The Department of Medicine is pleased to announce that the Section of Geriatrics and Gerontology, a part of the Division of General Medicine and Geriatrics, will become the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology, effective September 1, 2020. The Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology will join the Department of Medicine’s nine other internal medicine divisions and will be led by Camille Vaughan, MD, MS, current section chief since 2017.
The Section of Geriatrics and Gerontology boasts a collaborative and innovative group of 11 MD and PhD investigators focused on clinical/translational, health services, and qualitative research aiming to improve health care for older adults. Given the rapid increase in this segment of the nation’s population – 46 million over 65 now, 64 million by 2030, and 90 million by 2050 – the impact on medicine and healthcare is enormous. The disproportional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this population is one example.
Under Vaughan’s leadership, the new division will continue to provide geriatrics clinical services at Emory Healthcare/The Emory Clinic, Grady, and the Atlanta VA; continue innovative research at the School of Medicine and the Atlanta VA; and develop the next generation of geriatric medicine specialists through the Department of Medicine’s geriatric medicine fellowship program. The division is being carved out to recognize its enhanced profile in all three of its mission areas, especially its growing research portfolio and expanding clinical footprint.
Emory’s geriatrics and gerontology program has a history of strong leadership. Ted Johnson, MP, MPH, current director for the Division of General Internal Medicine, was named geriatrics division chief in 2009. Nathan Flacker, MD, AGSF was the first geriatrics section leader appointed in 2012. Since Vaughan assumed the position in 2017, Johnson and Vaughan have worked strategically to ensure that the geriatrics program is consistently recognized as one of the top 25 in the country. Johnson will retain his roles as Paul W. Seavey Chair in Medicine, director of the Division of General Internal Medicine, chair of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, program director for Georgia Gear, and Atlanta Site clinical site lead at the Birmingham/Atlanta Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC). He and Vaughan will continue to collaborate to ensure the continued success of both the general internal medicine and geriatrics divisions.
Vaughan has been a School of Medicine faculty member for 10 years and is currently an associate professor of medicine. She is the Atlanta site director for the Birmingham/Atlanta VA GRECC and an investigator in the Atlanta VA Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation. Her clinical appointments include serving as the physician lead for the Continence Clinic at the Atlanta VA and The Emory Clinic Geriatrics Continence Clinic. Her research funding from the VA, NIH, and AHRQ focuses on the areas of continence care and safe prescribing practices for older adults in the emergency room setting. She has been an integral member of the Enhancing Quality of Prescribing Practices in the Emergency Department (EQUIPPED) team, which has received nationwide recognition as a quality-improvement initiative. She teaches medical students, residents, and fellows through various programs at the School of Medicine.
Vaughan earned her MD from Emory University in 2003, followed by an internal medicine residency (2006), a fellowship in geriatric medicine (2007), and a VA fellowship in advanced geriatrics. She received an MS in clinical research from Emory in 2009.
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