William W. Hung, MD MPH is the project director of the GRECC Connect collaborative, and the site lead at the Bronx Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC). Dr. Hung is a geriatrician at the Bronx GRECC at the James J Peters VA Medical Center and currently serves as the Director of the GRECC. He is also an Associate Professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY. He was a Health and Aging Policy Fellow in 2014-2015 and currently conducts health services research funded by the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality and the Health Services Research and Development Service in the Department of Veteran Affairs. His interest lies in designing and evaluating geriatric models of care to improve care of older adults. 

Kenneth Boockvar, MD, MS is the Associate Director for Research at the Bronx GRECC and Professor of Geriatrics at Mount Sinai. He is a primary care geriatrician at the JJP VAMC, and a health services researcher, focusing on transitions between sites of care, medication safety, and changes in health in long-term care patients.  For GRECC Connect he leads teaching conferences with VA CBOC providers in VISN 2, provides telemedicine consultation to patients in rural CBOCs, participates in “huddles” with rural providers, and assists with administrative oversight of the program.

Judith Howe, PhD is the Deputy Director and Associate Director/Education and Evaluation at the Bronx GRECC as well as a Professor in the Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is a nationally recognized gerontological educator who has published and presented widely and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Gerontology and Geriatrics Education. She serves as an education and evaluation consultant to GRECC Connect and provides linkages to other Office of Rural Health funded programs such as the VA Geriatrics Scholars and Rural Interdisciplinary Team Training programs.

Nick Koufacos, LMSW is a medical social worker with extensive training in geriatrics and palliative care.  He provides clinical social work support to rural Veterans through telehealth service.





Shatice Jones is the GRECC Connect Program coordinator at the Bronx GRECC.

Point of Contact: Shatice Jones,  shatice.jones@va.gov; (646) 628-0934

Located in the north most borough of New York City, the Bronx GRECC serves as the coordinating center of GRECC Connect Collaborative. The Bronx hosts monthly case conferences with focus on geriatric related issues that are open to VA health care providers nationwide and offers continuing education opportunities to participants. Locally, the Bronx has introduced geriatric specialty care via telemedicine to Veterans in rural counties in New York (Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan and Ulster), New Jersey (Sussex), and Pennsylvania (Pike). The clinical services available include:

1. Clinical Video Telehealth for assessment of geriatric patients in rural CBOCs
2. Electronic consultation for short and succinct questions on management of rural Veterans
3. Review and discussion with rural providers on questions about care for older rural Veterans (telehuddle)