McDaniel College has appointed Dr. Alva “Buzz” Baker as director of the newly founded Center for the Study of Aging. The certified geriatrician will continue to serve as Executive Director for the Copper Ridge Institute, a world-class research and education center for patients with all forms of dementia. The Institute, located in Eldersburg, Md., focuses its efforts on improving quality of life for patients and their families by developing evidence-based, relevant and replicable models of care.

“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Baker direct the Center for the Study of Aging,” says President Joan Develin Coley. “He will help prepare the next generation of caregivers for the growing elderly population expected in the coming decades.”

Baker will lead the Center for the Study of Aging, established through a $150,000 start-up grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, as it develops and runs both degree and continuing education opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students, service providers, community leaders, policy makers, and others interested in the field of aging.

The Center will serve as a central location for all members of the local community and region to work collaboratively in response to and in support of the area’s aging population.

According to the Maryland Department of Planning’s Population Projections, the population of adults over the age of 60 living in Carroll and surrounding counties is expected to grow significantly by 2020. Specifically, growth projections are 123 percent for Carroll County, 131 percent for Frederick County and 169 percent for Howard County.

In order to support and advance the Center for the Study of Aging, the College has established a collaborative relationship with EMA, which owns and manages continuing care retirement communities throughout Maryland. Baker began working with EMA as the medical director for Fairhaven in 1980, and he currently serves as vice president for Health and Wellness Services.

Baker was engaged in the private practice of medicine in Westminster until 1994, when, concurrent with the opening of Copper Ridge, he began working full time for EMA.  He is a member of the American Geriatrics Society and the Southern Medical Association.

He is a certified medical director and a member of the American Medical Directors Association and will serve as its president in 2007.  Baker has certification in hospice and palliative medicine and is an associate medical director for Carroll Hospice.  He serves on the Executive Council for the Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County, and he has been a member of the medical staff of Carroll Hospital Center since 1972. Baker earned his M.D. from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and his B.A. from McDaniel College.

Center for Study of Aging
Certificate Program in Gerontology