News/Press Releases

• Congratulations to Dr. G. Michael Harper on being awarded the 2026 Dennis W. Jahnigen Memorial Award for his work advancing geriatrics education through leadership, mentorship, and innovative program development. He will receive the award at #AGS26. https://bit.ly/47P1shy 

New York (April 8, 2026) — Today, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) announced that G. Michael Harper, MD will be honored with the Dennis W. Jahnigen Memorial Award, recognizing his lasting impact on geriatrics education through leadership, mentorship, and innovative program development. A past President of the American Geriatrics Society, Dr. Harper has dedicated his career to ensuring that all health professionals are competent to care for older adults regardless of specialty or discipline. With this award, AGS honors his deep commitment to geriatrics education and mentorship and recognizes his leadership in developing the programs and professionals who will care for us all as we age.

• Today, the @AmerGeriatrics announced Veronica Rivera, MD, AGSF as the 2026 recipient of the AGS Clinician of the Year award. #AGS26 https://bit.ly/4sdbIHD 

New York (April 6, 2026) — The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today announced Veronica Rivera, MD, as 2026 Clinician of the Year. Dr. Rivera, Associate Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, will be honored at the 2026 Virtual AGS Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS26) happening April 30th – May 2nd (pre-conference days: April 27th – April 29th). 

• Today, @AmerGeriatrics awards Dr. Thomas Cudjoe, MD, MPH, MA, the Arti Hurria Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in Internal Medicine focused on #Geriatrics #AGS26 https://bit.ly/3PMtqV1

New York, NY (April 2, 2026)—Today, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the AGS Health in Aging Foundation announced Dr. Thomas Cudjoe, MD, MPH, MA as the recipient of the Arti Hurria Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in Internal Medicine that are focused on the Care of Older Adults. Dr. Cudjoe is an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Department of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology with joint appointments at the John Hopkins University Schools of Public Health (Epidemiology) and Nursing. Dr. Cudjoe will receive the Arti Hurria Memorial Award at the AGS 2026 Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS26), held Thursday, April 30th – Saturday, May 2nd with pre-conference days April 27th-April 29th.

• Today, @AmerGeriatrics @HealthinAging announces Dr. Cameron J. Gettel (@CameronGettel) as the 2026 recipient of the Jeffrey H. Silverstein Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in the Surgical and Related Medical Specialties. https://bit.ly/4lYAauK

New York, NY (March 31, 2026) — The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the AGS Health in Aging Foundation today announced that the 2026 Jeffrey H. Silverstein Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in the Surgical and Related Medical Specialties will be awarded to Cameron J. Gettel, MD, MHS Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. 
 

The award will be presented at the 2026 AGS Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS26) which is being held from Thursday, April 30th – Saturday, May 2nd (pre-conference days: April 27th-29th). The award recognizes Dr. Gettel for his cross-cutting work in geriatrics, emergency care, and care transitions.

New York (March 27, 2026) – The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is pleased to announce the results of its 2026 AGS Board of Directors and Nominating Committee elections. AGS members elected Judith L. Beizer, PharmD, FASCP, AGSF to serve as AGS President-Elect. Dr. Beizer is on the faculty of St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Megan Young, MD (Boston Medical Center) was elected for a second term and Timothy Farrell, MD, AGSF (University of Utah) and Lisa Walke, MD, MSHA, AGSF (University of Pennsylvania) were elected to first terms on the Board. The members elected Sharon Brangman, MD, FACP, AGSF (State University of New York-Upstate) to serve on the AGS Nominating Committee.  

Earlier this year, the AGS Board elected the following as officers of the Society: 

Ramona Rhodes, MD, MPH, MSCS, AGSF, UT Southwestern Medical Center, to serve as AGS Treasurer for a second term, and Reena Karani, MD, MHPE, FACP, AGSF, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, to serve as AGS Secretary for a first term.

