GRECC Director:   

• Richard Allman, M.D.   

Associate Director and Atlanta Site Director:

• Ted Johnson, M.D., MPH 

Associate Director for Research: 

• Kathryn Burgio, Ph.D.   

Associate Director for Education/Evaluation: 

• Lesa Woodby, Ph.D., MPH   

Associate Director for Clinical Programs:

• Patricia Goode, M.D.   

Research Focus:
Basic Biomedical:

Applied Clinical:
The research efforts of the Birmingham/Atlanta GRECC address the interrelated problems of genito-urinary disorders and mobility in older veterans. Our ultimate goal is to develop and test interventions designed to improve and maintain function and thereby improve quality of life for the veteran population. Mobility loss is often associated with urinary incontinence and other genito-urinary disorders, providing opportunity for synergistic research collaboration between GRECC investigators working in the two focus areas.
Health Services:

Education Focus:
The Birmingham/Atlanta GRECC provides a wide variety of services in the area of education and training to VA and non-VA health professionals. The Birmingham/Atlanta GRECC serves as a local, regional, and national resource for geriatric education and training specific to genito-urinary and mobility disorders. This is accomplished by providing innovative staff development and employee education, professional education and training, patient and family education, and public and media information/education.

Clinical Focus:
The clinical programs at the Birmingham/Atlanta GRECC provide innovative approaches to health care delivery for the geriatric veteran population. Objectives of the Birmingham/Atlanta GRECC Clinical Program are to: 1)Develop innovative, patient-focused models of geriatric care that maximize the quality of life and functional independence of older veterans. 2)Integrate and coordinate these models of geriatric clinical care into primary care delivery systems, including home-based care. 3)Provide clinical sites for trainees in multiple health care disciplines to facilitate dissemination of new clinical models and methodologies throughout VISN 7 and the VA System.