GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE & GERIATRICS

Goals: Continued strategic recruitment of additional research faculty in key areas (i.e., palliative care, HSR, DEI); build faculty development programming that is pertinent to clinicians, scholars, QI experts, advocates and educators; evaluate processes and policies to consider inclusion, equity, diversity and justice.

Clinical Areas of Excellence:
clinical faculty practice superior ambulatory care, hospital medicine, palliative medicine and geriatrics at several different hospitals and health systems. IU Geriatrics was designated as “high performing” by US News & World Report in 2022, the only Indiana-based geriatrics program to receive this designation. Hospitalists deliver excellent care and place a premium on communication and collaboration for complex patients. The division has seen significant growth in palliative care and this year launched a virtual palliative care hub to extend the reach of palliative medicine across Indiana.

Education Areas of Excellence:
provider of major volumes of high quality teaching all phases of MS curriculum on variety of topics (including ethics) and clinical settings, including continuity clinics and hospitalist ward teams; residents participate in required rotations in both geriatrics and palliative medicine; faculty are regular winners of teaching awards

Research Areas of Excellence:
Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD); quality of care for older adults and family caregivers; cancer survivorship (Symptom management and survivorship); health care decision making/advanced care planning; ethics; health inequities clinical informatics; health services research; implementation science; symptom management

LEADERSHIP & ADMINISTRATION

GREG SACHS, MD
Department of Medicine Professor of Health Research
Professor of Medicine
Professor of Neurology
Division Director

AREEBA KARA, MD, MS, FACP, SFHM
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine
Associate Division Director

CATHY SCHUBERT, MD, AGSF, FACP
Mary Elizabeth Mitchell Professor of Geriatrics
Section Director, IU Geriatrics

ALEXIA TORKE, MD, MS
Professor of Medicine
Section Director, Palliative Medicine

DAVID BOSE, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine
Service Line Leader, Geriatrics

DARREN CAUDILL, DO
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine
Service Line Leader, Hospitalists

SHILPEE SINHA, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine
Service Line Leader, Palliative Care

NICOLE FOWLER, PHD, MHSA
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director of Research

LAURA BERGDOLL, MS, CRA
Division Administrator

JENNIFER GROSS, MHA, MSN, RN
Service Line Administrator, Geriatrics

MELISSA MAYORGA, MHA
Service Line Administrator, Hospitalists

JIM LUCE, MSW
Service Line Administrator, Palliative Care

Additional Leadership Roles

Malaz Boustani, MD, MPH
Founding Director/Chief Innovation and Impelentation Officer, Sandra Eskenazi Center for Brain Care Innovation

Joy Lee, PhD
Scientific Director, WISE Indiana (CTSI)

Sylk Sotto, EdD, MBA, MPS
Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, Department of Medicine
Vice Chair for Diversity, Health Equity, and Inclusion, Department of Medicine
Director, All IN For Health (Indiana CTSI)
Co-Director, Indiana CTSI Workforce Development
Health Equity Liaison/Lead, IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Office of Community Outreach and Engagement

Sacha Sharp, PhD
Co-Chair, Diversity Council at IU School of Medicine

Chris Callahan, MD
Chief Research & Development Office, Eskenazi Health

Titus Schleyer, PhD
Program Director, Learning Health Systems Informatics (IU Health/ Regenstrief)

Steven Counsell, MD
Medical Director, Division of Aging, Family and Social Services Administration

Alexia Torke, MD
Director, Daniel F. Evans Center for Spiritual and Religious Values in Healthcare (IU Health)

Amy Munchhof, MD, PhD
President-Elect, Midwest Society for General Internal Medicine

Brad Sutter, MD
Governor, American College of Physicians-Indiana Chapter
Interim Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, Department of Medicine

Dee Monesighe, MD
Governor-Elect, American College of Physicians-Indiana Chapter

Areeba Kara, MD
Lead, Hospital Medicine ReEngineering Network (HOMERuN) antiracism workgroup
Co-Lead, Society of Hospital Medicine Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Special Interest Group

