NORTHWEST GERIATRIC EDUCATION CENTER

Teaching Faculty

Suhail Ahmad, MD, is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington and Medical Director of the Dialysis and Apheresis Laboratory at the Hypertension Clinic at the UW Medical Center, and Medical Director of the Scribner Kidney Center.  His expertise in dialysis and hypertension allows him to effectively oversee numerous clinical trials - a role he has had for over 25 years.  His research interests are mainly on pathophysiology and management of hypertension, dialysis technology, and innovative products.  Dr. Ahmad is the author of Manual of Clinical Dialysis.
sahmad@u.washington.edu
Topic:  Hypertension and Aging

Marilynn Albert, MSN, ARNP, is Senior Lecturer and Adult Nurse Practitioner in the Department of Psychosocial and Community Health.  Her special interests are in health promotion and risk reduction for older adult populations, and in working with debilitated older persons and their families.   She is also interested in designing and providing appropriate teaching tools for clinical use, applying the principles of adult learning and health literacy.
albertml@u.washington.edu
Topic:  Health Literacy

Maggie Baker, PhD, RN, is a Research Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Nursing, University of Washington. She serves as Director of the Advanced Practice Forensic Nurse Specialist Training Grant and Project Director for the Rural Health Training Grant. She has research and clinical interests in gerontology and health policy. She focuses her research on elder mistreatment, specifically the interaction of elder mistreatment and stress.
mwbaker@u.washington.edu
Topic:  Elder Mistreatment

Basia Belza, PhD, RN, is a Professor in Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Orthopedics, University of Washington. She is a nationally recognized expert in the relationship of physical activity/exercise and health, particularly in the contexts of arthritis and gerontology. She has received numerous research grants and has published extensively in the areas of physical activity/exercise, disease and disease prevention. She lectures regularly to students, professionals and the lay public on the topics of arthritis, physical activity/exercise, and health.
basiab@u.washington.edu
Topic: Keeping Older Adults Physically Active

Alfred Berg, MD, MPH,  is a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington.  He has been recognized for his contribution to enhancing the academic credibility of family medicine.    He has served on many national expert panels using evidence-based methods to develop clinical guidelines.  He currently chairs the CDC panel on Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention, and the NIH State-of-the Science Conference on Family History in Primary Care.
aberg@u.washington.edu
Topic: Preventive Healthcare

Soo Borson, MD, is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and directs the Geriatrics Clinic at the UWMC. She is nationally recognized for both her clinical and research skills in geriatric psychiatry, particularly in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease and Depression, areas in which she has published extensively.
soob@u.washington.edu
Topics: Dementia; Depression

Gayle Bouvet, PT, is a physical therapist and APTA-certified geriatric clinical specialist in the University of Washington’s Strong and Steady Program, which has shown that developing physical fitness, strength and balance can improve the health and mental well-being of people of any age as well as those with a full range of chronic illnesses, from arthritis and cardiovascular disease to dementia.
gbouvet@u.washington.edu
Topic: Fall Prevention

Whitney Carlson, MD, is Acting Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry.  She has had a long-standing interest in mood disorders, depression in particular.  She is board certified in geriatric psychiatry and has a significant interest in the specifics of identifying and treating depression in the elderly population and teaching others to do so. 
cwhitney@u.washington.edu
Topic:  Depression in Late Life:  A Psychiatric Perspective

Michael Chen, MD, PhD, is  Assistant Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center.  He is a specialist in aging and cardiovascular disease, having received fellowship training in both fields. He is particularly interested in heart failure in the elderly and exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation.  His doctoral research focused on how age and gender influence patient-physician interaction..
michen@u.washington.edu
Topic:  Heart Failure in Older Adults

Ru-Chien Chi is an Assistant Professor in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Washington.  Her research has focused on influenza vaccines. She is a geriatrician with a clinical interest in vaccines for seniors.
rchi@u.washington.edu
Topic:  Shingles

Claudia Davis, MN, ARNP, is a Clinical Instructor of Biobehavioral Nursing and a Health Care Specialist at the Dermatology Center University of Washington Medical Center. She provides individualized formal education to medical and nursing staff, medical and graduate nursing students and patients and their families/significant others. She regularly provides educational lectures on skin care, particularly in the context of aging and is in the process of developing a Skin Care Curriculum Module for the NWGEC. cadavis@u.washington.edu
Topic: Skin Care

George Dicks, BA, GMHS, is a certified Geriatric Mental Health Specialist who provides psychiatric assessment and treatment to older adults and their families and physicians, in his capacity as Lead Mental Health Practitioner in the Geriatric Psychiatry Service, Harborview Mental Health Services. Mr. Dicks is on faculty of Edmonds Community College, where he teaches in the Gerontology Certificate Program. He is also a member of the Seattle Mayor’s Council for African American Elders, a policy review and advisory board. 
gdicks@u.washington.edu
Topic: Family Issues

