[Pa27] Opportunity to participate: Join the GIFTS Program in Rural Health & Geriatrics

[Gerstner, Laura R.]

We invite you to participate in a unique research opportunity exploring the GIFTS Program (Geriatrics Interprofessional Foundations Training & Service), a unique opportunity to learn through service while addressing real healthcare needs in our surrounding rural community.

What you'll gain:

  *   Hands-on experience in the continuum of care in older people
  *   Training in team-based, compassionate care for older adults
  *   Opportunities to serve underserved and aging populations with community partners (see list of potential partners/projects below)
  *   Skills that prepare you to lead in interprofessional, rural healthcare settings
  *   Opportunities in research and scholarship

Why this matters:
Rural areas near Campbell face critical challenges: fewer providers, aging populations, and barriers to care. GIFTS helps bridge that gap and your participation makes a real impact. Your participation will help assess how programs like GIFTS can improve student competency, expand access to care, and strengthen academic-community partnerships.

Time commitment will be ~ 1 hour of didactic sessions/month and a few hours of community partnership project with your IPE team per month (January through May).

AACOM Compassionate Community Grant: Community Partnerships & Student Projects
1. AHEC Project Dementia Care ECHO
Partnership Focus: Preventive education in dementia care in underserved settings, with an emphasis on dementia care and caregiver support.
Student Project: Students will collaborate in the design and delivery of virtual education sessions, supporting program facilitation, case discussions, and outreach aimed at improving early recognition of dementia and strengthening caregiver networks.
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2. Cape Fear Neurology
Partnership Focus: Patient and family education on neurological conditions, along with linking individuals to community resources.
Student Project: Students will co-lead caregiver education and resources while building skills in enhancing communication between providers, patients, and caregivers in coordinated neurological care.
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3. Coats Senior Center
Partnership Focus: Community-based health promotion through screenings and educational programs for older adults.
Student Project: Students will participate in role-aligned collaboration to conduct health screenings, deliver wellness education, or design initiatives that strengthen healthcare literacy and support healthy aging in the local community.
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4. Heartland and Gentiva Hospice
Partnership Focus: Caregiver support and compassionate end-of-life services, including legacy-building.
Student Project: Students will engage with hospice teams to learn and assist in emotional, ethical, and clinical coordination. Activities include supporting caregiver needs, participating in legacy projects, and observing interdisciplinary hospice care practices.
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5. Campbell University Health Center
Partnership Focus: Implementing a standardized approach to assessing mood, loneliness, and behavioral health concerns in older adults.
Student Project: Students will assist in shaping the assessment protocol, participating in mood and loneliness screenings, and contributing to program design that advances integrated behavioral healthcare for aging patients.

Please let me (Dr. Gerstner) know by this Friday, November 21st if you are interested in learning more and we will schedule 30 minutes for Dr. Khandelwal to come speak to interested students and answer any questions.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a meaningful impact on healthcare education and delivery.
Warm regards,
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Christine Khandelwal, DO, MHPE, FAAHPM
Professor of Family Medicine
Director of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
School of Osteopathic Medicine | Campbell University
PO Box 4280 |Buies Creek, North Carolina 27506
(910) 893-1755 | Fax (910) 893-7242 | Cell (919) 225-0359

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