- AGS @AmerGeriatrics welcomes Donna M. Fick, PhD, GCNS-BC, AGSF, FGSA, FAAN (@agilis) as the new President at the 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS23) http://ow.ly/4huC50OfQjR
New York (May 3, 2022) — Donna M. Fick, PhD, GCNS-BC, AGSF, FGSA, FAAN will step into the role of President of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) at the 2023 AGS Annual Scientific meeting which is taking place May 4-6, 2023 (pre-conference day is May 3). An AGS member since 1999 and a member of its Board since 2015, Dr. Fick is committed to working with AGS leaders and members to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of all older people.
“I have always appreciated AGS’ focus, support and advancement of an interprofessional team approach that puts older adults and caregivers at the center, embraces the best evidence and innovation, and is dedicated to caring for our workforce.” said Dr. Fick. “I am humbled and honored to be stepping into the presidential role at an organization that celebrates the joy of caring for older adults, supports its members to overcome the challenges that we face, and that is advocating for a future vision where we all are supported by and able to contribute to communities where ageism, ableism, classism, homophobia, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and other forms of bias and discrimination no longer impact healthcare access, quality, and outcomes for older adults and their caregivers.”
Dr. Fick is a distinguished nurse and researcher with a career focused on improving connections between settings and disciplines, disseminating geriatrics models of care, and supporting front-line staff and clinicians. The third advanced practice nurse to serve as AGS President, she is the Elouise Ross Eberly Endowed Professor of Nursing at The Pennsylvania State University Ross & Carol Nese College of Nursing, and Director of the Tressa Nese and Helen Diskevich Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence. Dr. Fick’s research has focused on delirium superimposed on dementia and inappropriate medication use. Dr. Fick also serves as an expert faculty member and coach for the Creating an Age Friendly Health System Initiative funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation (JAH) and led by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI). She served on the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Committee on the Public Health Dimensions of Cognitive Aging, and has served on the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Forum on Aging, Disability and Independence since 2017. In 2020, she was an invited author on the NAM Health Affairs paper, Actualizing Better Health and Health Care for Older Adults.
At AGS, Dr Fick has been involved in the updating of the AGS Beers Criteria® for Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults since AGS became its steward, serving as expert panel co-chair for the 2012, 2015, and 2019 updates and as a member of the 2023 update panel. She is a frequent reviewer and contributor for the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS); the editor of Journal of Gerontological Nursing since 2011 and was an expert panel member for the AGS Clinical Practice Guideline for Delirium.
“Dr. Fick is a passionate advocate for interprofessional team care and for centering older adults and their caregivers in shared decision-making while ensuring that decision-making is informed by the best evidence and innovation,” said G. Michael Harper, MD, AGSF. “Donna is a nationally recognized leader who has advanced our knowledge of how clinicians approach delirium in the hospital setting. She has shared her expertise with us across multiple initiatives and the AGS is stronger because of that. She is a wonderful colleague and friend, and I am looking forward to continuing to work with her to advance our vision in the coming year.”
As outgoing AGS president, Dr. Harper becomes Chair of the AGS Board of Directors when Dr. Fick assumes her new post in May. The other Board members joining Drs. Fick and Harper as officers of the Society are Mark A. Supiano, MD, AGSF (President-Elect), Alison Moore, MD, AGSF (AGS Treasurer), and Paul Mulhausen, MD, MHS, FACP, AGSF Board Secretary). Peter A. Hollmann, MD, AGSF, the outgoing AGS Board Chair, is finishing his term on the Board at this meeting. Dr. Hollmann has been an AGS member since 1983 and an AGS Board member since 2013. On the Board, he served as AGS Treasurer before becoming President Elect, then President, and finally Board Chair. He will continue to work with the Society on our efforts to improve Medicare reimbursement for the health care services that support all of us to remain active and engaged in our communities as we age.
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About the American Geriatrics Society
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics healthcare professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence, and quality of life of older people. Our 6,000+ members include geriatricians, geriatrics nurse practitioners, social workers, family practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and internists who are pioneers 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. AGS believes in a just society, one where we all are supported by and able to contribute to communities where ageism, ableism, classism, homophobia, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and other forms of bias and discrimination no longer impact healthcare access, quality, and outcomes for older adults and their caregivers. AGS advocates for policies and programs that support the health, independence, and quality of life of all of us as we age. AGS works across patient care, research, professional and public education, and public policy to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of all older people. For more information, visit AmericanGeriatrics.org.
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 in Long Beach, CA, May 4-6, 2023 (pre-conference program on May 3), to advance geriatrics knowledge and skills through state-of-the-art educational sessions and research presentations. For more information, visit https://meeting.americangeriatrics.org/.