AGS Elects New Board Members; COSAR Elects New Co-Chair; Thank you to Outgoing AGS Board Members

The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) members elected Sally L. Brooks, MD, AGSF and Peter V. Rabins, MD, MPH, to the Society's Board of Directors. In addition, AGS' Council of State Affiliate Representatives (COSAR) members elected Jeffrey E. Escher, MD, Co-Chair of the Council. Election results were announced during the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting.

AGS members tapped Drs. Brooks and Rabins in the first election that allowed electronic balloting -- setting a record for participation -- Casting two-times as many votes as compared to last year's election. COSAR tapped Dr. Escher in its first electronic election as well.

Dr. Brooks, the Central Region Medical Director of Evercare in Ohio, has been an active member of the AGS since her first health services research abstract -- later published as a paper in the Archives of Internal Medicine -- was accepted for paper presentation at the 1992 Annual Scientific Meeting. A member of the Society for 18 years, Dr. Brooks has served as Chair of the AGS Teachers' Section (1995-1998), Vice-Chair of the Education Committee (1997-1999) and has been a member of the Education Committee (1995-2001). A Program Committee member since 1997, Dr. Brooks was also the 2002 Annual Scientific Meeting Program Co-Chair. In addition, she has emceed the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging's Student Researcher Fund benefit, An Evening With Friends since 2003. (See related story)

Professor and Vice-Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Dr. Rabins has joint appointments in the departments of Medicine Health Policy & Management and Mental Health. He is also Co-Director of the Division of Geriatric and Neuropsychiatry Section in the Department of Psychiatry and Principal Investigator on a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke grant to assess care decisions in late stage dementia. Dr. Rabins is the author of more than 180 articles and book chapters and is co-author of The 36 Hour Day, Practical Dementia Care and Getting Old Without Getting Anxious. Dr. Rabins has been an AGS member for more than 27 years.

Dr. Escher is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, and Director, Program in Gerontology, in the School of Public Health at the New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY. A 24-year member of the AGS, he was on the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting Program Committee for several years (2001-2004), and has been a COSAR member representing New York since 1998. Over the past 15 years he has held several positions in the New York affiliate, including President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, and Executive Board Member with the NY-Metropolitan Area Geriatrics Society.

In addition to welcoming Drs. Brooks and Rabins to the AGS Board of Directors, and Dr. Escher as COSAR Co-Chair, the AGS thanks Eric Tangalos, MD, and Carmel Bitondo Dyer, MD -- who completed their terms on the Board in May-- for their service and dedication to the Society. AGS also thanks Dr. Dyer for her dedicated work as COSAR Co-Chair. For a complete list of AGS Board members, including all members' names and positions, see www.americangeriatrics.org/about/board_of_directors.shtml.

Getting Involved
All members are welcome to get involved in AGS leadership. Visit the About Us page on the AGS Web site to learn about opportunities for Board, Committee, and Sub-committee service.