Chair, Department of Medicine
Director, Center for Study of Aging and Human Development

Department / Division:
Medicine / Geriatrics

Address:
DUMC 3003
Durham, NC 27710

Office Telephone:
919-660-7502

Fax Telephone:
919-684-8569

• MD, SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine, 1965

• Internal Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, 1965-1967
• Hematology/Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, 1969-1972

Clinical Interests:
Geriatric assessment, general medical problems in the elderly, cancer (especially hematology malignancies in the elderly)

Research Interests:
Dr. Cohen's research program includes clinical research relating to aspects of the pathways to functional decline with aging, geriatric assessment, and cancer in the elderly.

 Pathways to functional decline are being explored through the NIA funded Claude Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, and includes studies of the contributions of age related physiologic change, in particular changes in inflammatory parameters, comorbid diseases and conditions, environment, genetics, and the interactionas among them.  Data are derived from several current studies as well as previously collected data sets from the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE), National Long Term Care Survey, and the Chinese Longevity Study (with Dr. Zeng Yi).  Previous work has demonstrated the important contributions of age related inflammation and coagulation activation to functional status.

  Geriatric assessment approaches have been studied in a number of randomized and controlled studies and work is now concentrating on the application of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment tools to the evaluation and treatment of elderly patients with cancer.  This is an extension and continuation of a long standing interest in geriatric oncology.  Previous studies have elucidated age-related patterns of disease presentation, treatment approaches, clinical trials, survivorship, quality of life, impact of comrobidities and functional outcomes.  Dr. Cohen is co-chair of the Cancer in the Elderly Committee of Cancer and Acute Luekemia Group B (CALGB).  A number of active studies and ongoing data bases aree being utilized to address these questions.

Representative Publications:
Whitson HE, Purser JL, Cohen HJ. Frailty thy name is ... Phrailty? J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2007 Jul;62(7):728-30. (2007) Abstract

Cohen HJ. The cancer aging interface: a research agenda. J Clin Oncol. 2007 May 10;25(14):1945-8. (2007) Abstract

Phibbs CS, Holty JE, Goldstein MK, Garber AM, Wang Y, Feussner JR, Cohen HJ. The effect of geriatrics evaluation and management on nursing home use and health care costs: results from a randomized trial. Med Care. 2006 Jan;44(1):91-5. (2006) Abstract

Denny SD, Kuchibhatla MN, Cohen HJ. Impact of anemia on mortality, cognition, and function in community-dwelling elderly. Am J Med. 2006 Apr;119(4):327-34. (2006) Abstract

Cohen HJ. Keynote comment: cancer survivorship and ageing--a double whammy. Lancet Oncol. 2006 Nov;7(11):882-3. (2006) Abstract

Rao AV, Hsieh F, Feussner JR, Cohen HJ. Geriatric evaluation and management units in the care of the frail elderly cancer patient. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2005 Jun;60(6):798-803. (2005) Abstract

Hurria A, Gupta S, Zauderer M, Zuckerman EL, Cohen HJ, Muss H, Rodin M, Panageas KS, Holland JC, Saltz L, Kris MG, Noy A, Gomez J, Jakubowski A, Hudis C, Kornblith AB. Developing a cancer-specific geriatric assessment: a feasibility study. Cancer. 2005 Nov 1;104(9):1998-2005. (2005) Abstract

Schmader KE, Hanlon JT, Pieper CF, Sloane R, Ruby CM, Twersky J, Francis SD, Branch LG, Lindblad CI, Artz M, Weinberger M, Feussner JR, Cohen HJ. Effects of geriatric evaluation and management on adverse drug reactions and suboptimal prescribing in the frail elderly. Am J Med. 2004 Mar 15;116(6):394-401. (2004) Abstract

Wilson CJ, Cohen HJ, Pieper CF. Cross-linked fibrin degradation products (D-dimer), plasma cytokines, and cognitive decline in community-dwelling elderly persons. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003 Oct;51(10):1374-81. (2003) Abstract

Kemeny MM, Peterson BL, Kornblith AB, Muss HB, Wheeler J, Levine E, Barlett N, Fleming G and Cohen JH. Barriers to Clinical Trial Participation by Older Women With Breast Cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 21(12):2268-2275, 2003. (2003)

Garman KS, Pieper CF, Seo P, Cohen HJ. Function in elderly cancer survivors depends on comorbidities. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2003 Dec;58(12):M1119-24. (2003) Abstract

Cohen HJ, Harris T, Pieper CF. Coagulation and activation of inflammatory pathways in the development of functional decline and mortality in the elderly. Am J Med. 2003 Feb 15;114(3):180-7. (2003) Abstract

Ingram SS, Seo PH, Martell RE, Clipp EC, Doyle ME, Montana GS, Cohen HJ. Comprehensive assessment of the elderly cancer patient: the feasibility of self-report methodology. J Clin Oncol. 2002 Feb 1;20(3):770-5. (2002) Abstract

Cohen HJ, Feussner JR, Weinberger M, Carnes M, Hamdy RC, Hsieh F, Phibbs C, Courtney D, Lyles KW, May C, McMurtry C, Pennypacker L, Smith DM, Ainslie N, Hornick T, Brodkin K, Lavori P. A controlled trial of inpatient and outpatient geriatric evaluation and management. N Engl J Med. 2002 Mar 21;346(12):905-12. (2002) Abstract

Cohen HJ. In search of the underlying mechanisms of frailty. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2000 Dec;55(12):M706-8. (2000) Abstract

Ferrucci L, Harris TB, Guralnik JM, Tracy RP, Corti MC, Cohen HJ, Penninx B, Pahor M, Wallace R, Havlik RJ. Serum IL-6 level and the development of disability in older persons. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1999 Jun;47(6):639-46. (1999) Abstract

Dentino AN, Pieper CF, Rao MK, Currie MS, Harris T, Blazer DG, Cohen HJ. Association of interleukin-6 and other biologic variables with depression in older people living in the community. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1999 Jan;47(1):6-11. (1999) Abstract

Cohen HJ, Crawford J, Rao MK, Pieper CF, Currie MS. Racial differences in the prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy in a community-based sample of the elderly. Am J Med. 1998 May;104(5):439-44. (1998) Abstract

Cohen HJ, Pieper CF, Harris T, Rao KM, Currie MS. The association of plasma IL-6 levels with functional disability in community-dwelling elderly. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 1997 Jul;52(4):M201-8. (1997) Abstract

Currie MS, Rao KMK, Blazer DG and Cohen HJ: Age and functional correlations of markers of coagulation and inflammation in the elderly: Functional implications of elevated crosslinked fibrin degradation products (d-dimers). Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 42:738-742.1994. (1994)

Cohen HJ: Biology of aging as related to cancer. Cancer (supplement) 74(7):2092-2100, 1994. (1994)

Cohen HJ, Saltz CC, Samsa G, McVey L, Davis D, and Feussner JR: Predictors of Two-year Post-hospitalization and Mortality Among Elderly Veterans in a Study Evaluating a Geriatric Consultation Team. JAGS 40:1231-1235, 1992. (1992)

Cohen HJ, Boland KM, and Rao KMK: Age Related Studies of SIg, LEU-4 and Concanavalin A Receptor Densities and Capping in Human Lymphocytes. Mechanisms of Aging and Development 59:253-262, 1991. (1991)

McVey LJ, Becker PM, Salz CC, Feussner JR, and Cohen HJ: Effect of a Geriatric Consultation Team on Functional Status of Elderly Hospitalized Patients. Annals of Internal Medicine 110(1):79-84,1989. (1989)