(from left to right) Michelle Greene,PhD, Ronald Adelman,MD, Robin DiMatteo,PhD, and Mark Lachs,MD

On March 27, internationally renown medical adherence expert and University of California-Irvine Professor of Psychology Dr. Robin DiMatteo was hosted by the Center for Aging Research and Clinical Care as a Visiting Professor of Weill Cornell's Aging Center. Dr. DiMatteo participated in a number of events meant directed at Cornell clinicians, researchers, and students.

She began her day at the Irving Sherwood Wright Center, where she lectured on the clinical implications of adherence to members of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. The multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers, and fellows were treated to a bird's eye view of how adherence to medical therapies might be improved for older adults. Her noon Geriatric Grand Rounds, "Why Patients Don't Follow Treatment Regimens: 50 Years of Research on Patient Adherence," was well attended by Weill-Cornell Faculty, including many pilot grantees of the Aging Center.

Later in the day Dr. Dimatteo met individually with junior Aging Center researchers who have research projects that might benefit from her expertise. Dr. Jo Anne Sirey, an Associate Professor in geriatric psychiatry, who just received a career award from NIMH to study adherence with anti-depressant therapy, commented that having "the world's preeminent adherence expert available to provide advice and guidance on my work is unbelievable. I'm truly indebted to the Aging Center for bringing her here."

At the end of the day, Dr. DiMatteo met with students from the Geriatrics Interest Group for an informal discussion of communication within the doctor-older patient relationship.