The IU Center for Aging Research is the research arm of IU Geriatrics. The center is led by Director Chris Callahan, MD and Associate Director Douglas K. Miller, MD. 15 MD and PhD scientists make up our core faculty. IU-CAR receives over $3 million in annual funding

A 2008 Institute on Medicine report validated our longstanding assertion that improving care for elders requires a focus on improving care in primary care. In Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, the chapter on New Models of Care cited our local IMPACT and GRACE research as innovative ways in which care may be provided to older adults at several points along the care continuum and in a variety of settings.

The Indiana University Center for Aging Research is known for testing innovative strategies to improve the quality of health care and self-care for older adults.

The research focus of IU-CAR is geriatrics health services research. We are particularly interested in improving the care of older adults as provided by generalist physicians across the continuum of care. Patient self-management in the home, supported by primary care providers, is considered to be an integral part of this continuum.

Our local strengths include:

• Access to a world-class electronic medical record in a primary care laboratory
• A community-wide research team with expertise in “aging brain” science
• An interdisciplinary research team committed to improving care for vulnerable older adults
• Innovative programs to train the next generation of geriatrics physician-scientists

IU-CAR is home to two research operations that support the center:

The Center recognizes the important role of information systems in addressing the special needs of older adults. Our Gero-informatics Program, led by Michael Weiner, MD, MPH, provides support for research and development of gero-informatics -- the study and application of medical informatics in caring for older adults. Dr. Weiner also directs the Gero-informatics Fellowship.

IU-CAR is home to a National Institute on Aging Edward R. Roybal Center for Research on Applied Gerontology. IU-Roybal has awarded pilot funding to local investigators who study strategies to improve patient self-management for chronic conditions and collaborate with the Center for Aging Research in developing health systems innovations in Indiana that are relevant to the rest of the nation. IU Roybal is led by Directors Chris Callahan, MD and Dan Clark, PhD.