Southeast Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine (SCEGM)
Director: Richard M. Allman, MD
Established: 1998

Mission
The Southeast Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine (SCEGM) is a collaborative effort of Emory University and UAB that provides advanced training for physicians preparing for careers in Geriatric Medicine. The SCEGM provides post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty with the expertise, mentorship, and overall environment needed for launching successful academic careers either as researchers or as clinician-educators.

Center Research
Trainees of the SCEGM conduct research, educational, or quality improvement projects with the guidance of a mentor and a mentor committee composed of faculty with relevant expertise. Mentoring committees include at least one faculty member from both UAB and Emory University. SCEGM Research Advisors provide methodological and program guidance for all trainees. Focus areas of the SCEGM include mobility-related problems such as falls, driving, and pressure ulcers, genitor-urinary disorders such as incontinence and nocturia, quality improvement, dementia and caregiving issues, vision science, and basic mechanisms of cell senescence and its impact on immune function and cancer. Current projects are related to geriatric heart failure, the ethics of end-of-life research, web-based and case studies for geriatric education.

Training Support Awards
The Center offers training support awards for physician faculty with an interest in Geriatric Medicine. These one-year awards provide 50% salary support (up to $50,000) for protected time that can be devoted to academic career development for physician scientists or clinician educators.

Source of Support
Funding for the SCEGM comes from The John A. Hartford Foundation and from matching institutional funds from Emory University, Wesley Woods, the UAB School of Medicine and Department of Medicine, and the UAB Center for Aging. The John A. Hartford Foundation, Inc. of New York City focuses its resources on improving the quality and financing of health care and enhancing the capacity of the health care system to accommodate the growing older population.