VA St. Louis Healthcare System
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St Louis GRECC Program
H. J. Armbrecht, PhD Dr. Armbrecht’s research examines the loss of bone mass with advancing age. It is common problem in both male and female veterans. One important component in age-related bone loss is the age-related change in calcium and vitamin D metabolism. He uses rodent models to study the biochemical mechanisms responsible for these changes in calcium and vitamin D. He has also used rodent models to study the role of calcium and vitamin D metabolism in determining peak bone mass in young animals. The goal of these studies is to develop ways of improving the utilization of dietary calcium in older individuals and to reduce the loss of calcium from bone.
Lenise Cummings-Vaughn, MD Dr. Cummings-Vaughn is the Program Director for the Medical Residency Program in Geriatric Medicine affiliated with Saint Louis University. She is interested in the impact of nutrition, hormones, and exercise on morbidity and mortality of the elderly, as well as in racial and socioeconomic contributions to mortality, disability, disease presentation, and disease progression. She is presently working on analyzing an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of inner-city African Americans funded by the National Institute of Aging to Dr. Douglas Miller.
Susan A. Farr, PhD Dr. Farr’s laboratory studies aging and dementia. The studies include animal models to Alzheimer’s disease such as the SAMP8 mouse and the neurochemical changes associated with their age related learning and memory impairment. The lab is also involved in studying treatments which can reverse these neurochemical changes and the accompanying learning and memory impairments. In addition, the laboratory studies obesity-induced, alcohol-induced, and HIV-induced dementia. Lastly, the laboratory is involved in the study of neuropeptides and their involvement in appetite regulation and learning and memory.
Joseph H. Flaherty, MD Dr. Joseph H. Flaherty’s primary interest is in the area of delirium and he serves on the national VA Delirium Workforce. His other areas of interest include medical education in geriatrics and gerontology, geropharmacology, polypharmacy, and palliative care.
Vijaya B. Kumar, PhD Dr. Kumar’s laboratory has cloned, expressed, and developed antisense molecules which regulate amyloid precursor protein expression. His laboratory has also cloned and expressed presenelin-1 from SAMP8 mouse brain. Its tissue distribution plays a crucial role in the processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) by helping the β-secretase cleavage of APP. A novel duplex antisense technology has been developed by his laboratory which may become therapy for multiple age-related diseases. By using a rat model with the collaboration with Dr. Burke and Dr. Galvin of Washington University, Dr. Kumar’s laboratory has shown that DOPAL, a metabolite of dopamine, is responsible for α-synuclein aggregation, a major factor in Parkinson's Disease.
Michael Perry, MD Dr. Perry’s research has focused on the effects of moderate alcohol intake on bone metabolism and bone mass in older men and women. He also studies changes in muscle mass and strength in these individuals. He has particular interest in the interplay of hormones and cytokines on bone and muscle mass.
Acting Director, GRECC GRECC Associate Director of Education Dr. Nina Tumosa is a visual neuroscientist who is currently pursuing two lines of research. First, she is doing translational research on assessing the neurocognitive status of aging veterans. Second, she does evaluative research on institutional emergency preparedness for the older person.
Lauren Ash, Pharm D Dr Lauren Ash runs the GRECC clinical pharmacy services. These services include: Evaluating GRECC clinic patients and Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit (GEMU) patients for appropriate drug therapy, providing patient education, renewing medications, monitoring patients on chronic warfarin therapy and/or pain medications, providing drug information and education to the geriatric medical team, participating in interdisciplinary team meetings, and evaluating GRECC Hypertension Clinic patients. Her research interests include: Vitamin D deficiency and supplementation, Osteoporosis and bone health, and Urinary Incontinence and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.
Nurse Practitioner Mr. Breckle provides patient care, serves as clinic nurse coordinator, coordinating clinic care between providers, patients and private physicians. He also provides clinic specific computer instruction to incoming students, residents and fellows. In addition he serves as clinic case manager, utilizing families and caregivers as resources to care for patients, communicate/coordinate patient healthcare with private providers according to VA policy and work with social workers from private hospitals and nursing homes to coordinate patient care.
Program Support Assistant Ms. Farrar provides editorial assistance, assists with patients, supports the clinical training program, and serves as a liaison with the research office. She also processes accreditation paperwork for the GRECC clinic's trainee workforce.
Mark Franko Mr. Mark Franko performs work in molecular biology laboratory concerning aging, i.e. Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease and other diseases associated with the aging process.
Garry Ramage Mr. Ramage is the GRECC Clinic clerk. He is the first and last person the patient sees. He schedules patients for their upcoming appointments, mails out reminders for those appointments, processes patient requests for sharing of information with other providers and is the person who provides answers to a patient who calls for assistance. He also maintains an atmosphere of friendliness and professionalism in the clinic.
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