Carin Dugowson, MD, MPH, is Associate Professor in Rheumatology and Adjunct Associate Professor in Epidemiology at the UW.  Her research interests are osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis and epidemiology and musculoskeletal disease.
carind@u.washington.edu
Topic:  Arthritis in Seniors

Jesse Fann, MD, MPH, is Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington.  He has researched, lectured, and published in the areas of epidemiology, phenomenology, and outcomes of delirium in medically ill populations.  He is a member of the Consultation-Liaison Service at the UW and Director of Psychiatry and Psychology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.  He has also lectured nationally on the topic of delirium, including at the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine's Board Review Course for Subspeciality Certification in Psychosomatic Medicine.
fann@u.washington.edu
Topic:  Delirium

Marilyn Ferguson-Wolf, MA, RD, CSG, CD, is a Task Force Member for Gerontological Specialty Exam for the American Dietetic Association, and Consulting Dietitian to Long Term Care for the Dietitian Consulting Services, LLC.   She has worked with the elderly since 1980 in long term care facilities. Her work has helped her apply the science of nutrition to the art of application in the day-to-day life of older adults.
fergusonwolf@gmail.com
Topic:  Nutrition

Michael Fruin, RN, MN, ARNP-BC, FAHA, is a Nurse Practitioner at the Seattle Neuroscience Institute, Swedish Stroke Program.  He is a stroke specialist with a particular interest and experience in the acute treatment, prevention of, and community education relating to stroke.  He is involved in acute inpatient stroke care, stroke research and the development of a secondary stroke prevention clinic.  In 2006, he was awarded Fellowship in  the American Heart and Stroke Associations for his work in the field of stroke. 
msf@seanet.com
Topic:  Preventing Stroke

Gregory C. Gardner, MD, is Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, and Adjunct Professor of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. His current research interest is in the psychosocial aspects of fibromyalgia and has publishes extensively in the areas of fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. He is heavily involved in both medical student and continuing medical education and he authored the NWGEC’s Curriculum Module on Arthritis.
rheumdoc@u.washington.edu
Topic: Arthritis

Shelly Gray, PharmD, is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy, University of Washington. She is the recipient of a Career Development Award from the National Institute of Aging.  Currently, she directs the Geriatric Pharmacy Program and takes an active role in the geriatric certificate program. She served as Chair of the Geriatrics Practice and Research Network (ACCP) and is a member of the research committee for American Geriatrics Society. Her research focuses on the pharmacoepidemiology of medication-related problems in frail elderly and the impact of adverse drug effects on functional status. 
slgray@u.washington.edu
Topics: Optimizing Medication Use; Herbal and Nutritional Supplements

Linda Haas, PhC, RN, CDE, is the Endocrinology Clinical Nurse Specialist at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle Division. She supervises five nurse-run clinics for diabetes management and education. She is a past president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators and the American Diabetes Association. She has authored numerous articles and chapters on diabetes care and lectures nationally on diabetes management. Ms. Haas prepared the Northwest Geriatric Education Center’s Curriculum Module on Diabetes Mellitus.
linda.haas@med.va.gov
Topics:  Treating Diabetes Mellitus; Foot Care in Diabetes Mellitus

Margaret Heitkemper, PhD, RN, FAAN, is Professor and Chairperson, Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, and Adjunct Professor, Division of Gastroenterology, at the School of Medicine at the University of Washington.  She is also Director of the NIH-National Institute for Nursing Research-funded Center for Women's Health and Gender Research at the UW.  In 2006, Dr. Heitkemper received the American Academy of Nursing Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science Outstanding Nurse Scientist Award.
vharrell@u.washington.edu
Topic: Gastrointestinal Health in Older Adults

Karen Kent, MSG, LMHC, is the Clinical Supervisor of King County’s Geriatric Regional Assessment Team, an outreach team that provides crisis services, care-giving counseling, substance abuse intervention, and private pay consultation and intervention services under the umbrella of Evergreen Healthcare. She has a master’s degree in gerontology from the University of Southern California and has been in the field of geriatric mental health for thirty years. She authored the NWGEC’s Grief and Loss Curriculum Module.
kkent@evergreenhealthcare.org
Topics: Grief and Loss; Stress Management

