Dr. Todd P. Semla, Clinical Associate Professor of Geriatric Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine to present Henderson State-of-the-Art lecture during @AmerGeriatrics’ #AGS26 Annual Scientific Meeting with a focus on progress in pharmacotherapy for older adults through both a historical and futuristic lens. https://bit.ly/4tsIN3N
New York, NY (April 17, 2026) — The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is honored to announce that Todd P. Semla, MS, PharmD, FCCP, AGSF will be delivering this year’s Henderson State of the Art lecture, which will take place on Thursday, April 30th, during the AGS 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting which is being held virtually.
Dr. Semla has more than 40 years of experience in the study and application of medication use in older adults. His career has been dedicated to leading the advancement of safe, effective, and patient-centered pharmacotherapy, as well as educating pharmacists, physicians, nurses, physician assistants, social workers, and other professionals who comprise today’s geriatrics care teams.
“Dr. Semla’s work has fundamentally shaped how we think about medication use in older adults,” said Paul Mulhausen, MD, MHS, FACP, AGSF, President of the AGS. “He has advanced geriatrics and safe use of medications for all of us as we age through evidence, education, and collaboration. He was also an early advocate for offering voting membership to all disciplines on our geriatrics interprofessional teams, which led to the Society’s becoming an interprofessional membership organization in 1997. That transition has helped to advance our mission, and we have benefited from the interprofessional collaboration that Dr. Semla has exemplified through his work on behalf of all of us as we age. Dr. Semla was elected to the AGS Board of Directors in 2000 and he became the first pharmacist president of the Society in 2007. Like Dr. Henderson – whom this lecture is named after, Dr. Semla has selflessly shared his talent and energy with the American Geriatrics Society.”
Since 2012, he has co-led AGS stewardship of the AGS Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication (PIM) Use in Older Adults, including co-chairing expert panels charged with updating the criteria in 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2025. He also co-led the development of the Alternative Treatments to Selected Medications in the American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria® in 2025, a clinical resource that identifies evidence-based alternatives that are often safer and equally or more effective than the potentially inappropriate medications they can replace. He co-authored the 2015 paper on the same topic. The AGS Beers Criteria® is one of the most widely used AGS resources, contributing to high quality care for all of us as we age.
Dr. Semla has also been a co-author of Geriatrics At Your Fingertips (GAYF) since its inaugural edition in 1998. Through 28 editions (spanning 29 years), he has ensured that AGS members and other health professionals are supported to care for older Americans with this resource which distills the latest advances in geriatrics into an easy-to-use resource that supports clinical care.
As the 2025 Henderson State-of-the-Art Lecturer, Dr. Semla will present on the evolution of pharmacotherapy for older adults, beginning with the landmark 1968 Task Force on Prescription Drug Use—the U.S. government’s first report to focus on prescription drug use among older adults. Drawing on the Task Force’s findings and recommendations as a starting point, Dr. Semla will chronicle key advances in pharmacotherapy for older adults, evidence-based interventions that have improved medication safety and outcomes, and the expanding roles and responsibilities of pharmacists in optimizing medication use for aging populations.
“I am honored to deliver the Henderson State-of-the-Art Lecture,” said Dr. Semla. “The 1968 Task Force laid the foundation for how we think about medication use in older adults, and I look forward to reflecting on how far we’ve come—and where we might go next. Pharmacists have an important role in improving medication safety and outcomes for older adults, and I am excited to explore what the future may hold.”
Dr. Semla, currently a clinical associate professor with the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Iowa in 1985, following a master’s degree focused on clinical and hospital pharmacy. He completed a geriatrics fellowship at the University of Iowa from 1985–1986 before transitioning to positions at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Northwestern. From 2003–2018, he also served as the National Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) Clinical Pharmacy Program Manager for Mental Health & Geriatrics at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
For further details on Henderson State-of-the-Art Lecture and the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting, please visit the AGS website at www.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 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 associates, pharmacists, and internists who are pioneers in serious illness care for older individuals, with a focus on championing interprofessional teams, eliciting personal care goals, and treating older people as whole persons. AGS is an anti-discriminatory organization. We believe in a society 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.
About the Edward Henderson State-of-the-Art Lecture
The late Edward Henderson, MD, was a renowned geriatrics researcher and physician and an instrumental leader for the AGS. The Edward Henderson Lecturer is chosen because of their significant body of work in clinical care, education, or research that is focused on improving care for all of us as we age. The Henderson State-of-the-Art Lecture is one of the highpoints of the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting.
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 2,600 nurses, pharmacists, physicians, physician assistants, social workers, long-term care and managed care providers, healthcare administrators, and others will convene virtually April 30 – May 2, 2026 (pre-conference days: April 27-29) to advance geriatrics knowledge and skills through state-of-the-art educational sessions and research presentations. For more information, visit https://meeting.americangeriatrics.org/.