Dr. Janice Knebl named UNT System Regents Professor

February 21, 2020
Our People

Janice Knebl, DO, MBA, has been named a Regents Professor by the UNT System Board of Regents in recognition of her tireless advocacy for seniors and older adults and her significant impact on the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Knebl, Professor of Geriatrics and Director of the Center for Geriatrics, is only the second professor in TCOM’s 50-year history to receive select academic distinction.

“I am truly humbled and appreciative for this honor and thankful to all of those who have supported me in my journey at TCOM and UNT Health Science Center over the past 30 years,” said Dr. Knebl, who also holds the Dallas Southwest Osteopathic Physicians Endowed Chair in Geriatrics. “Being awarded the UNT Regents Professor is truly one of the pinnacles of my academic career.”

Dr. Knebl is a pioneer in the treatment of older adults and has made a lasting impact on geriatric training for osteopathic medical students and health care professionals. In 2015, Dr. Knebl and her team helped craft the “WE HAIL” program, Workforce Enhancement in Health Aging and Independent Living, with funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

The program was developed to transform clinical training environments for health care professionals and caregivers in order to meet the needs of older adults in Tarrant County and surrounding rural communities. In 2019, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission recognized the program by presenting it the Innovators in Aging Award.

Dr. Knebl also is Director of Seniors Assisting in Geriatric Education (SAGE), which pairs first- and second-year TCOM students and other health profession students from UNTHSC and TCU with senior mentors in their homes. The SAGE program is one of the most comprehensive in the country, with over 11,000 home visits to senior mentors.

Dr. Knebl is very active on a national level in the osteopathic profession, and has been the Chair of NBOME and AOA-COCA. She is currently serving on AACOM’s prestigious Osteopathic Health Policy Fellowship and was recently appointed to the National Quality Forum Geriatrics and Palliative Care Standing Committee.

Dr. Frank Filipetto, Dean of TCOM, said Dr. Knebl’s work with the community and university make her very deserving of this honor.

“This is a tremendous honor for Dr. Knebl, and it speaks to the amazing work she has done at TCOM and in the field of osteopathic medicine when it comes to the care for older adults,” Dr. Filipetto said. “Her impact has been felt in our community for decades and her research and training of health care professionals has been profound. We are very proud of Dr. Knebl for receiving this great honor.”

Dr. Knebl has received numerous awards in her more than 30 years of service to TCOM and UNTHSC. In 2013, she received the Unsung Hero Award from the American Osteopathic Association and the TCOM Deans Research Award.

In 2012, Dr. Knebl was awarded the UNTHSC President Faculty Excellence Award in Research. She was honored with the Mildred Hogstel Award from the Tarrant Area Gerontological Society of Fort Worth and UNECOM Golf Foundation “Humanism in Aging Leadership Award” from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.

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