The University of Utah (U of U) has a longstanding commitment and expertise in caring for aging adults. The term “legacy” implies an investment over time in decisions that will affect the future, and the University of Utah is doing just that. Complementing Governor Spencer Cox’s Utah WISE Initiative and the Utah Commission on Aging's Master Plan for Aging (Utah for Ages), led by Rob Ence, the University of Utah exemplifies what it means to promote healthy aging across the lifespan.
The University’s focus on aging began over 50 years ago (1972) as part of the Rocky Mountain Gerontology Program, a five-school consortium formed in Utah to offer student credentials in aging and encourage faculty to develop expertise in aging. In 1975, the first graduates completed certificates in Gerontology, and in 1982, the College of Nursing became the administrative home for the Gerontology Program. Between 1982 and 1992, funding from the Administration on Aging, Bureau of Health Professions, and research funding from the National Center for Nursing Research and the National Institute on Aging, the Program served as the Intermountain West Long Term Care Gerontology Center (IWLTCGC), and the regional Geriatric Education Center. In 1986, the Program officially received University "Center" status, prompting a refocus on the University’s academic programs. In 1993, the Center became only the second university in an 8-state region to offer a Master of Science Degree in gerontology.
In June 2004, its name was changed from the Gerontology Center to the Center on Aging (CoA). In 2005, a change in organizational structure made the Center on Aging a free-standing center with the mission to unite aging-related research, education, and clinical programs at the University of Utah to synergize the growth and progress of interdisciplinary aging research to help people lead longer and more fulfilling lives and support the development of multidisciplinary aging clinical and training programs. The academic degrees in gerontology were overseen by the Gerontology Interdisciplinary Program affiliated with the Center on Aging. These included the undergraduate and graduate certificates created in the 70s and the MS created in 1993. The Gerontology Interdisciplinary Program added a Minor in Gerontology degree in 2013. In 2024, the Gerontology Interdisciplinary Program, in collaboration with the Division of Physician Assistant Education and Sciences in the School of Medicine, launched the Dual Master of Science in Gerontology/ Master of Physician Assistant Studies Degree, the first and only dual MSG/MPAS degree worldwide.
Dr. Mark Supiano was appointed the first Executive Director of the CoA in October 2005. Over the course of 19 years, he oversaw an increase in faculty membership from five to over 200 and the expansion of 10 of the University’s schools and Colleges, including the College of Nursing. In 2006, the CoA initiated its Pilot Grant program, through which over $ 650,000 has been funded for pilot research that has led to multiple NIH-funded studies. In conjunction with the School of Medicine, the CoA hosts the annual Rocky Mountain Geriatrics Conference. The 21st annual 2025 meeting was held September 11-12, 2025, and hosted over 180 attendees from four states. Recruited from the University of Alabama in December 2024, Dr. Alayne Markland now leads the CoA and is also the Chief of the Division of Geriatrics. Dr. Markland has a longstanding career in patient-oriented research on lower urinary tract symptoms in older adults. Her leadership is welcomed as she shares a vision of optimal community-based life functioning for aging adults.
The University of Utah is an active participant in the Age-Friendly Ecosystem, with designations as an Age-Friendly Health System (AFHS) and an Age-Friendly University (AFU). In 2019, the University of Utah Health (UUH) was among the first health systems awarded Level 1 Participant status in the Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) initiative, launched by The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). Age-friendly care is specifically designed to address the unique needs, preferences, and goals of older adults, with a focus on well-being, independence, and quality of life. As an AFHS, every patient encounter across multiple settings aims to integrate 4Ms that are essential to the health of aging adults: mobility, mentation, medications, and what matters most. In 2021, UUH geriatrician Dr. Timothy Farrell was named the first Geriatric Division Associate Chief for Age-Friendly Care, and in November 2021, UUH attained IHI Level 2 Committed to Care Excellence status. In 2024, two age-friendly Directed Steps were included in the UUH 2025 strategy, and UUH was selected as 1 of 30 US health systems in the IHI Age-Friendly System-Wide Spread Collaborative. An important outcome of UUH’s participation in this IHI Collaborative is the formation of an interprofessional University of Utah Age-Friendly Collaborative, led by Dr. Farrell and Andrea Harris, RN, MSN, that spans all 5 UUH hospitals and multiple service lines.
