The goal of this ACLA at the HMS is to develop an academic research and training infrastructure in minority aging and health at HMS that will lead to the establishment of a Center of Excellence in MAHR. The proposed initiative will build upon HU s NIA-supported Exploratory Center on Minority Aging and Health Promotion (MAHP), the Department of Social Medicine s NIMH-supported post-doctoral training program in culture and medicine, the Division on Aging s Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program, and the Harvard Geriatric Education Center s (GEC) short-term training modules for academically-based faculty and primary care practitioners.
The specific aims are to: (1) develop an academic Working Group on MAHR; (2) expand research training in this field; (3) develop short-term research modules that will be incorporated into the GEC s training activities; (4) develop a new course offering for medical students at HMS; (5) develop curriculum which will be incorporated into HMS Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program; (6) develop a seminar series open to the entire HMS focusing on a broad range of topics relevant to minority aging and health research; and, (7) to expand and sustain the academic-community partnerships that currently exist in the African-American, Latino and Chinese communities. The candidate is uniquely qualified to lead this new initiative. She is an experienced research scientist, geriatric educator, and academic administrator, with over 13 years of gerontologic research. Dr. Levkoff has successfully directed large, multidisciplinary research and training projects, including the NIA-supported MAHP and the Harvard GEC. She has collaborated with senior faculty from the Departments of Social medicine, Medicine, Psychiatry, Health Care Policy, and Ambulatory Care and Prevention, who all agree that there is great need for the proposed initiative and have indicated their willingness to be active participants in its development and institutionalization at HMS. The candidate has also demonstrated her leadership capablities in developing strong collaborative relationships with community agencies serving persons of color, which is an essential ingredient for the success of the proposed initiative. HU officials responsible for promoting diversity believe that the proposed initiative will complement and enhance existing efforts to expand diversity among students and faculty at HMS.
