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Return to Volume 3, Issue 4 Table of Contents
Entering its 11th year, the Paul B. Beeson Career Development Awards in Aging Research Program has successfully supported
over 100 outstanding physician-scientists nationwide to address the health care needs of the rising elderly population in America. Under the support of several foundations and the National Institute on Aging, the program was launched in 1994 with the hopes of creating a cadre of physicians able to serve as researchers, educators, and leaders in geriatrics
and aging.
The program has allowed Beeson Scholars to make substantial advances in aging research, including areas such as neurodegeneration, diabetes, and heart disease, by providing the funds to pursue research and protecting 75 percent of the scholars’ time. The scholars have published hundreds of peer-reviewed articles and are committed to educating their peers
and drawing awareness to aging-related topics at their institutions.
Raymond Yung, MD, Associate Professor in the Division of Geriatrics of the Department of Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Veterans Affairs investigator, and 1998 Beeson Scholar, states: “The award helped me realize the research opportunities available in geriatric medicine and gerontology. From a personal perspective, the award
also cemented my decision to pursue a career in aging immunology research. The Beeson award is also a lot more than just grant money; the opportunity in the annual Beeson meeting to connect with other young and national leaders in the aging field, to establish collaboration, and to form lifelong friendships is something that is priceless.”
The Beeson program has not only been successful in supporting future leaders conducting top-notch research, but has also drawn attention to geriatric and aging issues throughout the medical community. Geriatric interest has dramatically increased, as evident by the increase in articles on aging and geriatric topics published in medical journals since the Beeson program’s conception (described in Academic Internal Medicine Insight Volume 3, Issue 2). Also, more funding opportunities and career development awards are now available as a response to an increased interest in geriatric medicine.
The program is named after Paul B. Beeson, MD, the former Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at Emory and Yale University Schools of Medicine, Nuffield Professor at Oxford University, and Veterans Administration Distinguished Physician at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Beeson chaired the Institute of Medicine study, “Aging and Medical Education,” in 1978. Reports from this study and others thereafter emphasized the need for physicians trained in aging-related issues.
For more information on the Paul B. Beeson Career Development Awards in Aging, please visit the program website at www.beeson.org or contact AAIM Grants Assistant Irene Sonu at (202) 861-9351 or isonu@im.org.
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