Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine

A story about $2.4 million in funding for studies at Buffalo’s VA Medical Center reports Jennifer K. Lang, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, will receive $1.4 million to study heart failure and myocardial infarction; and Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine, will receive $200,000 to study the impact of high-intensity interval training on older adults.

An article about the secrets to aging gracefully looks at the UB Center for Successful Aging and interviews Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine; Nikhil Satchidanand, PhD, an exercise physiologist and assistant professor of medicine; and Kenneth L. Seldeen, PhD, research assistant professor of medicine.

A Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ animal study may be one of the first to examine how low levels of vitamin D affect physical performance over the long term. Senior author on the study is Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. First author is Kenneth L. Seldeen, PhD, research assistant professor of medicine, who said, “The take-home message of this study is that while having low serum vitamin D for a month or even a year or two may not matter for a person, yet over several decades it may have clinical ramifications.”

While some issues are part of the normal aging process, geriatric syndromes aren’t, according to Anjeet K. Saini, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. “When we get older, we’re at greater risk for disability that interfere with activities of daily living,” she said. “In geriatrics, activities of daily living are the core principles we need to survive. Once ADLs are decreased, we have more disabilities.”

An article detailing a study that shows that exercise can slow the progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia quotes Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and division chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine. Troen suggested that while the mechanism is unclear, exercise might help keep blood flowing to areas of the brain restricted by dementia.

An article about New York State’s 10 Centers of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease, including the Western New York center based at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, interviews Bruce R. Troen, MD, center co-director and professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and Kinga Szigeti, MD, PhD, associate professor of neurology and center co-director.

Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and Kenneth L. Seldeen, PhD, research assistant professor of medicine, have concluded a preclinical study that showed that brief periods of intense physical activity can be safely administered at an advanced age, and that this kind of activity has the potential to reverse frailty. “We know that being frail or being at risk for becoming frail puts people at increased risk of dying and comorbidity,” Troen said. “These results show that it’s possible that high-intensity interval training can help enhance quality of life and capacity to be healthy.”

Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, led a study that used geriatric mice that ran on treadmills to learn whether abbreviated, intense workouts may help people of any age become healthier. “The animals had tolerated the high-intensity interval training well,” despite their advanced ages, he said, noting that interval training has a signature advantage. “You get done so quickly.”

A UB study used geriatric mice that ran on treadmills to learn whether abbreviated, intense workouts may help people of any age become healthier. Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, conducted the study. “The animals had tolerated the high-intensity interval training well,” despite their advanced ages, he said, noting that interval training has a signature advantage. “You get done so quickly.”

Bruce Naughton, MD, of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Care in the Department of Medicine, knew he wanted to focus on primary care and underserved populations once he learned about the needs in the field of medicine.

Most Americans born in 1900 may not have lived past 50, but Baby Boomers in the years to come will continue to stretch the aging curve. One of the key goals is not so much to extend lifespan but to extend the health span,” says Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine.

Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, discusses his study of vitamin D and resveratrol, the shifting field of geriatrics and concerns that his patients and their families express to him. He aims to lead the effort toward helping Western New Yorkers grow older in healthy ways.

Jack P. Freer, MD, clinical professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, says assisted suicide is ‘almost always a last resort,’ though in some cases, it may be the right thing to do.

Geriatrics researchers at the University at Buffalo and across New York State have joined forces to investigate the connection between frailty and dementia. UB geriatrician Bruce Troen, MD, says that even as physicians see more frailty in aging patients, the definition of the condition itself has not been well established. 

Multidisciplinary physician-scientist Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine, has been named a fellow of the American Geriatrics Society.