Professor Phillip Clark has been touting an integrated approach to health care since the 1980s. It seems that now, everyone else is finally getting on board.

Clark, director of the University’s gerontology program, published his first work detailing a model for interdisciplinary teamwork in health and aging in 1986 in Gerontology & Geriatrics Education. Just recently, he was awarded a $2.5 million grant by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to train and educate health care providers, students, and patients across the state in the integrated, inter-professional delivery of health care required by older adults.

“It’s gratifying to know things may be heading in a direction we’ve been working toward for many years,” Clark said. “When the government and the University put resources behind it, you see it moving forward. I’m hopeful that we’re seeing a difference in how the health professions cooperate.”

Clark, who has been awarded a total of $17.5 million in grants, says the health of geriatric patients doesn’t rest solely on the shoulders of care providers, though. To that end, Clark helped found the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at URI, a program aimed at providing learning opportunities for adults ages 50 and older. The program began in 2009 and boasts more than 1,000 members who participate in educational courses and activities.

“It’s a way of embracing aging. It’s about people learning together and being a part of a community,” he said. “Our members can be a great model for URI students and show them that there are people here learning at all ages, not just between the ages of 18 and 22.”