ABSTRACT
Over the last several decades great strides have been made in the United States to meet the needs of an aging American population. This paper reviews the development of geriatric medicine in the United States, which is cha- racterized by leadership and investment from both the public and private sector. The establishment of the National Institute of Aging, as well as, Centers of Excellence and initiatives from the Veterans Administration supported the development and growth of geriatric medicine training programs. While significant advances have been made, we continue to be faced with the challenge of an aging population and not enough geriatricians to care for them. Current strategies will need to intensify geriatric training at the medical student level and teach all physicians, regardless of specialty, how to take care of older patients.