News/Press Releases

• @AmerGeriatrics emphasizes that older adults should follow the immunization recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to reduce risks from vaccine-preventable illnesses. http://ow.ly/ZQz450IC9G2

New York, NY (April 6, 2022)—Today, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) recommended that older people follow the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) revised recommendations for adult vaccination.

“Staying current with immunization recommendations is particularly important for adults 65 years old and older, because they are at increased risk of severe complications from vaccine-preventable illnesses,” said @AmerGeriatrics President Peter Hollmann, MD, AGSF. “The coronavirus pandemic has truly emphasized the importance of vaccines in the prevention of disease " Dr. Hollmann added.

Geriatrics health professionals 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. They are in a unique position to offer immunization-related information tailored to the maintenance and reduction of risks related to each individual’s health conditions.

• At #AGS22, Dr. Amy S. Kelley (@akelleymd) of @MSHSGeriPalCare to deliver Thomas and Catherine Yoshikawa Outstanding Scientific Achievement for Clinical Investigation Award Lecture on Embracing Complexity http://ow.ly/9R3750IBczO

New York, NY (April 5, 2022)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and AGS Health in Aging Foundation today announced that the 2022 Thomas and Catherine Yoshikawa Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation will be awarded to Amy S. Kelley, MD, MSHS, Vice Chair of Health Policy and Faculty Development and Hermann Merkin Professor in Palliative Care in the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and Senior Associate Dean for Gender Equity in Research Affairs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. 

The award will be presented at the AGS 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS22) (May 12-14; pre-conference day: May 11) in Orlando. As a part of the conference program, Dr. Kelley will be delivering a lecture on Embracing Complexity: A Geriatrician's Approach to Understanding Serious Illness.

• More than $1 million from the NIA will support the development of a new @AmerGeriatrics curriculum supporting researchers focused on older adults & multiple chronic conditions; and a series of scientific conferences focused on the concept of resilience. http://ow.ly/HTCC50GnNwH

New York (October 7, 2021)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) was awarded a new “R25” grant from the NIA that will support AGS partnering with the Health Care Systems Research Network (HCSRN) – Older Americans Independence Centers (OAICs) AGING (Advancing Geriatrics Infrastructure and Network Growth) Initiative to create an AGS/AGING Learning, Educating, And Researching National Initiative in Geriatrics (“LEARNING”) Collaborative.

• .@AmerGeriatrics publishes updated Minimum Geriatrics Competencies for Graduating Medical Students, now framed around the #Geriatrics 5Ms http://ow.ly/W5MP50Ff6nQ

New York (June 21, 2021)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) has published an updated version of the AGS Minimum Geriatrics Competencies for Graduating Medical Students, which were created to ensure that medical school graduates across the U.S. are prepared to provide high-quality care for us all as we age.  A refresh of the original set first published more than a decade ago, the 27 competencies integrate new concepts that have emerged more recently in the field of geriatrics, including frailty and person-centered care, and are framed around five key areas of focus for all geriatrics healthcare professionals.

“The updated competencies reflect an evolution in how we frame the work of geriatrics health professionals, a greater understanding of frailty, and a greater focus nationally on ensuring that care is person-centered and driven by individual goals,” explained AGS President Peter Hollmann, MD, AGSF.  “With these competencies, the field of geriatrics has defined not just what all physicians should know as they embark on their careers but also how they should put that knowledge into practice.”

• New @AmerGeriatics President Peter Hollmann promises to seize opportunity amid crisis to ensure the health, safety and independence of all Americans as we age #geriatrics http://ow.ly/j3lc50Fw7jw

New York (May 13, 2021)—As he dons the mantle of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) presidency, Peter Hollmann, MD, AGSF, wants his colleagues, older adults, and caregivers to know that he is committed to working with leaders and members of an organization representing more than 6,000 geriatrics healthcare professionals to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of all older people.

• The AGS honors 15 leading health professionals who joined the newest class of our fellows—a select group of experts recognized for their deep commitment to the AGS and to advancing high-quality, person-centered care for us all as we age. http://ow.ly/t7GD50EJ0Kf

New York (May 10, 2021)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today honored 15 leading health professionals who joined the newest class of AGS Fellows—a select group of experts recognized for their deep commitment to the AGS and to advancing high-quality, person-centered care for us all as we age.

