We propose to conduct a Summer Institute in Geriatric Medicine at Boston University in June 1988 for twenty senior medical students, co-sponsored by the American Geriatrics Society.
The specific aims of the Summer Institute are to conduct an intensive educational program to introduce students to geriatric medicine and clinical research methodology. This program will include: lectures, case presentations, and discussion on major topics in geriatric medicine, lectures on research methodology and special issues of research in geriatric populations, research workshops to discuss design and methodologic issues, and site visits to clinical and research programs in geriatrics. Medical students will meet successful academic geriatricians as well as peers who share similar interests. The long-term objectives of this project are to encourage professional commitment to geriatrics and to stimulate interest in geriatric research by demonstrating its relationship to important clinical issues. Evaluation will be conducted by means of formal questionnaires and informal discussion. This will enable the directors to determine whether the specific aims have been achieved. Long- term follow-up is planned after the expiration of the grant period, to determine whether the participants indeed select careers in geriatrics and research.
