This is a GIG that’s a blast!
Established in 1999, GIG is a lively group of students who are interested in the aging population for a variety of reasons including:
- They know that seniors are an amazingly diverse and interesting group of people; many are creative, intelligent, and vibrant “successful agers” who are fun to be around and who can teach them a lot.
- They recognize that the population is becoming increasingly older – in fact, people age 85 and older are the fastest growing segment of the total US population.
- They realize the need to learn more about this population, for no matter which area of medicine they pursue; older adults will be among their patient population (yes, even pediatrics – think of grandparents caring for their grandchildren).
- They’ve learned that there are 78 Million boomers roughly three times the number of teenagers, and most to them use the Internet.
GIG meets every 6 to 8 weeks to discuss topics related to aging. Some recent events included
- A talk by a 93-year-old sex therapist on sexuality and aging.
- Traveling to the Tribeca Film Festival to view an award-winning documentary on aging relationships and activities in nursing homes.
- A diverse panel of experts on palliative care (physicians nurse, social worker and pastor.
- Doing physical diagnosis on patients at a nursing home.
- Gundy, the dog (and his owner) talking about volunteering on the ACE unit in pet therapy.
- Learning about the various careers in aging medicine (e.g., nursing homes, academic, private practice, research;
In addition, students learn about opportunities for scholarships to conduct age-related research.
2007-2008 GIG Leadership
President
Caitlin Snow, MS2 | [email protected]
Vice President
Tony Rosen, MS2 | [email protected]
Faculty Advisors
Carol Capello, PhD | [email protected]
Veronica LoFaso, MD | [email protected]
Administrative Staff
Kevin Curley | [email protected]
If you are interested in learning more about the Geriatric Interest Group, please contact Caitlin or Tony.
We look forward to having you join us at one or more of our events!