Asuman Kiyak, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and directs the University of Washington’s Institute on Aging. She has conducted several large studies of oral health promotion among older persons, age and ethnic differences in health service use (especially in the area of oral health care), and adaptation among older persons with Alzheimer's disease.  Currently, she is Principal Investigator of a large multi-center clinical trial with older persons funded by NIH and an intergenerational oral health promotion project funded by the CDC. 
kiyak@u.washington.edu
Topics: Oral Health; Successful Aging

Andrea LaCroix, PhD, is a Professor of Epidemiology, University of Washington and the Co-Principal Investigator of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). She directs the WHI’s Clinical Coordinating Center at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She is a world-recognized expert on the epidemiology of women’s health and disease prevention and has published extensively in these areas. 
alacroix@fhcrc
Topics: Osteoporosis; 7 Habits of Healthy Living; Women’s Health Initiative: Recent Findings

Susan Lakey, PharmD, is a Clinical Instructor of Pharmacy at the University of Washington and a member of the Geriatric Program Faculty. She completed an advanced practice specialty residency and fellowship in geriatric psychopharmacology through the University of Washington Department of Pharmacy. Her research interests include the impact of medication-related problems and adverse drug effects in the older adult population. 
slakey@u.washington.edu
Topics: Optimizing Medication Use; Complementary Medicine - Herbals

Rebecca Logsdon, PhD, is Research Associate Professor in the Department of Psychosocial and Community Health, University of Washington School of Nursing. She is a clinical psychologist specializing in gerontology, and has worked with older adult clients for over 15 years. Her research focuses on treatment of depression and behavioral disturbance in older adults with dementia, and she is principal investigator of a National Institute of Aging project investigating quality of life of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. She has published extensively in this area and regularly makes educational presentations on related topics. 
logsdon@u.washington.edu
Topics:  Dementia; Depression; Treating Behavioral Problems in Dementia; Health Enhancement through Behavior Change

Alvin Matsumoto, MD is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. He has been a practicing endocrinologist for 30 years and geriatrician for 22 of those years.
alvin.matsumoto@med.va.gov
Topic:  Thyroid Dysfunction and Aging

Wayne McCormick, MD, MPH, is Professor and Section Chief,  Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Washington. He is board certified in medicine, preventive medicine, public health and geriatrics. He is Medical Director of Bailey Boushay House, Section Chief of the UW Academic Long Term Care Service, and Medical Director of the Visiting Nurses Association of the Pacific Northwest. His research interests focus on long-term care for persons with AIDS and persons with Alzheimer’s disease. mccorm@u.washington.edu
Topics: Dementia; Transitions of Care

Susan McCurry, PhD, is a Research Associate Professor of Psychosocial Nursing and Attending Psychologist at the Geriatric and Family Services Clinic, University of Washington. She is a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America. She has been the principal investigator or co-investigator on 21 federal or foundation grants related to aging, dementia, and caregiving.  She is the author of the 2006 book, "When A Family Member has Dementia: Steps to Becoming a Resilient Caregiver."
smccurry@u.washington.edu
Topics:  Resilient Caregiving for Persons with Dementia 

Jane L. Miller, MD, is Associate Professor of Urology in the Department of Urology.  Her fellowship training was in female urology and voiding dysfunction and has been caring for patients at the UWMC for the past 16 years.  She has also spoken and published papers on the topic of overactive bladder and urinary incontinence. 
jlm@u.washington.edu
Topic:  Urinary Incontinence

Huong Nguyen, RN, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems at the University of Washington.  Her training is in nursing science and epidemiology.  Dr. Nguyen's program of research is broadly focused on 1) developing and testing technology-supported interventions for self-management and physical activity in older adults with chronic conditions, and 2) understanding individual and ecological determinants of successful self-management and behavior change.  She has been engaged in efforts to test the effects of an Internet-based dyspnea self-management program and exercise persistence intervention for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
hqn@u.washington.edu
Topic:  Dyspnea Management in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Peggy Soule Odegard, PharmD, is an associate professor of Pharmacy, University of Washington. She currently practices pharmacy in an interdisciplinary senior care clinic, provides community-based education on aging to older adults, and is a certified diabetes educator (CDE) working primarily with older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Dr. Odegard’s primary research and teaching interests are in the areas of diabetes, pulmonary diseases, and drug-induced problems with an emphasis on the care of the older adult.
podegard@u.washington.edu
Topics: Optimizing Medication Use; Herbal and Nutritional Supplements

Thomas Rees, PhD, is Associate Professor in Otolaryngology at UWMC,  Head of Audiology at  Harborview Medical Center, and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences.  He received his PhD at the UW and has published in many journals and books.   
trees@u.washington.edu  
Topic:  Age-Related Hearing Loss 