The AGS Board also appointed the following to first terms as members of the AGS Nominating Committee: 

• From angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor exposure to a pragmatic pharmacist-led deprescribing intervention, & validating measures between the electronic health record and Medicare Claims #geriatrics research is shaping the future of care for all of us as we age. Don’t miss this year’s Plenary Paper session at #AGS26.  https://bit.ly/3PtWRuS 

New York (March 25, 2026) – Researchers presenting at the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS26), taking place April 30^th – May 2^nd (pre-conference days Monday, April 27^th – Wednesday, April 29^th), represent the leading voices in geriatrics scholarship. Selected from a highly competitive pool of 746 submissions, this year’s Plenary Paper Presenters will showcase innovative research aimed at advancing the health and well-being of older adults. The #AGS26 Plenary Paper Session (Thursday, April 30th, 11:15–12:00 PM EST) will feature distinguished speakers that will highlight the wide-ranging impact of geriatrics research, demonstrating its critical role in shaping the future of caring for all of us as we age.

Sacubitril/Valsartan Use across Transitions between Community, Hospital, and Skilled Nursing Facility Settings (presented by Andrew R. Zullo, PharmD, PhD)

New York (September 8, 2025) - The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) enthusiastically supports the introduction of the Geriatrics Workforce Improvement Act (S. 2699), which was introduced in the Senate on September 3rd.  

Spearheaded by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), members of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, this legislation would reauthorize funding for the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) and the Geriatrics Academic Career Awards (GACA).

As Americans live longer, our healthspans can vary significantly and many of us will be diagnosed with chronic diseases as we age. Geriatrics health professionals are experts in preventing, delaying, and managing the chronic diseases that impact many Americans 65 and older. Yet, there are too few such practitioners in the U.S. to meet the needs of older Americans.

The GWEP and GACA Program are the only federal programs designed to address the geriatrics workforce gap through geriatrics training at the community level (GWEP) and increase the number of faculty with geriatrics expertise across disciplines who can integrate geriatrics principles into health professional training (GACA). Administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the GWEP and GACA programs are building the geriatrics expertise we need in the primary care, paid caregiver, and family caregiver workforce.

New York (August 5, 2025) – On July 31, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notified all organizational liaisons to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that they were no longer eligible to serve as members of work groups established by ACIP to consider published and unpublished evidence on vaccine efficacy and safety. These work groups serve an important function in the development of recommendations to ACIP as to which vaccines should be on the vaccination schedules for children and adults, including older adults. In its notification, CDC conveyed that this decision is being made because CDC believes that organizational liaisons are inherently biased as they represent special interest groups. 

The AGS mission is to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of all older adults. We are committed to ensuring federal policy impacting the health of older Americans is informed by geriatrics health professionals who have the clinical and scientific expertise that is needed to guide development of healthcare policies. We believe vaccines are essential to preventing or lessening the impact of infectious diseases on older adults given our immune systems weaken as we age. These impacts can include exacerbation of chronic conditions, acceleration of disability (e.g., a prolonged hospital stay for pneumonia could result in decreased mobility and increased need for assistance with activities of daily living), or hastening the death of older Americans. 

• Today, @AmerGeriatrics released the Alternative Treatments to Selected Medications in the 2023 American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria^® (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.19500) in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS). 

New York (July 23, 2025) — Today the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) announced the release of the Alternative Treatments to Selected Medications in the 2023 American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria^® (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.19500), an updated clinical resource d

New York (July 3, 2025) - The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) enthusiastically supports yesterday’s introduction of the Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act (H.R. 4262).

Spearheaded by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) the bill reauthorizes workforce training programs under Title VII of the Public Health Service Act. Among these initiatives are the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) and the Geriatrics Academic Career Awards (GACAs), both critical to the care all Americans need as our country continues to age.

As Americans live longer, our healthspans can vary significantly. Many of us will be diagnosed with chronic diseases as we age even as research supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) has extended our collective healthspan. Geriatrics health professionals are experts in preventing, delaying, and managing the chronic diseases that impact many Americans 65 and older. Yet, there are too few such practitioners in the U.S. to meet the needs of older Americans.