By 2050, the estimated number of adults in the United States aged 75 and older will rise to 48.8 million. At the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, we are firmly committed to helping this population, and those facing serious illnesses, achieve the best possible quality of life for themselves, their families, and their caregivers. We accomplish this by providing expert training and patient care, and by engaging in breakthrough research.

Over the course of more than four decades, the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine has fostered one of the largest academic programs in the United States. Housed within the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, we offer clinical education programs that span inpatient and outpatient geriatrics, palliative care, long-term care, and home-based care. Our outstanding postdoctoral and continuing education programs—including a fellowship program for more than two dozen fellows—help us maintain our reputation as a center for excellence.

We are also involved in several internationally recognized models for improving care, quality of life, and education of the next generation of geriatric and palliative care physicians and researchers. These include:

• The Martha Stewart Centers for Living
• The Lilian and Benjamin Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute  
• The Patty and Jay Baker National Palliative Care Center
• Mobile Acute Care Team
• Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center at the James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Moreover, our research programs in geriatrics and palliative medicine regularly advance our goal of strengthening the science of issues related to aging. As a department, we support both individual research initiatives while also participating in investigations associated with our key investigative partners. Internally, our researchers thrive on access to a range of resources, including analytic support, guidance on submissions to the Institutional Review Board, budget management, and grant submission assistance.

Long-standing and significant grants from the Brookdale Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation, The John A. Hartford Foundation, and the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, all enable us to extend geriatrics training to health care professionals at institutions throughout the country. We value the support we have received from these organizations, other foundations, and from our patients and their families, who are deeply instrumental in helping us launch many initiatives.

As the U.S. population continues to age, we look forward to continuing to improve the quality of life and care for older adults, and those with serious illnesses. I invite you to envision yourself contributing to this legacy of excellence in education, patient care, and research.

R. Sean Morrison, MD
Ellen and Howard C. Katz Chair and Professor in Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine,
Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine,
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Director, The Lilian and Benjamin Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute,
and National Palliative Care Research Center