New York (April 27, 2017)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today announced that Maura Brennan, MD, AGSF, FACP, FAAHPM, HMDC, a champion of education in geriatrics and Chief in the Division of Geriatrics, Palliative Care, and Post-Acute Medicine at Baystate Health in Springfield, Mass., will be honored with the 2017 Dennis W. Jahnigen Award.
“Dr. Brennan has helped countless students and fellow educators bridge empathy for older adults with an interest in geriatrics in the classroom, where the future of our field is taking shape,” notes AGS President Ellen Flaherty, PhD, APRN, AGSF. “By inspiring interest in geriatrics across the diverse professions involved in well-being, Dr. Brennan has become a model for the critical role education plays in high-quality, person-centered care.”
Dr. Brennan’s impact as an educator has been felt far beyond Massachusetts and Baystate Health, where she supports older adults and trainees in a variety of roles, including as director of the geriatric medicine fellowship. Dr. Brennan also developed and ran the country’s first geriatric track in an internal medicine residency program, which later became the first residency-based chapter of the AGS. Dr. Brennan has been the driving force behind numerous AGS initiatives to engage health professions students in geriatrics expertise. These have included leadership of a task force that became the Resident Activities Subcommittee of the AGS Education Committee. She continues to support clinical skills workshops, the AGS Residents Section Meetings, and the Residents Poster Sessions at AGS Annual Scientific Meetings.
“It is difficult to put into words the respect, admiration and gratitude I have for Dr. Brennan,” said Sheryl Ramdass, MD, one of Dr. Brennan’s 2017 fellows in geriatric medicine at Baystate Health. “She is truly inspirational and has a genuine passion for teaching even outside her role as a geriatrician. Dr. Brennan is an exceptional mentor who has been so influential in my career and professional development.”
“I am thrilled to have been selected as the recipient of this year’s Jahnigen Award,” noted Dr. Brennan. “The AGS and Baystate Health have been my two professional homes for well over 20 years. Many previous awardees have been my teachers, mentors, collaborators and friends, so to be asked to join their ranks is breathtaking. Recruiting others into this wonderful field has been an abiding joy.”
The late Dennis W. Jahnigen, MD, was a compassionate geriatrician and acclaimed educator who dedicated his life to training future leaders. Today, his namesake award recognizes an AGS member, like Dr. Brennan, committed to working with students and advancing geriatrics education in schools of health and medicine. It is one of several honors conferred by the AGS at its Annual Scientific Meeting—held this year in San Antonio, Texas, May 18-20. For more information, visit AmericanGeriatrics.org.
About the American Geriatrics Society
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics healthcare professionals that has—for 75 years—worked to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of older people. Its nearly 6,000 members include geriatricians, geriatric nurses, social workers, family practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and internists. The Society provides leadership to healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the public by implementing and advocating for programs in patient care, research, professional and public education, and public policy. For more information, visit AmericanGeriatrics.org.
About the Dennis W. Jahnigen Award
The late Dennis W. Jahnigen, MD, was a compassionate geriatrician and acclaimed educator who dedicated his life to training future leaders. Today, his namesake award recognizes an AGS member committed to working with students and advancing geriatrics education in schools of health and medicine.
About the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting
The AGS Annual Scientific Meeting is the premier educational event in geriatrics, providing the latest information on clinical care, research on aging, and innovative models of care delivery. More than 2,500 nurses, pharmacists, physicians, physician assistants, social workers, long-term care and managed care providers, healthcare administrators, and others will convene May 18-20, 2017 (pre-conference program on May 17), at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, to advance geriatrics knowledge and skills through state-of-the-art educational sessions and research presentations. For more information, visit AmericanGeriatrics.org.