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Volume
4, Issue 2 Sponsored by: The Carmen Pettapiece DO Student Research Fund, The Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York, the Henry Adelman Fund for Medical Student Education (Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at Weill Cornell Medical College), The John A. Hartford Foundation, the Lillian R. Gleitsman Foundation, The MetLife Foundation, and the National Institute on Aging.
Administered by: The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) ____________________________________ This online newsletter provides news and information about the Medical Student Research Training in Aging (MSTAR) Program to current and former student scholars, program directors, mentors, and others involved in the program. PLEASE HELP US DISSEMINATE THIS NEWSLETTER to medical students and others in your institution. It is one of the best ways to promote this valuable program to potential applicants. Thank You!
____________________________________ 1. The 2010 Deadline is Approaching! ____________________________________________
The 2010 MSTAR application and guidelines are now available! You can find videos, brochures and of course the application materials on the AFAR website, www.afar.org/medstu.html.
Please help us spread the word! _____________________________________________
MSTAR students: Did you know you can join the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) for free? Your free AGS membership will last all the way through your residency, regardless of your choice of specialty. An AGS membership brings you the following benefits:
To begin your free membership with the AGS online, click here. You can also print out the application form and fax it to (212) 832-8646. Or, mail the form to:
American Geriatrics Society
Thank you, and enjoy your free AGS membership! _____________________________________________
An in-depth survey of former MSTAR Scholars highlights the positive impact the program has had on its participants.
The survey—conducted last spring by Elizabeth Bragg, PhD, RN, and Greg Warshaw, MD, of the Geriatrics Workforce Policy Studies Center at the University of Cincinnati—sought to determine the effects of the MSTAR program on the career choices, opportunities, and further research and career activities of former participants. A total of 415 former MSTAR Scholars participated.
The findings of the survey are very encouraging:
The latter result is especially remarkable because only 1.6% of U.S. medical school graduates enter geriatric medicine fellowships. It is not surprising, then, that survey respondents encouraged promotion or expansion of programs like the MSTAR program as a way to increase medical students’ interest in geriatrics careers.
Respondents also had other ideas for recruiting more students into geriatrics. Here are some of those ideas, along with tips from Dr. Bragg.
1) Early exposure to geriatrics in medical school: “Students should have exposure to older adults in multiple settings—not just in nursing homes, but in hospices, well centers, and more—ranging from healthy adults to those with several diseases,” says Dr. Bragg.
2) Financial incentives for choosing geriatrics: “Students come out of medical school owing so much money,” Dr. Bragg explains. Suggestions on dealing with this include loan forgiveness or scholarships for specializing in geriatrics, and increased compensation for geriatricians.
3) A knowledgeable, supportive mentor with an interest in geriatrics: “This makes a big difference,” Dr. Bragg says.
4) Marketing the future benefits of geriatrics training: “Our population is surviving a lot longer, and almost every specialty is going to have to deal with the older patient,” says Dr. Bragg. She points out that nearly 60% of cardiovascular patients, 50% of urology patients, 37% of dermatology patients, 30% of orthopedic patients, and 26% of general surgery patients are over the age of 65.
5) Requiring geriatrics training in medical school: “Physicians need to know how to care for older adults,” Dr. Bragg says. “There is a difference in caring for a 50-year-old adult and a 75-year-old adult with chronic diseases.”
Dr. Bragg and Dr. Warshaw lead the Geriatrics Workforce Policy Studies Center, based at the University of Cincinnati (www.adgapstudy.uc.edu/index.cfm), which delivers up-to-date and essential information concerning geriatrics, geriatrics training, the geriatrics workforce, and related healthcare delivery topics. _____________________________________________
Summer 2008 was quite a change of pace for medical student Edris Aman. That summer Aman, who had just completed his first year at Saint Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri, traded in his library books for exercise equipment.
Aman, a 2008 MSTAR Scholar, designed a structured exercise program for 50 late-stage dementia patients at two Saint Louis nursing homes with feedback from his mentor, Dr. John Morley. Aman led the patients in 30 minutes of exercise—a mix of walking and strength training—three days per week. At the end of the three-week program, he found an improvement in both agitation and functioning in the participants.
“I was surprised at how little exercise was needed to see an improvement, because the group had advanced dementia,” Aman says. “It shows that exercise benefits people of every age and with almost every mental status—even those who have late-stage dementia.”
Aman was not the only one who found his results noteworthy. In April, Reuters ran a story about his research after a reporter read his presentation abstract from the AGS annual meeting in Chicago. That story was picked up by various news outlets, including foxnews.com and Yahoo! News.
Finally, Aman’s research paper was published in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. It was his first published paper. “It gave me a feeling of satisfaction because I felt like it was the completion of the project,” Aman says.
Aman hopes that all of the exposure will encourage more nursing homes to implement similar exercise programs for their dementia patients. “A lot of nursing homes have programs, but all of the residents are sitting on a couch and throwing a ball. And that’s understandable because people who work with late-stage dementia patients get burned out,” Aman says. “But we’re hoping nursing homes will realize that it’s in their interest to have these exercises because the patients are much happier and less agitated.”
