As the world's population gets older, the need for healthcare professionals trained in geriatrics—the branch of medicine focused on the health and care of older people—is growing. Researchers set out to create a map of the major international programs that provide education and training in this field. Their goal was to understand what these programs do and see how they could work together to create a more organized and fair global system for training.

To do this, a specialized group on education and training from the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS) conducted a review and consulted with experts from around the world between January and October 2025. This process included a meeting with international specialists at the 21st EuGMS Congress in Reykjavík. The researchers only included educational initiatives that operated in multiple countries, had a specific mission to provide training in geriatrics, and were not limited to a single topic within the field.

For each of the programs they identified, the researchers described its overall focus, who it was designed for, and what it contributed to the field. They then categorized each initiative into a three-level framework:

1. Foundational capacity-building: Programs that provide basic skills and knowledge to build a foundation in geriatric care.
2. Professional and interprofessional development: Training for current healthcare workers to advance their skills, often involving professionals from different disciplines (like doctors, nurses, and therapists) learning together.
3. Leadership and specialist advancement: High-level training for experienced professionals to prepare them for leadership roles or advanced specialty practice.

The study identified 17 different international initiatives.

The first level, focused on foundational training, included programs such as the International Federation on Ageing (IFA); the International Institute on Ageing, United Nations–Malta (INIA); the basic level of the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) ACAPEM program; the ASEAN Centre for Active Ageing and Innovation (ASEAN–ACAI); the e-Training in Gerontology and Geriatrics (e-TRIGGER) programs from the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG); the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) approach; and AfriAGE, an initiative focused on Africa.

The second level, for professional development, included the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG); the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS); the European Interdisciplinary Council on Ageing (EICA); a research network called PROGRAMMING CA2112; the Victorian Geriatric Medicine Training Programme (VGMTP) from Australia; and the intermediate level of the ACAPEM program.

The third level, for leadership and specialist training, was represented by several leadership academies, including the European Academy for Medicine of Ageing (EAMA), the Latin American Academy for Medicine of Ageing (ALMA), the Middle East and North Africa Academy for Medicine of Ageing (MEAMA/MENAAA), and the Asia Academy for Medicine of Ageing (AAMA). Also in this tier was the Geriatric Medicine Section of the Union of European Medical Specialists (UEMS–GMS).

The researchers concluded that these 17 programs form a global system for geriatrics education that is currently very disconnected. However, they also have the potential to support and complete one another. The study suggests that if these programs were more aware of each other and better coordinated their efforts, they could more efficiently and sustainably develop the global workforce needed to care for older adults. This coordination should be guided by principles of fairness and the inclusion of all types of healthcare professionals.