Upstate Medical University’s geriatrics division now operates as a new department

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Upstate Medical University has made its division of geriatrics into its own clinical department.

Geriatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the health and care of older adults, Upstate added.

Geriatrics’ status as its own department became effective on July 1. It had previously operated as a division of Upstate’s department of medicine, Upstate Medical said in a news release.

Its status as a clinical department “recognizes the increase in numbers of older adults and the increasingly complex overlap” with other medical specialties in the care of elderly, Upstate Medical said.

The creation of a department of geriatrics will bring additional funding for “enhanced” services, faculty positions and research, “all aimed at the care and wellbeing of older adults,” Upstate Medical said.

The medical school joins “only a handful” of other academic health-science institutions across the country that have “elevated” geriatrics to its own clinical department, it added.

Dr. Sharon Brangman, who has led Upstate’s division of geriatrics for 20 years, will be the inaugural chair of Upstate Medical’s department of geriatrics. The medical school describes Brangman as a “nationally prominent geriatrician.”

Brangman, a SUNY distinguished professor, is a former president of the American Geriatrics Society and is a “leading voice” for the care of elderly across the nation, per the release.

“As America ages, we must sharpen our focus to address the issues of the elderly with all aspects of Upstate’s mission: teaching, research and clinical care,” Dr. Danielle Laraque-Arena, Upstate Medical University president and health system CEO, said. “The time is right to make this a priority for our university and with the leadership of Dr. Sharon Brangman we can make great strides in this effort.”

The elevation to a clinical department could also increase the number of residency slots that Upstate Medical offers in geriatrics. It currently supports two fellowships in the specialty.

“I am grateful for the support Upstate has provided for the clinical care and study of diseases that affect our oldest patients,” Brangman said. “The medical world is starting to understand the impact older patients are having on our healthcare system. With the focus on our patients and their families, we must address all aspects of caring for this vulnerable population.”

The decision to elevate the profile of geriatrics at Upstate also was in part a “reflection” by the university to “sharpen its focus” on treating and researching Alzheimer’s disease, That effort “will be supported” with plans for the Nappi Longevity Institute, the new building named for benefactors Sam and Carol Nappi, that will have a “special focus” on healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease.

Groundbreaking for the building, which will be located at the corner of Almond and East Adams streets in Syracuse, is set for this fall.

Aging population

Statistics show that about 15 percent of the U.S. population is 65 and older. By 2050 that percentage will be 22.5 percent, with those individuals who are 85 years of age and older increasing at the fastest rate.

Many elderly are more active than people their age were years ago, but nearly all individuals over the of 65 have some chronic illness.

Upstate Medical cites data from the Arlington, Virginia–based National Council on Aging that indicates about 92 percent of seniors have at least one chronic disease and 77 percent have at least two. Heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes are among the most common and costly chronic health conditions causing two-thirds of deaths each year.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com