Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging 
Research at PCOM

The CCDA provides opportunities for advanced training of medical students, residents and graduate students in numerous disciplines addressing the most pressing needs of aged and geriatric individuals with chronic problems. These opportunities include an advanced understanding of the manifestations of the problems and insights into the preventive measures than can be taken. Included with prevention is a better understanding of the roles of nutrition, exercise and environmental enrichment with regards to their positive affects on the overall health of the individual.

There is a distinct need to understand the role of chronic diseases/disorders as a component of the aging process. Modern medicine is enabling people to live longer, but longer life results in an increase in age-related chronic diseases. These diseases/disorders may originate at any point in one's life span and thus study of these processes is required from birth to the end of life. There is renewed interest in determining what causes chronic disease and why the aging process appears to promote an increase in these types of diseases. The approach taken by the Center includes uncovering common features of disease processes that will result ultimately in better treatments and prevention of these problems. Improved holistic treatments can be designed to provide the individual patient with a level of specialized care that is based on knowledge of their particular genetic and environmental risk factors. Knowledge of these risk factors will provide the framework for the development of realistic approaches to prevent chronic diseases, thereby eventually eliminating their enormous impact on society.

The current national emphasis on chronic diseases as well as the aging of the population in the United States mandates increased efforts in expanding basic and applied research into these combined entities. In addition, to facilitate these aims, we must increase our educational efforts for both healthcare professionals and the general populace.

The uniqueness of this Center lies in its combined approach of studying chronic diseases/disorders as they apply to the aging process and promoting the application of this knowledge by patients and healthcare providers alike. Current healthcare budgets and projected costs over the next 10-30 years make this a top priority in the USA as well as worldwide.

As populations continue to age, there are increasing demands on the current and projected resources and societal infrastructures that threaten to diminish the overall quality of life of these very populations. Thus, the CCDA will be a dynamic center for both research and education with emphasis on developing strategies to facilitate the process of healthy aging.