“We award fellowship to colleagues, like these, who have demonstrated commitment to the field, have contributed to advances in care, and are active participants in AGS activities,” noted new AGS President Peter Hollmann during the business meeting at the AGS 2021 Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS21; May 13-15), now available for viewing at cattendee.abstractsonline.com/meeting/10428.

This year’s fellows hail from across the country and reflect the dedication to geriatrics education, clinical care, and research indicative of our Society’s commitment to quality care for us all as we age. They include:

• @AmerGeriatrics honors expert & emerging #geriatrics leaders at #AGS21 http://ow.ly/vaTD50EBODt

New York (April 30, 2021)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) annually recognizes researchers, clinicians, educators, and emerging health professionals who have made outstanding contributions to high-quality, person-centered care for older people. This year’s awardees include 15 healthcare leaders representing the breadth of disciplines championing care for us all as we age. The AGS 2021 Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting will celebrate their accomplishments alongside award recipients from last year, due to the cancellation of #AGS20.

Arti Hurria Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in Internal Medicine Who are Focused on the Care of Older Adults
•    Megan Husingh-Scheetz (University of Chicago)

Clinician of the Year Award
•    Faith Atai, MD (The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston)

Clinical Student Research Award
•    Linda Phung (Duke University School of Medicine)

• At #AGS21, Dr. Lindsay Hampson (@lindsayahampson) of @UCSFUrology will be honored for research integrating #geriatrics into urology http://ow.ly/Weds50EzNZ3

New York, NY (April 28, 2021)—Advancing care for older people across health specialties, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the AGS Health in Aging Foundation today announced that Lindsay A. Hampson, MD, MAS, of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) will receive this year’s Jeffrey H. Silverstein Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in the Surgical and Related Medical Specialties. Presented at the AGS 2021 Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS21), held May 13-15 online, the award will recognize Dr. Hampson for accelerating research at the intersection of geriatrics and urology.

“Since the early 1990s, the AGS has been working toward its vision of a world where physicians across all medical and surgical specialties have basic knowledge and skills in geriatrics, the unique health care we all need as we age,” notes AGS President Annie Medina-Walpole, MD, AGSF, AGS President. “Trailblazing researchers like Dr. Hampson are building the tools and knowledge other specialists need to improve the wellbeing of all Americans as we age.”

• Researching #frailty, physical function & technology, Dr. Megan Huisingh-Scheetz (@meganhuisingh) is honored with AGS’s Arti Hurria Memorial Award #AGS21 #geriatrics http://ow.ly/lzLW50ExLPh

New York, NY (April 26, 2021)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the AGS Health in Aging Foundation today conferred one of their newest honors on Megan Huisingh-Scheetz, MD, MPH, a geriatrician and epidemiologist with a unique commitment to leveraging new technology to improve the care of frail older adults. An Assistant Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of the Aging Research Program in the Section of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, as well as the Co-Director of the Successful Aging and Frailty Evaluation (SAFE) Clinic, at the University of Chicago, Dr. Huisingh-Scheetz will receive the fourth Arti Hurria Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in Internal Medicine Who are Focused on the Care of Older Adults at the AGS 2021 Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS21; May 13-15). 

“Across her body of work, Dr. Huisingh-Scheetz’s cutting-edge research investigates ways of advancing the assessment and care of frail older adults,” notes AGS President Annie Medina-Walpole. “Like the namesake for this award, Arti Hurria, her research has been so productive and impactful because it applies geriatrics principles to another intersecting field—technology.”

• The @AmerGeriatrics names @UTHealth’s Dr. Faith Atai #Geriatrics Clinician of the Year #AGS21 http://ow.ly/DgVN50EkFOG

New York (April 9, 2021)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today named Faith Atai, MD, a skilled clinician and medical administrator with a dedication to teaching geriatrics trainees of all levels, its 2021 Clinician of the Year. An Associate Professor in the Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), as well as Medical Director of the UT Physicians Center for Healthy Aging and the Bayland Geriatric Health Center, Dr. Atai will be honored at the AGS 2021 Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS21) May 13-15.

“Our 2021 Clinician of the Year embodies all the best qualities of a geriatrics health professional,” said AGS President Annie Medina-Walpole, MD, AGSF. “Dr. Atai’s colleagues and trainees respect her and her patients trust her because all her work as an administrator, educator, and clinician is in service of providing the best patient care possible.”