HOUSTON – For the past 20 years, The Huffington Center on Aging at Baylor College of Medicine has been dedicated to improving the condition of older people through research, education and geriatric training.  But on Wednesday night, it was time to take off the scrubs and put on evening gowns for their annual black tie gala. 

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The annual ball is the organization's major fundraising event.

The crystal-inspired gala was held at the River Oaks Country Club, and was a well deserved reward for the work the center has done over the years.

“The origins of the center were a collaboration of Dr. Robert Luchi, who was chief of geriatrics at the time, and Roy and Phyllis Huffington,” said Dr. Gretchen Darlington, Interim Director of the Huffington Center on Aging.

Dr. Darlington has been with the center from almost its inception.  She’s watched the center grow, and said much of their research is focused on the biology of aging and why we start to functionally decline with age.  They also look at diseases that commonly occur with the elderly.

“One of our investigators is currently studying the genetics and bio-chemistry of Alzheimer’s by trying to understand which genes result in the disease.  Caloric restriction is also being studied, which is best known intervention for extending life,” said Darlington.

Much of what the center does is not geared towards extending the life span of the person, but the health span.

Their goal is to help people live healthier lives and have a higher quality of life. This is one of the reasons why they have maintained a close association with the Center of Geriatrics, as well as the Baylor College of Medicine.  In fact, the education component of the center is very important, as the needs of the elderly are different from a younger individual.

“Many older individuals may be seeing four or five doctors.  Someone untrained in geriatrics may miss the complications that can arise from the different medicines the person is taking,” said Darlington.  “Medication also metabolizes differently in an older person.”

Darlington said that as the aging population grows, so is the demand for geriatricians.

“The aging population is having an impact on the healthcare system.  The other observation that has been made is that we really aren’t training geriatricians quickly enough,” said Darlington.

The Huffington Center for Aging has one of the highest rated training programs in the United States, and to do a geriatrics fellowship there, a physician must have completed a three-year residency in internal medicine or family medicine.

“The minimum requirement to become a geriatrician is one year, but we provide a second year of training which we believe is critical,” said Darlington. “The final year, the residents focus on a particular aspect of elder care such as wound care, nursing home care, clinical or basic research.”

The total number of fellows that have been trained in Geriatrics at Baylor is approximately 60 individuals.  They currently have six residents.

Darlington said that their research is funded by grants from the National Institute of Health, but the yearly ball does help with other areas.

"The gala is our major fund raiser," said Darlington. “The money that comes in through the gala goes to the training of the residents. It can help them get an extra year of training.”

While the gala is a big event for the center, it is not the only fund raising event that supports the geriatric fellows. They have one other one.

The Huffington Center is considered one of the premier centers on aging in the world. This year their gala raised over $350,000.

“We are very grateful to be in Houston,” said Darlington. “I have seen very few places that have shown such support for academic and medical institutes. The support we got for the gala is just an example of that.”