Marty Richards, MSW, LICSW, has been a social worker for 36 years and is currently in private practice in Port Townsend. She is Affiliate Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of Washington and teaches courses through the Institute on Aging. Her courses include social and cultural aspects of aging and the family in later life. She is the author of several articles on families and aging, spirituality and aging and dementia care. She received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Education Outreach at the UW in 2002. She is the author of the Northwest Geriatric Education Center’s Curriculum Module on The Aging Family.
mrichard@u.washington.edu
Topics: Family Issues, Grief and Loss, Successful Aging

Nancy Ross, OD, is a Teaching Associate and primary optometrist for the Refractive Surgery Center at the UWMC.  Dr. Ross received her optometric education at Pacific University College of Optometry.  Her internal clinical rotations included working at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii and Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute in Belleveue, WA.  She completed her post-doctoral residency specializing in ocular disease and low vision rehabilitation.  She has vast experience in LASIK and cataract management.    
Rossn2@u.washington.edu
Topic:  Vision Loss

Cindy Sayre, BSN, MN, is a Medical-Surgical Clinical Nurse Specialist/Nurse Practitioner at the University of Washington Medical Center.  She has served as  Chairperson for the Fall Prevention Committee, and has been working on reducing falls and falls with injury for two years.  She presented a poster describing the UW's multidisciplinary team at the VA Fall symposium in Florida in 2007.
casayre@u.washington.edu
Topic: Preventing Falls

Mary Shelkey, PhD, RN, is a Geriatric Specialist at Virginia Mason Medical Center.  She completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the UW on the topic of "Palliative Care Needs of Older Adults in Assisted Living. 
shelkm@u.washington.edu
Topic:  Pain Management

Molly Shores, MD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, and Director of the Geriatric Mental Health Clinic at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System.  She did her fellowship training and is Board Certified in Geriatric Psychiatry.  She has been awarded two faculty teaching awards from the UW Psychiatry Residents.
molly.shores@va.gov
Topic:  Bipolar Disorder

Anne Shumway-Cook, PT, PhD, is a Physical Therapist with a PhD in Motor Control Physiology. Her research focuses on the physiologic basis for balance disorders, and the contribution of impaired balance and mobility function to physical disability and falls in older adults. She has published extensively, and is coauthor of the book Motor Control: Theory and Practical Applications. Her clinical practice focuses on treatment of adults with balance and mobility impairments. She helped to develop the University of Washington’s Strong and Steady Program, a falls prevention program for community living older adults. She is senior consultant on the Washington State Department of Health’s CDC-funded Senior Falls Prevention Study. 
ashumway@u.washington
Topic:  Preventing Falls

Mark Snowden, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington. Following training in psychiatry and geriatric, he worked as Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar and received an MPH. He is medical director for Geriatric Psychiatry Service at Harborview Medical Center. He provides and supervises geriatric psychiatry services to several community-based nursing homes and clinics, as well as inpatient treatment and consultations at Harborview Medical Center. His research focuses on delivery of mental health services to nursing home residents and he is currently conducting a National Institute of Mental Health grant studying treatment of depressed nursing home residents.
snowden@u.washington.edu
Topic: Depression

Marie-Luz Villa, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Washington and serves as an attending physician in the Long Term Care Service. Following training in Internal Medicine, she completed both clinical and research fellowships in Geriatrics (one year as a Hartford scholar), with an emphasis on determinants of skeletal health in Mexican-American women.  Most recently, she is involved in issues regarding treatment of residents of nursing homes.  She is a member of the American Geriatrics Society Ethnogeriatrics and Public Education committees, pursing interests in care of ethnic elders as well as peer education. mariluz@u.washington.edu  
Topic: Latino Health

Michael V. Vitiello, PhD, is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Associate Director of the University of Washington’s Northwest Geriatric Education Center. He has been actively involved in developing and conducting geriatric education and training programs for health care professionals for over ten years. A recipient of two Independent Scientist Research Career Awards from the National Institute of Mental Health and a Fellow in Clinical Medicine of the Gerontological Society of America, his research and clinical interests focus on the causes, consequences and treatments of sleep disturbance in older adults. He authored the NWGEC’s Sleep Disorders Curriculum Module.
vitiello@u.washington.edu
Topic: Sleep Disorders and Their Treatment

Kathleen Watson, PhD, is Associate Director at the University Center on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and, Director of the Adults and Elders Program.  She is also Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Sytems at the UW.  She specializes in health promotion, healthy aging, and prevention of secondary conditions for adults with developmental disabilities.  
watsonkc@u.washinngton.edu
TOPIC:  Developmental Disabilities

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This page was updated on May 15, 2009 .  If  you have any questions, please contact Pat Bartnick at patann@u.washington.edu.