The NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, a worldwide leader in researching aging and introducing geriatric medicine into its DVM curriculum, is now offering its students a first-of-its-kind opportunity to earn a Certificate of Geriatric Medicine, with a new elective class already in place this semester.

More than 20 students have enrolled in the novel course, the Art and Science of Aging, which addresses the key concepts of geroscience and how aging impacts our veterinary patients. To earn the certificate, students must successfully complete two electives — the second, Complexity of Aging-Geriatric Medicine, will begin next year — and also three shorter selective courses, four specified rotations, a preceptorship project and a capstone project, though any student can take any of the classes. 

“Age is the most important risk factor for many of the diseases we see in our veterinary patients, so enhancing training in geriatric medicine has become imperative,” says Dr. Natasha Olby, the Dr. Kady M. Gjessing and Rahna M. Davidson Distinguished Chair in Gerontology at NC State. “Now our students will be the first to be able to earn a Certificate in Geriatric Medicine or choose to participate in classes that provide extra instruction on the science behind aging and managing aging patients.”

The certificate and innovative courses in geriatric medicine follow the college’s creation of the Center for Healthy Aging, whose mission is to promote education, clinical excellence and research into the aging of companion animals while also preserving quality of life, extending healthspan and supporting owners.

The center, directed by Olby, brings NC State faculty members from multiple disciplines under one umbrella to facilitate research collaboration and innovation. Members of the executive committee are Dr. Katarzyna Dembek, associate professor of equine medicine; Dr. Kady Gjessing, director of the NC State Omega Transitional Care team; Dr. Margaret Gruen, professor of behavioral medicine; Dr. Allison Kendall, associate clinical professor of small animal internal medicine; and Dr. Katie McCool, assistant professor of small animal internal medicine.

“I am so grateful to Dr. Natasha Olby and the members of the executive committee for including education of veterinary students as one of the missions of this center,” says Dr. Katie Sheats, associate dean and director of Professional Education and Admissions at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. “Students completing this certificate, or taking any of the component classes, will come away with a much deeper appreciation for the ‘art and science,’ as Dr. Olby puts it, of geriatric veterinary medicine. This training will benefit not only our students, but all of their future clients and patients as well.” 

Olby had been recognized primarily as a leading expert on canine spinal cord injury and intervertebral disc disease before she began focusing on the aging process after receiving NC State University’s largest endowed professorship in 2017. 

When she realized the dearth of longitudinal data about what happens to the sensory, motor and cognitive systems in dogs as they age, Olby and team members including Gruen began a long-term project to develop ways to describe and measure the changes in cognition, mobility and vision in older dogs.

In April 2022, their successful work outlining a suite of complementary tests they found could quantify changes in dogs suspected of suffering from cognitive decline or canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. CCDS is similar to Alzheimer’s disease in humans, and the canine work could help in evaluating cognitive decline progression in humans as well.

Since then, Olby has convened and led a group of 12 experts from across the world in crafting a paper outlining veterinary diagnostic criteria for CCDS. The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association accepted the paper in November and published it online last month. 

“The guidelines are only the start of the process of defining and identifying cognitive decline and dysfunction in dogs,” Olby says. “They have been developed to be accessible to primary veterinarians and their pet owners and will help to unify efforts to detect cognitive decline in its early stages.”

The NC State College of Veterinary Medicine first introduced geriatric medicine into its curriculum in 2019 when Olby began offering a fast-paced, intensely focused selective on aging companion animals that was always well-received.

Sheats says having veterinary students knowledgeable in geriatric medicine means they’ll also be able to make recommendations for younger patients with the goal of preventing or delaying age-related disease. 

“Just like our human population, advancements in veterinary medicine mean that dogs, cats and horses are living much longer lives,” Sheats says. “It is wonderful to have more time with our animal companions, but aging becomes a risk factor for diseases that are often chronic and costly in nature. To be effective practitioners, veterinarians need specific knowledge, skills and communication tools about aging.”