News/Press Releases

• New @AmerGeriatrics issue highlighting research originally slated for presentation at @AmerGeriatrics’ #AGS20 includes award-winning research at crossroads of #geriatrics, #urology, #palliative care, #oncology #aging http://ow.ly/NGoE30qE4zC

New York (May 8, 2020)—Advancing care for older people across health specialties, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the AGS Health in Aging Foundation today announced that two expert researchers—Kavita Dharmarajan, MD, MSc, an assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in N.Y.; and Nazema Siddiqui, MD, MHSc, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.—will receive the 2020 Jeffrey H. Silverstein Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in the Surgical and Related Medical Specialties. Originally slated for presentation at the AGS 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting—now cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic—the awards will be presented to Dr. Dharmarajan and Dr. Siddiqui at the AGS 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS21) in Chicago, Ill. (May 12-15, 2021).

• For second time in @AmerGeriatrics history, #geriatrics experts award high honor typically reserved for individuals to visionary organization: @WestHealth #aging #AGS20 #AGS21 http://ow.ly/3NSG30qE4tT

New York (May 8, 2020)—For only the second time in its near 80-year history, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) will award one of its highest honors typically reserved for individuals to West Health, a family of nonprofit organizations dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable older adults to successfully age in place.

West Health will receive the David H. Solomon Memorial Public Service Award for its visionary and trailblazing work to improve healthcare and increase its affordability for America’s aging population. The ceremony will be held during the AGS 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS21), May 13-15, 2021, in Chicago, Ill. The award was to be presented at this year’s meeting but was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“For nearly 15 years, West Health has put power and potential behind core priorities in geriatrics: Lowering costs and enabling older people to age in place thanks to high-quality, affordable health care and support services,” notes Sunny Linnebur, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS, BCGP, AGS board chair. “That’s community service at its best, which is what the Solomon Award is all about—and what our ongoing AGS collaborations with West Health aims to achieve.”

• .@AmerGeriatrics honors expert & emerging geriatrics leaders of 2020 http://ow.ly/m1IP30qE4LU

New York (May 8, 2020)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) annually honors researchers, clinicians, educators, and emerging health professionals who have made outstanding contributions to high-quality, person-centered care for older people. This year’s award recipients include more than 20 leaders representing the breadth of disciplines championing care for us all as we age. 

Following the cancellation of the AGS 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AGS announced that awardees would be honored at the AGS 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting, May 13-15 (pre-conference program on May 12), in Chicago, Ill.

Arti Hurria Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in Internal Medicine Who are Focused on the Care of Older Adults

• Rasheeda Hall, MD (Duke University)
• Kah Poh (Melissa) Loh, MBBCh, BAO (University of Rochester Medical Center)

Choosing Wisely® Champion Award

• .@AmerGeriatrics honors Dr. John B. Murphy of @BrownMedicine for pioneering work to build a better health workforce for us all as we age #AGS20 #AGS21 #geriatrics #aging http://ow.ly/oKUs30qE4xs

New York (May 8, 2020)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today announced that John B. Murphy, MD, a clinician, educator, and administrator working to embed geriatrics education in the fabric of medical curricula and clinical operations will be honored with the 2020 Dennis W. Jahnigen Award celebrating work to train health professionals in the care we all need as we age. President of Rhode Island Hospital/Hasbro Children’s Hospital, executive vice president of physician affairs at Lifespan and a professor of medicine and family medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, both in Rhode Island, Dr. Murphy has dedicated nearly four decades to advancing geriatrics and gerontology, helping lead innovation vital to New England and beyond. Following the cancellation of the AGS 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Murphy will receive his award at the AGS 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS21) in Chicago, Ill. (May 12-15).

New York (May 6, 2020)—Annette (Annie) Medina-Walpole, MD, AGSF, has a simple message for colleagues, caregivers and older adults, but one she hopes hits home: “We’re with you—because building momentum for aging today, troubled as today may seem, will build momentum for a better tomorrow.”

Dr. Medina-Walpole’s “today” is certainly unprecedented. She not only assumes responsibilities as the newest president of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) but also does so as shifting demographics and a global pandemic bring urgent attention to her expertise and that of her more than 7,000 AGS colleagues.