The implementation of the CMS Age-Friendly Hospital Measure in 2024, which encompasses five domains that US hospitals must attest to or face a financial penalty, is an area of intense focus for Dr. Farrell and the University of Utah Age-Friendly Collaborative that he leads. UUH has emerged as a national leader in age-friendly quality improvement and research, aligning with the CMS Age-Friendly Hospital Measure, including a research collaboration with the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) led by Dr. Jorie Butler and several regional national presentations in 2025, including UT Health Houston, Vizient Southern States, the CMS Quality Conference, the VA Age-Friendly State of the Art Conference, the University of Pittsburgh, and the DNV Healthcare Symposium. UUH is a national leader in the outpatient implementation of Age-Friendly Health Systems with grant support from AHRQ and The John A. Hartford Foundation. Additionally, UUH faculty, including Dr. Farrell and Dr. Natalie Sanders, participate in a subaward from Yale University to advance Patient-Centered Care (PCC). This structured approach identifies "What Matters" as the guiding principle, or north star, of Age-Friendly Health Systems. This collaboration with the Yale PPC team is resulting in local and national dissemination of PPC educational products needed to develop a healthcare workforce competent in eliciting What Matters, including engagement with internal medicine residents, geriatric medicine fellows, faculty geriatricians, and advance practice clinicians. In January 2025, key outcomes of UUH’s participation in the AFHS Collaborative were identified for five domains, based on the age-friendly 4Ms (see the Table below).
The University of Utah’s designation as an Age-Friendly University (2023) illustrates the endorsement of and commitment to the Ten Principles of an Age-Friendly University. Learn more here. In alignment with UUH and the AFU, the Gerontology Interdisciplinary Program (GIP), housed in the College of Nursing, offers educational programs in aging, including a Master of Science degree, a Minor, and Undergraduate and Graduate Certificates in Gerontology to students of all backgrounds. All fields and disciplines benefit from interdisciplinary gerontological education and expertise. Led by the GIP Assistant Dean, Dr. Katarina Friberg-Felsted, the GIP uses research, coursework, and service activities to establish graduates’ expertise in aging studies. GIP degrees and certificates launch multiple career paths and generations of leaders in the field of aging. Gerontologists employ an interdisciplinary approach and are trained to address complex issues. Graduates utilize their professionalism to work in various settings, including advocacy, research, management, health promotion, healthcare, longevity, business, law, senior centers, long-term care, non-profits, and government agencies. Other potential career paths include those in healthcare (health education and promotion, geriatric care manager, health services administrator), social services and advocacy (social work, non-profit manager, advocate, counselor), policy (policy analyst, grant writer, researcher), and other fields (entrepreneur, financial planner, market research analyst, lifelong learning specialist). As an online program, the GIP offers a cadre of outstanding degrees.
The MS in Gerontology degree was recently accredited by the Accreditation for Gerontology Education Council, the sole governing body for gerontology education, and became the seventh accredited degree program worldwide. MS in Gerontology students live and work anywhere in the country while attending graduate school at the University of Utah. The online tuition for the MS in Gerontology is available to students across the United States for less than the in-state tuition rate. Learn more here.
Utah’s legacy of excellence in aging spans many decades. According to America’s Health Rankings from the United Health Foundation, Utah was ranked the healthiest state for older adults in 2024. In 2025, Utah continued to rank in the top five (#4), behind Vermont, Colorado, and Washington. The ongoing mutual interests between the University of Utah and the State of Utah represent a collaboration and collective synergy that can drive both the strategic vision and the practical implementation of better health and a higher quality of life for every Utahn and beyond.