Carpenter receives VA grant to establish a Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center

Dana Carpenter, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and a team of researchers, led by Bob Schwartz and Wendy Kohrt in the CU School of Medicine’s Division of Geriatrics, recently received a grant from the Veteran’s Administration (VA) to establish a Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) at the new VA hospital in Aurora.

As part of getting the new center up and running, there was a call for proposals for pilot studies on research topics important to the veteran population. Carpenter is part of a team–the PI is Rebecca Boxer, Division of Geriatrics; he is a co-Investigator along with Wendy Kohrt and Sarah Wherry, also from the Division of Geriatrics–that was awarded funds for a pilot study investigating the effects of different types of exercise on bone strength. They will compare exercise programs that use a “ground reaction force” approach, like walking and jogging, to exercises that use a “joint reaction force” approach, like rowing and weight training. They will use image-based bone strength analysis to determine the effects of each type of exercise on the bones of the hip and spine, and they hope to find an optimal exercise program for reducing the risk of fractures in older veterans and older adults in general.

Congratulations!