GA Gear - Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program

GA GEAR (Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program) is a collaborative initiative operated through the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, now extended through a partnership with PCOM South Georgia. Funded via a five-year cooperative agreement from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), this program seeks to strengthen the geriatric workforce within primary care by educating health professionals to meet the growing needs of an aging population.

The program’s objectives around preparing osteopathic medical students to deliver comprehensive, geriatric-focused care in underserved regions of Georgia. The funding supports Georgia GEAR’s education and training efforts, marking Emory’s third award from HRSA and the first time PCOM South Georgia participates as an academic partner. The collaboration is strategically significant for rural southwestern Georgia, where PCOM South Georgia is located and where shortages of physicians are particularly acute. The program will integrate geriatrics-focused curricular and experiential opportunities into clinical education, including the launch of an elective clinical rotation for third- and fourth-year Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine students. During this elective, students will be paired with primary care physicians who specialize in caring for older adults, gaining hands-on experience with geriatric patients and exposure that may encourage selection of geriatrics as a residency specialty following a primary care residency. Demographic projections underscore the urgency of GA GEAR’s mission: the U.S. Census Bureau anticipates that by 2034 the number of adults aged 65 and older will exceed the number of children nationwide.

In Georgia, more than 20 percent of the population is projected to be age 60 or older by 2030, representing nearly a 34 percent increase over 2012; some statisticians predict senior adults may outnumber children in Georgia as early as 2025. These trends highlight an expanding demand for clinicians trained to address the unique medical, functional, and social needs of older adults. PCOM South Georgia’s participation seeks to bridge education and community need by offering students practical, locally relevant clinical experiences, particularly in rural and underserved communities. The partnership emphasizes holistic training aligned with osteopathic principles and aims to create a pipeline of clinicians equipped to improve geriatric care access and quality across the state. Through GA GEAR, Emory University and PCOM South Georgia aim to cultivate workforce capacity, enhance clinical training opportunities, and ultimately strengthen primary care delivery for Georgia’s aging population.