Our Team

Demetra E. Antimisiaris, PharmD, CGP, FASCP

serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine at the University of Louisville.  She provides oversight for the Polypharmacy Initiative, which is dedicated to fighting inappropriate medication prescribing and use in older adults.  Dr. Antimisiaris also regularly teaches pharmacy students, medical students, residents, fellows, faculty and community physicians and is active in community outreach efforts.  Previously, Dr. Antimisiaris worked as a consultant pharmacist and assistant professor at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, and completed a joint academic-geriatrics pharmacy residency at UCLA-USC.

Christian Davis Furman, MD, MSPH

is an Associate Professor of in the Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. She has an associate appointment in the Department of Internal Medicine at the UofL. She attended the University of Miami in Florida for her undergraduate education and the University of Louisville for her Medical School and Internal Medicine Residency training. She completed a Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at the University of Louisville and received a MS in Public Health with focus on Epidemiology – Clinical Investigation Sciences from the University of Louisville. Her research focuses on palliative medicine, especially in the nursing home setting. Dr. Furman was awarded a Geriatric Academic Career Award (GACA) Grand to teach palliative medicine to interdisciplinary teams in 2004. She teaches all levels of learners through the Geriatrics program. She serves as the Vice-Chair for Geriatric Medicine. Dr. Furman is the Medical Director of UofL Geriatrics Outpatient Offices at Cardinal Station. She is Board Certified in Geriatric Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Care.

Rangaraj Gopalraj, MD, PhD

is Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine. He completed his M.B.B.S. (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery–MD equivalent) at Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital, Madras, India. He then completed his PhD in Physiology at the University of Kentucky and trained at University of Kentucky Family Medicine Program. He completed his Geriatric Medicine Fellowship and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at UofL. His research concentrates in the areas of palliative medicine, and nursing home medicine

Laura Grooms, MD

is Assistant Professor of Geriatrics, Program Director of Nursing Homes, and is Medical Director of Treyton Oak Towers and the Episcopal Church Home. Dr. Grooms graduated from University of Louisville School of Medicine. She completed her residency training at the University of Louisville Internal Medicine Program and completed her Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at UofL. Her research is in the areas of nursing home medicine and home care.

Patrick Murphy, MD, FAAFP, CMD

is Associate Professor of Geriatrics, Program Director of the Home Call Program, and is Medical Director at Sacred Heart Village and Christian Health Center. He graduated from Centre College with a BS in Biochemistry. He obtained an MD University of Louisville School of Medicine and did his residency in Family Medicine at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Covington, KY. Dr. Murphy’s main interest is education of medical students, residents and geriatric fellows in medical care in the long-term care facility.

James G. O'Brien, MD

is Professor and the Margaret Dorward Smock Endowed Chair in Geriatrics, as well as Chairman of the Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine at the University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky. A native of Ireland, he did his undergraduate and medical training at the University College in Dublin. Dr. O’Brien completed his graduate medical training at the Saginaw Cooperative Hospitals. Fellowship training at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. His many administrative posts at Michigan State University included Acting Chair in the Department of Family Medicine and Acting Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, College of Human Medicine. He is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and the American Geriatrics Society and was given the 2006 “Champion for the Aging Award” by ElderServe, Inc. of Louisville, Kentucky. He is also a 2005 inductee into the Arnold P. Gold Honors Society for Humanism in Medicine. Since 2003, he has served on the Governor’s Task Force on Abuse & Neglect of Elderly for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Dr. O’Brien was editor of a 1999 issue of the Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect titled Self-Neglect: Challenges for Helping Professionals and in addition was primary author or co-author of three of the articles. He has over 50 publications in peer reviewed journals, 2 textbooks, 13 chapters and serves on the Editorial Board of Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect. His invited editorial, “A New Approach to Elder Abuse in Ireland ‘Protecting Our Future’”, appeared in a 2003 issue of the Irish Medical Journal. He has multiple presentations at national and international meetings including the keynote address, “Self-Neglect in the Elderly: Ethical Issues,” to the Special Interest Group on Medical Ethics, British Geriatrics Society, in 1999 and to the 3rd Congress of the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society, Vienna, Austria, in 2004 on Self Neglect in the Elderly. Dr. O'Brien's primary research interests are the study of self-neglect in old age, delirium and polypharmacy. He has received over $2.5 million in external funding. Dr. O'Brien's personal interests include soccer, reading, travel and history.