Basil ELDADAH, Supervisory Medical Officer, Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology (DGCG)
What do you get when you cross an early-career physician with aging research? A GEMSSTAR candidate! GEMSSTAR, or Grants for Early Medical/Surgical Specialists’ Transition to Aging Research, is NIA’s signature program supporting physicians who have recently completed clinical training and who are interested in pursuing a career in aging research related to their specialty. Think of a colorectal surgeon studying palliative care in older adults after high-risk surgery. Or an infectious disease specialist testing behavioral therapies for older adults with HIV and chronic pain.
Aging brings its own unique treatment challenges, and GEMSSTAR scholars build on their clinical training to address important aging health issues in their specialty. GEMSSTAR research doesn’t have to be clinical, though. For example, we support a cardiologist studying molecular mechanisms that could lead to new treatment strategies for heart failure in older patients. And given NIA’s strong focus on dementia and cognitive research, GEMSSTAR awardees also include investigators studying neuroscience, like an anesthesiologist researching the risk of cognitive changes for older adults after surgery.
Supporting physicians from across specialties
Since 2011, NIA has awarded nearly 170 GEMSSTAR grants to physicians representing almost every major specialty of medicine or surgery. In fact, physicians from all specialties are eligible to apply — provided other eligibility criteria are met — because it will take physicians from a broad range of disciplines to provide comprehensive care for our older adult population.
We are also seeing an interesting trend among GEMSSTAR applicants, who are beginning to come to the program with formal training in both geriatrics and another specialty. It’s a sign of where health care is headed, and we’re gratified to be a part of training this next generation of physician leaders in aging research.