Benjamin Rosenstein, MD, MA, assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, received the Geriatric Academic Career Award (GACA) sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The four-year award supports the career development of junior faculty as academic geriatricians.
Rosenstein will use the support of GACA to enhance the geriatrics education infrastructure at the University of Minnesota, and develop more educational opportunities with geriatric care partners.
“There is a lot of geriatric-related activity going on in Minnesota. The question is, how do we get all of these elements working together and aligned? Who is doing what well, what is missing, and how do we collaborate so all health profession students are receiving training in geriatrics at our various training sites?” said Rosenstein. “A large element of the GACA focuses on management of older adults in long-term care settings. In addition to aligning training sites with the geriatrics education they may already provide, my GACA focuses toward including nursing homes as a primary training site in addition to typical hospitals and clinics.”
Rosenstein's GACA will be supported by the existing structure of the Minnesota Northstar Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (MN GWEP), which also is supported by HRSA, the primary federal agency for improving health care for people who are geographically isolated and economically or medically vulnerable. A goal of the MN GWEP is to facilitate and strengthen meaningful support and collaboration of key partners in the geriatrics field.
"GACA is a wonderful recognition of Ben's expertise and his potential to become a national leader in geriatrics. The GACA program will bring Ben and the University of Minnesota into a national cohort of rising academic geriatricians and senior mentors. I congratulate Ben on this great honor," said James T. Pacala, MD, MS, professor and head of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and project director of MN GWEP.
Mentors for Rosenstein's GACA include Pacala; Joseph Gaugler, PhD, The Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long Term Care and Aging and director of the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation; Kristine Talley, PhD, CNP, RN, FGSA, associate professor in the School of Nursing; and Christine Arenson, MD, FNAP, director of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. The dyad partner for implementation of the GACA is Christina Cauble, MBA, LNHA, HSE, who is a geriatric education specialist in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and adjunct faculty in College of Continuing and Professional Studies for Long Term Care Administration.
“I am excited to mentor Dr. Rosenstein on interprofessional geriatrics learning opportunities,” said Talley, who is also a co-director of the MN GWEP. “In my training to become a gerontological nurse practitioner, I was fortunate to have a rotation in a nursing home with a physician, pharmacist, and nurse practitioner team. This experience solidified my desire to teach and practice gerontological nursing. I look forward to creating shared learning experiences in nursing homes with Dr. Rosenstein and hopefully inspiring new health professionals to seek careers in geriatric settings.”
Rosenstein's award is the third GACA award at the University of Minnesota. Previous recipients include Teresa McCarthy, MD, MS, and Edward Ratner, MD, who will collaborate with Rosenstein on projects in geriatrics education such as Dementia Friends. According to Pacala, the GACA award is known to foster and propel clinicians into leadership in geriatrics, and both McCarthy and Ratner have continued to provide exemplary leadership at the University of Minnesota in the care of older adults and geriatrics education.
“The need for coordinated geriatrics education in Minnesota, the U.S., and the world is pressing,” said Gaugler, who is also a co-director of the MN GWEP. “I am thrilled that Dr. Rosenstein is the recipient of a GACA, and I look forward to working with him to further coordinate geriatrics education across units and disciplines at the University of Minnesota.”
Rosenstein completed his family medicine training at the University of Minnesota St. John's Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program. Following residency, he pursued his interests in the care of older adults and completed a Geriatrics Medicine Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He has deep interest in primary and specialty care of older adults in multiple settings as well as health and aging policy initiatives.