After he finishes medical school, the now third-year student plans to practice a combination of cardiology and geriatrics. “America’s getting older, so there’s a need for geriatricians,” he explains. “And with more people overweight or obese, there will be a lot more cardiac problems.”
Aman says his MSTAR experience helped solidify his career goals. “I really enjoyed working with geriatrics patients,” he explains. “They have a whole lifetime of experience to discuss with you. It makes every conversation fun.” _____________________________________________
Reflecting the strong kinship between science and art, AFAR held an art auction in conjunction with its annual awards dinner, which took place on October 5. The AFAR staff felt it fitting to feature pieces donated by grantees, former grantees, committee members, board members, and other friends of AFAR. Three former MSTAR Scholars—2007’s Satre Stuelke, 2006’s David Fogelman, and 2002’s Emily Lazarou—were among those who donated their art for the auction.
Satre Stuelke’s CT scans of common objects such as cupcakes, cell phones, and mechanical toys have gotten a lot of recent media attention. Stuelke has shown his work across the globe in numerous gallery and museum exhibitions, and has also sold work through Sotheby`s ArtLink. David Fogelman’s digital photographs of New York City cityscapes and other landscapes were also among the most popular works featured in the art-auction catalogue. And Dr. Emily Lazarou contributed a colorful abstract painting.
The AFAR auction raised more than $3,000. Thank you to Satre Stuelke, David Fogelman, and Emily Lazarou for donating their artwork to the auction! _____________________________________________ MetLife Foundation Becomes a New MSTAR SponsorAFAR announced in September that it was awarded a $200,000 grant from MetLife Foundation for the MSTAR program. The grant will fund research projects for 50 additional medical students. "The MSTAR program is a powerful and cost-effective vehicle for introducing talented future physicians to the field,” said Corinne Rieder, EdD, executive director of The John A. Hartford Foundation. "We are so pleased that MetLife Foundation is joining the MSTAR partnership. Their generosity will help us reach many more students, who will in turn serve as resources for their peers." "MetLife Foundation is pleased to support this initiative, which is designed to encourage students to choose geriatrics or gerontology as a profession," said Dennis White, president and CEO of The MetLife Foundation. "This support is critical to ensuring that the health care system is better prepared to handle the needs of a dramatically increasing elderly population in the decades to come." AFAR would like to thank MetLife Foundation for its generous grant. _____________________________________________ Geriatrics in the NewsTwo recent New York Times articles about geriatrics training prove that people are finally taking notice of the importance of geriatrics, one of the most underrepresented fields in medicine. In the August article "Experiencing Life, Briefly, Inside a Nursing Home," the Times tells the story of a medical student who took part in a unique program. Through the program, students interested in geriatric medicine are "diagnosed" with an ailment and live as patients in a nursing home for 10 days. The students are treated like normal patients and keep daily journals of their experiences. The aim of the program is to help generate interest in geriatrics. Dr. Marilyn Gugliucci, director of geriatrics education at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (and a mentor to many MSTAR students) began the program in 2005 after a student approached her and said she wanted to learn how to speak with institutionalized seniors. So far, 10 students have taken part in the program. In the July editorial "The Patients Doctors Don’t Know," Rosanne M. Leipzig, MD—Gerald and Mary Ellen Ritter Professor and Vice Chair for Education in Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development—laments the fact that American medical schools require no training in geriatric medicine. Because of this, she says, many doctors do not know how to manage the unique needs of older patients when treating them. Dr. Leipzig is part of a group of doctors and medical educators who contend that every medical student should be required to demonstrate several competencies before graduating and caring for elderly patients. These include the ability to prescribe medicines to older patients, assess older patients’ ability to care for themselves, prevent falls, and more. Further reading: "Why Geriatrics?" Louise Aronson, MD, Annals of Internal Medicine "Policy for an Aging Society: A Review of Systems," Christine K. Cassel, MD, The Journal of the American Medical Association "Medical Care for the Final Years of Life: 'When You're 83, It's Not Going to Be 20 Years'," David B. Reuben, MD, The Journal of the American Medical Association "Preventive Care for Older Adults," Huan J. Chang, MD, MPH, The Journal of the American Medical Association
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Boston University Summer Institute in
Geriatric Medicine: AGS Local Geriatrics Mentoring
Program: Geriatrics career information, including
profiles of geriatricians: AGS Resident Recruitment Initiative: www.americangeriatrics.org/education/residents/ AGS student chapters and other information for medical students: www.americangeriatrics.org/education/geristudents/ American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
Geriatrics Interest Group: American Association of Medical Colleges
(AAMC) Organization of Student Representatives: AAMC Careers in Medicine program helps
students select a specialty and apply to residency: Geriatrics Recruitment Resources: www.geriatricsrecruitment.org MSTAR information and online application: www.afar.org/medstu.html MSTAR news: www.afar.org/mstar_news.html MSTAR Toolkit: www.afar.org/toolkit.html National Medical Fellowships: www.nmfonline.org Portal of Geriatric Online Education (POGOe): www.pogoe.org
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Aman also was one of five winners of the Medical Student Research Poster Competition at the National American College of Physicians Conference in Philadelphia in April. More than 90 students presented posters at that conference.
