Christopher M. Callahan, MD, the founding director of the Indiana University Center for Aging Research and a Regenstrief Institute investigator, will serve as the Society of General Internal Medicine’s Distinguished Professor of Geriatrics at the organization‘s 2018 annual meeting in Denver from April 11 to 14.
Over nearly three decades, Dr. Callahan has developed, tested and implemented new models of care designed to improve the health of older adults. These models facilitate collaboration between patients, their families, healthcare providers and community service agencies with an emphasis on applying health information technology. Both his research and clinical work focus on improving care for individuals with late-life depression and dementia.
“Many older adults fear the prospect of losing their mental capacities more than they fear death,” said Dr. Callahan. “Potential insults to brain health are seemingly everywhere, ranging from conditions like vascular disease and dementia, to conditions like depression and head trauma, to the side effects of medications, to the consequences of inactivity and poor nutrition. We are working to get better in helping older adults protect their brains and building communities that help maintain healthy brains.”
Dr. Callahan is the Cornelius and Yvonne Pettinga Professor of Medicine at IU School of Medicine and the Chief Research and Development Officer of Eskenazi Health, where he also directs the Brain Health Patient Safety Learning Laboratory. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation.
Through its Distinguished Professor of Geriatrics program, the Society of General Internal Medicine honors a general internist or geriatrician with nationally recognized expertise in education, research, and/or clinical care related to the care of older adults. The program facilitates career development of society members in academic fields directly related to older patients.
In addition to engaging in scientific and poster sessions with Society of General Internal Medicine meeting participants, Dr. Callahan will deliver the Distinguished Professor of Geriatrics keynote lecture on April 12.