Featured Faculty

NICOLE FOWLER, PHD
Associate Professor of Medicine

• Excellence in general research effort

MALAZ BOUSTANI, MD, MPH
Richard M. Fairbanks Professor of Aging Research

• CHIIS certificate efforts
• Excellence in general research effort

KEY CLINICAL EDUCATORS

Geriatrics
Glenda Westmoreland, MD

Hospitalists
Richa Gupta, MD
Rachel Peterson, MD

Palliative Care
Amy Johnson, DO

FACULTY LEADERS IN EDUCATION

Glenda Westmoreland, MD

• Statewide Communications Competency Director for Interpersonal and Communication Skills
• Interim Statewide Competency Director for Patient Care and Professionalism

Neeta Agarwal, MD

• Statewide Course Director, FCP1

LeeAnn Cox, MD

• Statewide Medicine Clerkship Director

R. Toan Vu, MD

• Program Director, Sub-Internship Clerkship in Internal Medicine

Jennifer Hur, MD

• Program Director, Internal Medical Residency Program (Indianapolis )

Julie Vannerson , MD

• Associate Program Director, Internal Medical Residency Program (Indianapolis)

Curtis Wright, MD

• Associate Program Director, Internal Medical Residency Program (Indianapolis)

Noelle Sinex, MD

• Associate Program Director, Internal Medical Residency Program (Indianapolis)

Allyson Thomas, MD

• Associate Program Director, Methodist (Indianapolis)

FELLOWSHIPS

Geriatrics Fellowship (one year)
Director: Felipe Perez, MD

Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship (one year)
Director: Lyle Fettig, MD

Joint Geriatrics-Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship (two years)
Director: Felipe Perez, MD

VA Health Services Research and Development Advanced Fellowship Program (two years)

FEDERAL TRAINING GRANT

“Training the Next Generation of Social and Behavioral PhysicianScientists in ADRD: The Indiana ADRD Medical Scientist Training Program” (T32AG074934).

Trainees are MD-PhD students who are receiving the knowledge, skills, and methodological training needed to conduct innovative ADRD social and behavioral research involving patients or involving material related to patients.

ASSOCIATED RESEARCH CENTERS

Indiana University Center for Bioethics
Director: Peter Schwartz, MD

RESPECT Center (Research in Palliative & End-of-life Communication and Training)
Co-Directors: Susan Hickman, PhD; Greg Sachs, MD; Alexia Torke, MD

Indiana University Center for Aging Research (IUCAR – with Regenstrief Institute)
Director: Susan Hickman, PhD

William M. Tierney Center for Health Services Research (Regenstrief Institute)
Director: David Haggstrom, MD

Center for Biomedical Informatics (Regenstrief Institute)
Interim Director: Brian Dixon, PhD, MPA, FACMI, FHIMSS, FAMIA

Center for Health Innovation and Implementation Science (CHIIS)
Director: Malaz Boustani, MD, MPH

VA Health Services Research & Development Center for Health Information and Communication
Director: Michael Weiner, MD, MPH

NOTABLE PUBLICATIONS

Sabbagh MN, Perez A, Holland TM, Boustani M, Peabody SR, Yaffe K, Bruno M, Paulsen R, O’Brien K, Wahid N, Tanzi RE. Primary prevention recommendations to reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Alzheimers Dement. 2022 Aug;18(8):15691579. doi: 10.1002/alz.12535. Epub 2022 Jan 13. PMID: 35026040; PMCID: PMC9545398.

Kroenke K, Gao S, Mosesso KM, Hickman SE, Holtz LR, Torke AM, Johnson NM, Sachs GA. Prevalence and Predictors of Symptoms in Persons with Advanced Dementia Living in the Community. J Palliat Med. 2022 Sep;25(9):1376-1385. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2021.0402. Epub 2022 Mar 29. PMID: 35357951; PMCID: PMC9492904.

Lee JL, Huffman M, Rattray NA, Carnahan JL, Fortenberry JD, Fogel JM, Weiner M, Matthias MS. “I Don’t Want to Spend the Rest of my Life Only Going to a Gender Wellness Clinic”: Healthcare Experiences of Patients of a Comprehensive Transgender Clinic. J Gen Intern Med. 2022 Oct;37(13):3396-3403. doi: 10.1007/ s11606-022-07408-5. Epub 2022 Feb 2. PMID: 35112278; PMCID: PMC8809217.