Dartmouth Health has received nearly $12 million to create a program to study the needs of people who are aging and have serious illnesses.
The $11.8 million federal grant comes from the Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence program, through the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The program helps states that have historically received less National Institutes of Health funding to expand their research capacity. Close to $3 million has been included in the award to help fund Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine’s participation in the program.
Dartmouth Health has named its aging study program the Center for Aging with Serious Illness. The grant will allow the center to collaborate with other research institutions, support early-career clinician-scientists, and broaden the Dartmouth Health research community focusing on older adults with serious illness.
“CASI will concentrate on building a network of experts who will conduct clinical, behavioral, and health services research to address the challenges faced by older adults with serious illness,” said Angelo E. Volandes, Dartmouth Health’s interim chief research officer.
Sitting in one of the oldest rural areas in the country, Joanne Conroy, CEO and president of Dartmouth Health, said in a press release that her organization’s location gives it the opportunity to lead on aging research.
“Rural America is the next frontier in healthcare, and nowhere is that clearer than in the care of older adults living with serious illness” said Conroy.