These are extraordinary times, but Dr. Medina-Walpole is no ordinary leader. She’s a geriatrics health professional—a pioneer in advanced-illness care for older individuals, with a focus on championing interprofessional teams, eliciting personal care goals, and treating older people as whole persons. And she believes that expertise will be key, not only to combatting COVID-19 but also to ensuring health, safety, and independence for us all as we age. Her AGS colleagues believe so, too, and now will work with her and other AGS leaders to ensure that vision remains an actionable priority.

• New @AmerGeriatrics position statement published today in @AGSJournal addresses one of #healthcare’s most difficult #COVID19 issues: #Aging & resource allocation #ThisIsGeriatrics #geriatrics http://ow.ly/x4em30qDKcQ

New York (May 6, 2020)—The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented pressure on societies worldwide, given the pandemic’s rapid, often deadly spread. In health care, the pandemic has raised the pressing question of how society should allocate scarce resources during a crisis. This is the question experts addressed today in a new position statement published by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.16537). The statement focuses primarily on whether age should be considered when making decisions to allocate scarce resources, with a related article addressing ethical considerations regarding older adults when rationing limited health care resources (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.16539).

New York (May 1, 2020)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is encouraged that the White House has established a Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes as part of our national response to COVID-19. This interprofessional task force will now assess action on COVID-19 for a critical and disproportionately impacted group: Older American residents in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

“As we’ve already learned, outbreaks in nursing homes are a foreseeable consequence of this pandemic, even with our frontline providers working as valiantly as they are,” notes AGS Chief Executive Officer Nancy Lundebjerg, MPA. “Our advocacy at the AGS has emphasized ensuring that all people—especially those most at risk—receive the care they need. We urge the Administration to ensure the task force includes experts important to public health planning, such as geriatrics health professionals and nursing home administrators. We also look forward to working with the Administration to advance the task force’s work in key areas, like prioritizing testing and safety for older adults and those who care for them in long-term care.”

New York (April 30, 2020)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today commended the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which announced a new round of regulatory waivers and rule changes aligned with feedback from the AGS. Specifically, CMS now broadened its list of telephone/audio-only services to include behavioral health care and patient education. CMS also increased reimbursement for telephone/audio visits, so they remain on par with reimbursement for similar office and outpatient care.

“For geriatrics health professionals, telehealth has emerged as an invaluable tool for ensuring that older Americans have access to the care they need,” said AGS Chief Executive Officer Nancy Lundebjerg, MPA. “One challenge has been how best to care for older adults, many of whom are not comfortable with or do not have resources like smartphones or are uncomfortable operating audio/video-capable software and mobile applications. This change from CMS will help ensure that medically complex older adults will have access to their clinicians using familiar technology.”

New York (April 28, 2020)—In a policy brief published today in its namesake journal (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.16510), the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) offered a roadmap to guide federal, state, and local governments addressing COVID-19 concerns in an important but oft-overlooked arena: Assisted living facilities (ALFs). The brief, which joins an earlier statement on COVID-19 care in nursing homes (DOI: 10.1111/jgs.16477), outlines recommendations based on the latest research and guidance, encompassing actions on resource needs, patient transfers, priorities for public health, and opportunities to better empower health workers on the frontlines of COVID-19 care.

“As we’ve already learned, outbreaks impacting older people are a foreseeable consequence of this pandemic, even with experts working as valiantly as they are,” notes AGS President-Elect Annie Medina-Walpole, MD, AGSF. “We hope this brief can help policymakers, advocates, and clinicians look at but also beyond the circumstances we can control—and those we can’t—to prioritize the innovation, collaboration, and compassion that can put residents and public health first. That’s a cardinal direction for planning in crisis and in calm, regardless of where we may live as we age.”

New York (April 27, 2020)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today commended the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) for supporting crucial efforts to enhance the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Programs (GWEPs). The assistance comes through supplemental funds of $4.35 million for telehealth services as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed on March 27, 2020.

In letters to the Administration and Congress regarding the CARES Act, the AGS strongly advocated for including additional funding for the GWEPs, one of the only federal programs supporting training for the workforce we need as we age. Support in response to COVID-19 remains key, as new care delivery models are deployed rapidly through Congress’s COVID-19 relief packages.

The $4.35 million for telehealth provides for funds to be distributed among GWEP grantees to: