Geriatric Academic Career Awards Department of Health and Human Services

The purpose of the GACA program is to support the career development of individual junior faculty in geriatrics at accredited health professions schools or graduate programs approved by the Secretary, including schools of allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, allied health, physician assistant programs, chiropractic, podiatric medicine, optometry, public health, and veterinary medicine, and accredited graduate programs in health administration and behavioral health and mental health practice including clinical psychology, clinical social work, professional counseling, and marriage and family therapy, and to provide clinical training in geriatrics, including the training of interprofessional teams of health care professionals. Tribes and tribal organizations are eligible if they otherwise meet the eligibility requirements. The goals of the program are for the GACA candidate to (a) develop the necessary skills to lead health care transformation in a variety of settings, including rural and/or medically underserved settings ; (b) be age–friendly, and (c) provide training in clinical geriatrics, including the training of interprofessional teams of healthcare professionals to provide healthcare for older adults. Program Objectives include: 1. Develop junior faculty career as an academic geriatrics specialist to address the above program goals; (2) Educate and train the healthcare workforce, within the context of the age-friendly health systems framework, to address dementia-risk reduction, dementia across the disease trajectory including training on dementia medications as they are approved for use and nursing home care, and (3) Advance the GACA candidate’s career development through participation in leadership positions in professional organizations.