H-GEC - about H-GEC

About H-GEC

The Houston Geriatric Education Center (H-GEC) is funded by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the Department of Health and Human Services. The grant was initially funded in 2007 with renewed funding for five years beginning in 2010. (Grant #UB4HP19058).

The goal of the H-GEC is to provide faculty, students, and practicing healthcare providers with the knowledge and skill to sustain and create healthier communities for vulnerable older people.

The H-GEC has established a collaborative partnership in geriatric education and training with faculty in:

UTHealth Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Public Health, and Biomedical Informatics
Schools of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy at Texas Woman’s University
Schools of Pharmacy, Social Work, Optometry, and Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Houston

The interdisciplinary faculty designs and develops curriculum and educates healthcare students, providers, and faculty and community service providers, such as adult protection staff, local police and sheriff departments, financial planners, elder law attorneys, and voluntary ombudsmen, on the care of vulnerable elders.

Education and training opportunities are offered through:

Intensive certificate programs in geriatrics and gerontology for interdisciplinary healthcare providers
A faculty development course for Houston Community College faculty who teach in healthcare programs
Programs in palliative and end of life care for teams of interdisciplinary healthcare providers in acute care settings
Short courses and trainings for healthcare providers, students and faculty and community service providers
An annual student competition in which interdisciplinary teams of students from 9 different healthcare disciplines assess frail elders in community settings

Education and training topics may include:

Basic care of frail elders
Memory issues
Dementia
Mental health and behavior management
Caregiver issues
Oral health
Medical management
Ethics
Elder abuse and mistreatment
Disaster preparedness

Faculty and Staff

Carmel B. Dyer, MD
Principal Investigator
UTHealth Medical School Carmel Dyer MD

Margaret Lehman Blake, PhD
Dept. Communication Sciences & Disorders
University of Houston

Vaunette Fay, PhD, RN
Co-Investigator
UTHealth School of Nursing Vaunette Fay, PhD, RN

David V. Flores, PhD, LMSW, MPH, CPH
UTHealth Medical School

Gayle I. Hersch, PhD, OTR
Consultant
Texas Woman’s University, School of Occupational Therapy

Carolyn J. Kelley, PT, DSc, NCS
Consultant
Texas Woman’s University, School of Physical Therapy

Nancy D. Ordonez, PharmD, BCPS Assistant Dean for Experiential Programs University of Houston College of Pharmacy

Sharon K. Ostwald, PhD, RN
Professor Emeritus
UTHealth School of Nursing Sharon Ostwald MD

June Sadowsky, DDS, MPH
Co-Investigator
UTHealth School of Dentistry June Sadowsky, DDS, MPH

Donna Warren-Morris, RDH, MEd
Co-Investigator
UTHealth School of Dentistry

Beth Ardoin Watson, BA, MEd
UTHealth
Organizational Learning Technology Resources

Lyn Emerich, PT, MS
Administrative Director
UTHealth Consortium on Aging

Laura E. Niles, MPH
H-GEC Grant Manager
UTHealth

Fang Ye, RN, MSN
Research Nurse
UTHealth School of Nursing

H-GEC Community Partners

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
TEAM (Texas Elder Abuse and Mistreatment) Institute
Harris County Medical Examiners Office and EFFORT (Elder Abuse Fatality Review Team)
Houston Financial Abuse Specialist Team (H-FAST)
Long Term Care Ombudsman Program