Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC)
Technology Enhancing Cognition and Health (TECH-GRECC)
TECH-GRECC
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
University Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15240
Phone 412-360-2917
Fax 412-360-4922
GRECC Director
Steven M. Handler, MD, PhD
Associate GRECC Director (acting)
Robin Jump, MD, PhD
Associate Director, Research
Debra K. Weiner, MD
Associate Director, Clinical Innovation
Michelle I. Rossi, MD, MPH
Associate Director, Translational Research
Daniel E. Forman, MD
Associate Director, Education and Evaluation
Jennifer Pruskowski, PharmD, MS
Administrative Officer
Dawn M. Fuhrer, BA
Dawn.Fuhrer@va.gov
Affiliations
Mission of the TECH-GRECC
The TECH-GRECC serves as a local and national resource for the development, implementation, demonstration, evaluation, and dissemination of technology that benefits research, education, clinical innovation, and care for older Veterans.

- Mechanisms of recovery and the development of novel treatment strategies for stroke, vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and the chronic effects of TBI
- Pharmacoepidemiology, drug safety and clinical and translational informatics to improve medication and patient safety in the long-term care setting
- Developing novel clinical care systems that address pain and long-term care in elderly Veterans
- Using telehealth to support primary and consultative care, behavioral health, and socialization in the long-term care setting

- Role of tau protein and drug discovery for Alzheimer’s Disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy
- Mechanisms of white matter injury and recovery in stroke, vascular dementia and TBI
- Novel clinical pathways for elderly Veterans with chronic low back syndrome
- Prehab and modified cardiac rehabilitation for older adults
- Novel rehabilitation strategies for motor and language
- Identifying risk factors for elder abuse in older Veterans

- Interactive interprofessional education activities during which students teach each other
- Training of primary care-based practitioners in evidence-based interdisciplinary chronic pain management
- Advanced training in geriatrics scholarship following completion of clinical training
- Chronic Pain Management Guide: A Tool for Managing Chronic Non-Cancer Pain
- The TECH-GRECC Age Friendly Workshop enhances the dissemination and implementation of the Geriatric 5Ms for VA health professions trainees

- Improved access of rural Veterans with cognitive decline to interdisciplinary telehealth team (Promising Practice TeleDementia Clinic)
- Collaboration regarding telehealth care to rural Veterans w/other GRECC clinical teams throughout the nation in the Virtual Geriatrics group (previously GRECC Connect)
- Implemented e-consults to reconcile medications and deprescribe inappropriate medications in older Veterans (Geriatric Polypharmacy e-consults).
- Virtual caregiver support program for caregivers of Veterans with dementia (Promising Practice Teledementia Caregiver Support Group)
- Innovative cardiac rehab program that manages cardiovascular disease in older adults and addresses the context of multimorbidity, frailty, cognitive impairment, disability and polypharmacy(Gero-Fit)
- Improved care of older Veterans with chronic low back pain (Aging Backs Clinic).
- Promote successful transitional care, which translates into improved process measures (e.g., medication reconciliation) and outcomes (e.g., avoidable ED/hospitalization) (COMPASS transitional care program).

- Classification of Geriatric Low Back Pain Based on Hip Characteristics with a 12-Month Longitudinal Exploration of Clinical Outcomes: Findings from Delaware Spine Studies. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34636887/
- Physical Frailty Phenotype and the Development of Geriatric Syndromes in Older Adults with Coronary Heart Disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33242482/
- Transforming the Medication Regimen Review Process Using Telemedicine to Prevent Adverse Events. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33233016/
- Association Between Patient Frailty and Postoperative Mortality Across Multiple Noncardiac Surgical Specialties. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33206156/
- Post-mortem analyses of PiB and flutemetamol in diffuse and cored amyloid-β plaques in Alzheimer's disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32772265/