Nova Southeastern University Receives
$3.5 Million Geriatrics Grant
FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – It’s a fact – the United States’ population is aging, and in a big way.
According to U.S. Census data, the nation’s population age 65 and older is expected to nearly double over the next three decades, jumping from 48 million to 88 million by 2050. With that in mind, it’s clear that providing for the health care needs of older adults is going to play a prominent role in the nation’s future.
Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is proud to announce that the Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine has received a $3.5 million federal grant to fund a Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP.) This national initiative was created to help establish a healthcare workforce that maximizes patient and family engagement and integrates geriatrics and primary care.
Naushira Pandya, M.D., CMD, FACP (center) with students in NSU’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
“This program is designed to educate and train the primary care and geriatrics workforce to attend to older adults using an integrated care model,” said Naushira Pandya, M.D., CMD, FACP, professor and chair of NSU’s Department of Geriatrics. “At NSU, interprofessional collaboration is in our DNA, so this grant will allow us to bring that approach to the area of geriatrics. With an aging population, it’s vital that those in the healthcare profession work together to ensure they provide the best care possible for their patients.”
The grant began July 1, 2019 and is expected to run through June 30, 2024. This grant is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award of up to $3.5 million, financed from governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
Pandya has been the project director of the Geriatric Education Center at NSU’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine. She said that there is a shortage in trained geriatricians and primary care health providers and other health professionals with adequate training in geriatrics to fill the complex healthcare needs of older adults. This project is designed to meet those challenges head-on as an ambitious collaborative effort, with partners that include the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University, graduate medical education programs and primary care sites, as well as multiple community organization partners.
“We want to create a collaborative model where we provide training to those who will be on the front-lines working with older adults,” Pandya said. “We want to ensure that all providers have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide whole-person geriatric care for older patients fostering integration of age-friendly healthcare principles and practices into clinical sites with increasing community engagement. I am confident that promoting the transformation of primary care practices to position them for value-based care and alternative payment models will lead to improved health outcomes for older adults.”
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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, NSU is ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Top 200 National Research Universities and is a dynamic, private research university providing high-quality educational and research programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. Established in 1964, NSU now includes 16 colleges, the 215,000-square-foot Center for Collaborative Research, a private JK-12 grade school, the Mailman Segal Center for Human Development with specialists in Autism, the world-class NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center, which is Florida’s largest public library. NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu.
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