American Geriatrics Society Awards Joanne Schwartzberg, MD, the 2013 David H. Solomon Distinguished Public Service Award
April 8th, 2013
NEW YORK — Joanne Schwartzberg, MD, will be awarded the American Geriatrics Society’s (AGS) David H. Solomon Distinguished Public Service Award for her outstanding efforts to improve the lives of older Americans. From the start of her career, as founder of the first multidisciplinary not-for-profit home health agency in the Midwest, through her 22 years as Director of Aging and Community Health at the American Medical Association, to her current work at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) evaluating interprofessional education and practice in residency programs, Dr. Schwartzberg has successfully created programs to improve the quality of health care for older Americans. This award was established in 2002 to acknowledge exceptional contributions to public service and to improving healthcare quality for older people. AGS created the David H. Solomon Award in recognition of Dr. Solomon’s outstanding commitment to advancing our knowledge of geriatrics and caring for older adults in the community. Dr. Schwartzberg will receive this award on Saturday, May 4, 2013, during the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting.
Dr. Schwartzberg has been a strong advocate for older adults and the AGS throughout her career. She has secured support from the American Medical Association for the development of geriatric competencies for surgical, family, emergency, and family medicine residents. As a member of AGS, Dr. Schwartzberg has represented the society as an expert advisor on many panels and committees for governmental agencies and private organizations, which in turn has helped shape the care older adults receive.
“The AGS Board of Directors could think of no one more fitting for this award than Dr. Schwartzberg,” said outgoing board chair Barbara Resnick, PhD, RN. “Throughout her tenure at the American Medical Association, she has been a strong advocate for older adults and increased efforts to advance physician competence in the care of older adults.”
The recipient of prestigious awards, including Physician of the Year from the National Association for Home Care (1988) and the Physician of the Year from the American Academy of Home Care Physicians (1992), Dr. Schwartzberg served in 1995 as co-chair of the Illinois Delegation to the White House Conference on Aging, Caucus on Health and Social Services. She was appointed by President George W. Bush to the Advisory Committee of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging. Dr. Schwartzberg is a past president of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago, the Illinois Geriatrics Society, and the American Academy of Home Care Physicians.
About the David H. Solomon Distinguished Public Service Award
AGS created the David H. Solomon Distinguished Public Service Award in 2002 to honor Dr. Solomon in recognition of his commitment to community service and to the advancement of our knowledge of caring
