.
The consortium is a member of the National
Association of Geriatric Education Centers (NAGEC), which promotes
better health care for older people through a public more informed
on aging-related issues.
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.
Susan Burke, MD
Director, Lankenau Hospital Medical Clinic
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University
Osteoporosis treatment, education, and management
Mona Counts, PhD
Director, Fayette Nursing and Rural Health Center
Rural nursing care
Osteoporosis education
Lisa Davis, MHA
Director, Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health
Rural health
Public health
Training and mentoring rural health practitioners
Hollis D. Day, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh
Geriatric medicine
Clinical training and mentoring medical students and residents
Albert J. Finestone, MD
Professor of Medicine, Temple University
Internal medicine
Geriatric medicine
Faculty training and mentoring
Angela F. Ford, MSW
Associate Director, Center for Minority Health, University of Pittsburgh
Minority health
Aging and diversity
Cultural competence, and cultural and ethnic differences
Andrea R. Fox, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh
Geriatric medicine
Home-based care
Community-based care
Clinical training and mentoring resident physicians
Continuing education of community-based practitioners
John H. George, PhD
Associate Professor of Family and Community Medicine, Penn State
University
Interdisciplinary medical and graduate education
Clinical training of medical and nursing students
Arthur E. Helfand, DPM
Professor of Podiatric Medicine, Temple University
Diabetic foot assessment
Geriatric foot assessment
Web-based training of podiatrists
Continuing education for nurses and nurse aides
John G. Hennon, EdD
Research Associate, University Center for Social and Urban Research,
University of Pittsburgh
Policy, planning, and evaluation studies
Educational technology
Community health assessment training for resident physicians
Susan B. Hoover, MPH
Assistant Director, Gerontology Center, Penn State University
Caregiving and caregiver train-the-trainer workshops
Gerontology outreach
Osteoporosis education
Matthew Kaplan, PhD
Associate Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education, Penn
State University
Intergenerational programming
Caregiver train-the-trainer workshops
Ellen Krajewski, MPH
Director, Northcentral Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center
Health education
Clinical training of medical and nursing students
Marla Moon, OD
President, Pennsylvania Optometric Association
Low vision
Continuing education of optometrists, paraoptometrics, and ophthalmologists
Roberta A. Newton, PhD
Professor of Physical Therapy, Temple University; Associate Director,
Temple University Institute on Aging
Balance and fall risk assessment
Fall prevention
Web-based training of health professionals
Janice Penrod, PhD
Assistant Professor of Nursing, Penn State University
Caregiving
Geriatric nursing
Osteoporosis education
K. Warner Schaie, PhD
Evan Pugh Professor of Human Development and Psychology, Penn State
University
Gerontology
Psychology
Human development
Faculty training and mentoring
Richard Schulz, PhD
Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh
Adult development and aging
Faculty training and mentoring
Caregiving and caregiver train-the-trainer workshops
Charles Stuckey, OD
Director, Pennsylvania Optometric Association
Optometry
Biology
Continuing education of optometrists, paraoptometrics, and ophthalmologists
Stephen B. Thomas, PhD
Philip Hallen Professor of Community Health and Social Justice,
University of Pittsburgh
Minority health
Community development
Minority faculty and student mentoring
Kathleen D. Vergona, PhD
Associate Professor of Anatomy and Histology, University of Pittsburgh
Geriatric dentistry
Dental faculty training
Satya B. Verma, OD
Assistant Professor of Optometry, Pennsylvania College of Optometry
Geriatric optometry
Computer-related vision problems
Web-based training of optometrists, paraoptometrics, and ophthalmologists
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