Overview of Older Veterans Group

1
Overview of Older Veterans Group

• Our research, education, and clinical aim is to
  improve the screening, diagnosis, and treatment
  of dementia and other mental health disorders of
  older veterans.

2
Review of 2003 Goals

• Short term goal Build capacity through
  recruitment of scientists likely to compete
  successfully for career award, merit, and RO1
  funding
• Long term goal Build a foundation of NIH and VA
  funding to support a future application of NIH
  Center Award (long term goal)

3
Active Team Members

• Mark Kunik, MD, MPH
• Melinda Stanley, PhD
• Nancy Wilson, MA, MSW
• Jeffrey Cully, PhD
• David Graham, MS, MD
• Ursula Braun, MD, MPH
• David Latini, PhD
• Robert Morgan, PhD

• Tom Teasdale, DrPH
• Kristin Sorocco, MD
• Germaine Odenheimer, MD
• Cornelia Beck, RN, PhD
• Dean Blevins, PhD
• Dinesh Mittal, MD
• Snigdha Mukherjee, Ph.D.
• Kathleen C. Richards, R.N., Ph.D.

4
Projects

• Dementia Care
• Anxiety Disorders in Older Adults
• End of Life
• Caregiver Issues
• Depression
• Adherence
• Treatment Engagement

5
Opportunities

• Senior Mentoring
• New recruitment in Houston and OKC
• Recruitment to MIRECC of Gero investigators in
  Academic Affiliates
• Geropsych Internship and Fellows
• Ethics

6
Challenges

• Funding for Geropsychiatry Issues not currently a
  priority in VHA
• Increasing Gero research in Mississippi and New
  Orleans
• Increasing communication about current Gero
  activities in SCMIRECC

7
Discussion

• Recruitment targets
• Mentoring needs
• Communication
• Education