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Thomas M. Gill, MD

Humana Foundation Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics) and Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases) and of Investigative Medicine; Director, Yale Program on Aging; Director, Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center; Director, Yale Center for Disability and Disabling Disorders; Director, Yale Training Program in Geriatric Clinical Epidemiology and Aging-Related Research

Contact Information

Thomas M. Gill, MD

Office Location

Mailing Address

  • Dorothy Adler Geriatric Assessment Center

    874 Howard Avenue

    New Haven, CT 06519

    United States

Yale Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center
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Research Summary

Dr. Gill's research is directed towards understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of functional decline and disability among community-living older persons and towards developing preventive strategies to forestall the onset and progression of disability among those who are most vulnerable. The results from the Yale Precipitating Events Project (PEP), Dr. Gill's ongoing NIA-funded cohort study, which includes monthly assessments of functional status for over 25 years, are revolutionizing our understanding of disability, a problem of immense importance to older persons, their families, and society. In a landmark clinical trial, Dr. Gill's research group demonstrated that functional decline among frail older persons can be prevented through a prehabilitation program targeting underlying impairments in physical capabilities.

Extensive Research Description

Dr. Gill's research is directed towards understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of functional decline and disability among community-living older persons and towards developing preventive strategies to forestall the onset and progression of disability among those who are most vulnerable. The results from the Yale Precipitating Events Project (PEP), Dr. Gill's ongoing NIA-funded cohort study, which includes monthly assessments of functional status for over 25 years, are revolutionizing our understanding of disability, a problem of immense importance to older persons,their families, and society. In a landmark clinical trial, Dr. Gill's research group demonstrated that functional decline among frail older persons can be prevented through a prehabilitation program targeting underlying impairments in physical capabilities. He has led and/or played major roles on many multi-site clinical trials, including an ongoing multi-site pragmatic trial that is comparing clinical outcomes and health care utilization of a health system-based dementia care program, a community-based dementia care program, and usual care. He has recently established a working group in the medical school on translational geroscience, which includes an annual pilot grant program and visiting professorship.

Dr. Gill directs the Center on Disability and Disabling Disorders, which conducts longitudinal studies and clinical trials to enhance the scientific knowledge base of the disablement process and to rigorously evaluate promising intervention strategies. The Center includes an expanding number of clinical investigators, across disciplines, who are pursuing aging research related to disability and disabling disorders. This includes functional assessment in general as well as the functional consequences of highly prevalent disease-specific conditions such as arthritis, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), influenza, diabetes, stroke, depression, dementia, sleep deficiency, critical illness and major surgery. Under Dr. Gill's direction, the Center has acquired significant expertise with the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), an ongoing, nationally representative longitudinal study of 7,600+ community-living persons aged 65 years or older, which is serving as a primary data source for several projects related to the epidemiology of disability, including a recently funded R01 from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities: "A Multifactorial Approach to Evaluating Disparities in Outcomes after Major Surgery in Disadvantaged Older Persons".

1. Yale PEP Study: Epidemiology of Disability and Recovery in Older Persons

2. NHATS: A Multifactorial Approach to Evaluating Disparities in Outcomes after Major Surgery in Disadvantaged Older Persons

3. Yale PEP Study: Distressing Symptoms and Disability Before and After Sentinel Health Events among Community-living Older Persons

Coauthors

Research Interests

Aging; Disability Evaluation; Epidemiology; Geriatrics; General Surgery; Geriatric Assessment; Clinical Trial; Health Status Disparities; Geroscience

Public Health Interests

Aging; Chronic Diseases; Clinical Trials; Epidemiology Methods

Research Image

Conceptual Framework for Evaluating Disparities in Outcomes after Major Surgery in Disadvantaged Older Persons

This figure provides the conceptual framework for the research proposed in our newly funded R01 from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

Selected Publications

Clinical Trials

ConditionsStudy Title
Aging; Diseases of the Cardiovascular System; Diseases of the Nervous SystemPragmatic Evaluation of Events And Benefits of Lipid-lowering in Older Adults (PREVENTABLE)
AgingReal-time and Online Assessment and Mobility Monitoring (ROAMM)
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