Identified as a Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Education, the University of Wisconsin (UW) Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology was established in 1980 and is one of the premier academic programs in the country. It has a distinguished history of providing widely-acknowledged leadership in geriatric education and training in addition to conducting cutting-edge research in the biology, health services, and clinical aspects of aging. Through its extensive network of primary care and specialty clinics, the Division supports a breadth of clinical activities providing state-of-the-art medical care to thousands of geriatric patients referred from across the Midwest and beyond. The Division sponsors one of the oldest Geriatric Medicine Fellowship programs in the nation, training a number of highly-successful academic geriatricians including those currently providing national leadership to the field of gerontology.

The UW Division of Geriatrics is identified as one of the largest in the country, with a total of 24 faculty members. Of these, 16 members are fellowship-trained geriatricians while the other 8 are PhD investigators with acknowledged expertise in aging research. Each faculty member holds a primary appointment in the Division and makes major contributions toward successful accomplishment of the following missions:

• To provide easy access to state-of-the-art medical care encompassing a full continuum of geriatric services for all segments of older population targeting primary, specialty, and long-term care.
• To develop outcomes-based educational programs in geriatrics that will train a highly competent workforce to care for older adults, and become the future investigators and educators to lead the field of geriatrics into the next century.
• To support cutting edge, interdisciplinary, translational research in all aspects of aging, including that related to the biology, health services, and patient-oriented investigations. Additionally, to provide state-of-the-art training in all aspects of aging research, and to facilitate transition of young investigators from trainees to independently-funded faculty in aging research.

The Division is proud to sponsor the following core academic programs that facilitate accomplishment of the above missions, and foster geriatric education, patient care, and aging research throughout the UW campus and the nation at large:

• The Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) of the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, Wisconsin
• The Harford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Education
• The Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute (WAI)
• The DHHS-funded National Center of Excellence in Women's Health Research

In addition, the Division works collaboratively with the following established programs to enhance research and clinical care in specific targeted areas of geriatric research:

• The Wisconsin Comprehensive Memory Program (WCMP)
• The Osteoporosis Clinical and Research Program
• The NIH-funded Aging and Cancer Program

Identified as 1 of only 21 Centers of Excellence in aging research in the country, the Madison VA GRECC was established in 1991 to enhance all aspects of aging research throughout the VA and UW campus and, in collaboration with the UW Division of Geriatrics, strengthen and support geriatric fellowship training at both the UW and VA. In 2007, following an intense national competition, the UW Division of Geriatrics was 1 of only 3 new Hartford Centers of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Education that were funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation to enhance training of physician-scientists in aging research. Under the leadership of Mark Sager, MD, the WAI, was established in 1998 with funding from the Helen Bader Foundation and the State of Wisconsin to improve the services and care of patients with dementia through education, research, training, program development and public advocacy. Tha National Center of Excellence in Women's Health Research was established in 1998 by Molly Carnes, MD, MS, to enhance research in issues related to women's health and gender-based disparities in health delivery. Under the leadership of Sanjay Asthana, MD, the Wisconsin Comprehensive Memory Program, was established in 2001 to increase campus-wide efforts in interdisciplinary research related to dementia. In collaboration with the UW Division of Endocrinology, the Osteoporosis Clinical Center and Research Program was developed by Neil Binkley, MD, to establish an interdepartmental program targeting clinical care and research in osteoporosis and metabolic bone diseases. Finally, under the leadership of Richard Weindruch, PhD, the Aging and Cancer Program was established with funding from NCI and NIA to develop a geriatric-oncology program at the UW, and to establish collaborative research programs in aging and cancer.

The UW Division of Geriatrics is internationally recognized for a several of its research programs in aging and geriatrics. The current total research funding for the Division and GRECC is over $59 million. This funding supports cutting-edge investigations in several areas of primary research interests in the Division, including Alzheimer's disease, caloric restriction, osteoporosis, dysphagia, falls, older women's health, sleep disorders, and health services research. The majority of research funding comes from the NIH (i.e., RO1, PO1, T32, K12, K23 awards) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (Merit awards).

In addition to extensive research funding, the UW Division of Geriatrics has substantial funding from the NIH to support the training of young, talented investigators from fellowship through the early years of faculty appointment. This support includes two T32 grants (PI: Asthana, Carnes) and two K12 awards (PI: Carnes)

Provided below is the list of current faculty (with specific areas of educational or research interests) in the UW Division of Geriatrics:

• Rozalyn Anderson, PhD, Assistant Professor (Caloric Restriction)
• Sanjay Asthana, MD, Duncan G. and Lottie H. Ballantine Chair of Geriatrics Professor and Division Head (Alzheimer's Disease)
• Craig Atwood, PhD, Associate Professor (Alzheimer's Disease)
• Steven Barczi, MD, Associate Professor (Sleep Disorders and Medical Education)
• Barbara Bendlin, PhD, Assistant Professor (Alzheimer's Disease)
• Neil Binkley, MD, Associate Professor (Osteoporosis)
• Cynthia Carlsson, MD, MS, Associate Professor (Alzheimer's Disease)
• Molly Carnes, MD, MS, Professor (Women's Health)
• Amanda Deniger, NP, Geriatrics (Transitional Care)
  
• N. Maritza Dowling, PhD, MS, Associate Scientist (Biostatistics and Survey Research)
• Carey Gleason, PhD, Assistant Professor (Alzheimer's Disease)
• Bruce Grau, NP, Geriatrics (Long Term Care)
  
• Kurt Hansen, MD, MS, Assistant Professor (Hospital Care and Nursing Home Care)
• Christopher Hildebrand, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor (Primary Care, Medical Education)
• Kathleen Hoffland, NP, Geriatrics (UW East Cinic)
  
• Sterling Johnson, PhD, Associate Professor (Neuroimaging and Alzheimer's Disease)
• Amy Kind, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor (Transitional Care)
• Janis Lindsey-Oslo, NP, Geriatrics (Primary Care, University Station Clinic)
  
• Matthew LoConte, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor (Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Medical Education)
• Jane Mahoney, MD, Associate Professor (Fall Prevention)
• Gerald Pankratz, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor (Primary Care)
  
• Robert Przybelski, MD, MS, Associate Professor (Primary Care)
• Luigi Puglielli, MD, PhD, Associate Professor (Alzheimer's Disease)
• Mark Sager, MD, Professor (Health Services and Alzheimer's Disease)
• Michael Siebers, MD, Associate Professor (Primary Care, Medical Education)
• Tyler Steward, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor (Primary Care)
  
• Mihai Teodorescu, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor (Primary Care and Sleep Medicine)
• David Watts, MD, Associate Professor (Primary Care)
• Richard Weindruch, PhD, Professor (Caloric Restriction)
• Lora Wiggins, MD, Associate Professor (Health Policy Officer)