Overview, Mission, and Goals
The University of Pittsburgh Institute on Aging was established to improve
the quality of care and overall health and well-being of older adults in
southwestern Pennsylvania by linking and enhancing the research, education,
and clinical efforts of the University of Pittsburgh, the University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), and other government and publicly funded
organizations.
Through innovative partnerships, the Institute on Aging provides access
to:
- a multidisciplinary network of comprehensive care and quality
services
- one of the largest and most diverse portfolios of aging-related
research in the country
- one of the most extensive geriatric and gerontological
education programs in the country, with 16 undergraduate, graduate,
and professional schools
The Institute on Aging has positioned itself as a leader in the field
of geriatrics and gerontology by developing, coordinating, and enhancing
aging-related services and research offered through the University of
Pittsburgh and UPMC, which together devote more resources to the field
of aging than nearly any other academic medical center in the country.
Goals
The Institute on Aging aims to serve the academic missions of research,
education, and clinical care. The Institute strives to bridge the
gap between existing knowledge and practice and to utilize research
findings to influence policy locally, statewide, and nationally.
Research
In the area of research at the university, the Institute on Aging aims
to:
- help bridge research silos in aging to facilitate identification
of areas of potential synergy
- help investigators in other disciplines
apply their expertise to aging (or help it to be informed by aging-related
principles)
- identify new and potentially fruitful areas of investigation
that could capitalize on current strengths
- fund pilot studies and nurture
young investigators in aging
Education
In the area of education and training, the Institute on Aging aims
to:
- compile and disseminate a list of all aging-related courses available
throughout the university
- identify gaps in aging-related education
and training
- develop new, high-quality, integrated educational programs
in gerontology that are applicable across all disciplines and
all of the university’s
16 schools.
- train people in aging from beyond the university,
including primary care physicians and relevant non-physicians
(nursing assistants,
homemakers, home health aides, etc.)
Clinical
In the clinical arena, the Institute on Aging strives to identify important
niches of unmet needs, including:
- re-engineering of care across the full health care continuum
- contributing
to prevention and early treatment of delirium
- improving immunization
rates in nursing home settings and reducing medication errors
and errors in care transition
- re-examining and better deploying preventive
health measures in conjunction with the university’s Centers
for Disease Control-funded Center for Healthy Aging
- providing access
to information 24-hours, seven-days-a-week
through a telephone referral service and website
|
