Named in honor of Dr. Thomas T. Yoshikawa and his wife, Catherine—who together served the AGS and the geriatrics community for more than two decades—the Yoshikawa Award will offer recognition and financial support to emerging eldercare scholars who represent the early promise of the Yoshikawas’ own illustrious career. The award, which includes a $2,000 honorarium, has been supported through 2032 thanks to generous support from AGS members and countless friends and colleagues of the Dr. and Mrs. Yoshikawa.
2024 Recipient: C. Barrett Bowling, MD, MSPH
The 2024 Thomas and Catherine Yoshikawa Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation is awarded to C. Barrett Bowling, MD, MSPH, Associate Professor in the Division of Geriatrics at Duke University School of Medicine.
Dr. Bowling is a geriatrician, chronic disease researcher, and research educator who focuses on incorporating geriatrics into chronic disease research and clinical care. He is a past recipient of the NIA GEMSSTAR, a T. Franklin Williams Scholar, and VA Career Development awardee and principal investigator of two R01s and one VA IIR (R01 equivalent). His collaborative research has resulted in over 95 peer reviewed publications related to chronic kidney disease, hypertension, multimorbidity, lupus, and other chronic conditions among older adults.
To address the underrepresentation of older adults in research, he developed the 5Ts Framework to help anticipate and overcome challenges to enrolling older adults in research studies. The 5Ts framework describes maximizing study generalizability by enrolling participants from the Target population, building research Teams that include geriatrics and gerontology expertise, incorporating appropriate Tools to measure function and patient-reported outcomes, anticipating Time for longer study visits, and accommodating older participants with comorbidities and age-related impairments by following practical Tips. The 5Ts has gained national attention as an approach to improve research inclusion. Using this framework has allowed Dr. Bowling to advocate for the needs of older adults and support inclusion across the lifespan.
“Dr. Bowling’s work is based on the selfless goal of working to ensure older adults’ priorities are seen and met,” said AGS President Donna Fick, PhD, RN, GCNS-BC, AGSF, FGSA, FAAN. “By focusing on the unique needs of older adults with chronic disease and chronic disease care, he is helping older adults retain their independence which is often a priority for this population. His research has helped to support inclusion and care of older adults in clinical practice and research with tools such as the CKD Discordance Index which can be used to identify older adults at high risk of hospitalizations and the 5Ts Framework. This work epitomizes the Yoshikawas’ commitment to diffusing new knowledge into practice.”
Dr. Bowling has demonstrated unwavering dedication as an active member of the Society. His involvement with the AGS dates back to his residency, where he initiated the establishment of an AGS Resident Chapter at University of Alabama at Birmingham. Notably, in 2009, he secured the AGS 1st place prize for Resident Poster, followed by the prestigious AGS/Merck New Investigator Award in 2013. He has actively served on various AGS Committees and Task Forces and is a frequent faculty member for the Annual Meeting Program. Dr. Bowling's exceptional involvement extended to the Jr. Faculty Research SIG which he chaired from 2017-2018. More recently, he served as Domain Co-chair for the Inclusion Across the Lifespan, Health Equity, and Vulnerable Populations Module for the AGS/AGING Learning, Educating, And Researching National Initiative in Geriatrics ("LEARNING") Collaborative Curriculum on multiple chronic conditions (MCC) which was developed with funding from the National Institute on Aging to support investigators seeking to include older adults with MCC in their research.
Past Recipients of the Thomas and Catherine Yoshikawa Outstanding Scientific Achievement for Clinical Investigation Award
2023 Dae Kim, MD, MPH, ScD
2022 Amy S. Kelly, MD, MSHS
2020 Alexander Smith, MD, MS, MPH
2019 Amy Kind, MD, PhD
2018 Heather Whitson, MD, MHS
2017 Sei Lee, MD, MAS
2016 Mara Schonberg, MD, MPH
2015 Rebecca Sudore, MD
2014 XinQi Dong, MD, MPH
2013 Cynthia J. Brown, MD, MSPH
2012 Malaz A. Boustani, MD, MPH
2011 Catherine A. Sarkisian, MD, MSPH
2010 Cynthia M. Boyd, MD, MPH
2009 Louise C. Walter, MD
2008 R. Sean Morrison, MD
2007 Eric A. Coleman, MD, MPH
2006 David J. Cassaret, MD, MS
2005 Joe Verghese, MBBS, MS
2004 Terri R. Fried, MD
2003 Edward Marcantonio, MD, Boston, MA
2002 James T. Pacala, MD, Minneapolis, MN
2001 Thomas M. Gill, MD, New Haven, CT
2001 Greg A. Sachs, MD, Chicago, IL
2000 Elizabeth Capezuti, PhD, RN