This proposal for a Geriatric Mental Health Academic Award proposes a program for the development toward research competence of Sanford I. Finkel, M.D., director of gero-psychiatry in the Institute of Psychiatry, Northwestern University Medical School. Upon completion of the award, he will function as a researcher in the area of treatment of mental illness and behavioral dysfunction in the elderly; and will function as a resource person to help develop other researchers with similar interests and to introduce research findings in the area of mental health and aging in the academic environment. Toward that end, Dr. Finkel will be supervised by John Davis, M.D., and will have access to experts including Edward P. Sheridan, Ph.D. and John S. Lyons, Ph.D. Among them, these experts possess knowledge and skills in psychopharmacology, chronic mental illness and research methodology in psychiatry. The project designed by Dr. Finkel to develop his research skills is a study of neuroleptic medication (thiothixene) in the treatment of agitation in a nursing home. Each subject will spend four-month periods on steady-state, PRN, and no medication. Subjects will be evaluated before, during, and after trials using a variety of scales and measures. In addition to this research study, the nominee has arranged for intensive educational input regarding research methods, including formal courses, visits to centers where such research is underway, and participation in research committee meetings locally and elsewhere. Beginning in the second year, the nominee will be available as a preceptor to students. Throughout the period of the award, he will teach geriatrics in behavioral science courses to medical students, psychiatry residents, and gero-psychiatry fellows, and will participate in a wide range of other activities designed to promote gero-psychiatry research and knowledge at Northwestern University. The applicant institution will evaluate the progress of the nominee semi-annually. The impact of the Geriatric Mental Health Academic Award on the institution will also be evaluated. The nominee presents an extensive and notable background and expertise in gero-psychiatry gained over a period of twenty years of clinical experience. This proposal is made with the intent of translating that experience into research expertise, and imparting that knowledge to future generations of mental health professionals in the aging field.
| Finkel, S I; Lyons, J S; Anderson, R L (1993) A brief agitation rating scale (BARS) for nursing home elderly. J Am Geriatr Soc 41:50-2 |
