Reimagining the Future of Aging
As our population continues to age, the challenges and opportunities of growing older are more complex than ever. The UCLA Division of Geriatrics is committed to leading this moment with vision and purpose by expanding access to high-quality, specialized care, accelerating discoveries that deepen our understanding of aging, and cultivating the next generation of clinicians and scientists who will shape the field.
Since 1990, UCLA has consistently been ranked among the top academic centers for geriatrics in the United States by U.S. News & World Report. Through innovation, strategic investment, and a steadfast focus on impact, we aim to advance models of care and research that support healthier, more resilient aging across our communities.
Meeting the Moment in Healthy Aging
The Geriatrics Chief Priorities Fund is designed to meet this moment by providing flexible, visionary support for the most important work happening in geriatrics today. From advancing clinical excellence and expanding access to specialized care, to accelerating discoveries in aging science and cultivating the next generation of leaders, this fund fuels efforts that make large strides in how we understand, deliver, and continuously improve care that helps older adults age with health, dignity, and purpose. With a focus on impact and adaptability, it empowers the division to respond to emerging needs and bold ideas that shape the future of geriatric medicine—with compassion, purpose, and urgency.
Investing in the Geriatrics Chief Priorities Fund will help:
- Transform clinical care for older adults: Driving progress through the development, testing, and scaling of forward-thinking approaches to aging care. This includes expanding access across UCLA Health sites, integrating practices that support physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being, strengthening preventive care for adults approaching older age through early interventions and expert guidance, and much more.
- Enhance the hospital experience: Improving outcomes for hospitalized older adults by preventing functional decline, through programs such as the UCLA Companion Care Program—which reduces social isolation through meaningful intergenerational engagement between young volunteers and geriatric patients, and the Mobility Program, which promotes early mobilization to prevent loss of muscle strength and subsequent loss of independence.
- Catalyze research funding: Providing seed support that enables faculty to launch innovative studies in areas such as menopause, dementia, fall prevention, quality improvement, and other critical aspects of aging science research that can lead to transformative solutions.
- Bolster training of future specialists: Sustaining and expanding nationally recognized programs like the Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) program and the UCLA Geriatrics Fellowship Program. These initiatives cultivate the next generation of geriatricians and physician-scientists at a time of significant national workforce shortages.
To learn more about the Division of Geriatrics, please visit: https://www.uclahealth.org/departments/medicine/geriatrics/about-us