National_Harbor_400pMost of our John A. Hartford Foundation staff have come to the banks of the Potomac River in National Harbor, MD, this week for the annual scientific meeting of long-time grantee and partner, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). It’s always a great opportunity to catch up with valued friends and colleagues, learn about the latest advances in aging and health research, and celebrate those who have made important contributions to the field.

This year is no exception. In fact, it is gratifying to see how many of those being honored by AGS this week have been part of the Hartford Foundation community, through grants, scholarships, fellowships, and partnerships.

Steven R. Counsell, MD Steven R. Counsell, MD

We join with all of our aging and health colleagues in welcoming Steven R. Counsell , MD, director of the Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, as the new AGS president for 2015-16. A member of AGS for 27 years, Dr. Counsell is the Mary Elizabeth Mitchell Professor of Geriatrics and professor of medicine at the IU School of Medicine. IU Geriatrics is one of the largest academic geriatrics programs in the country, with 33 faculty, including 22 board-certified geriatricians. And we would like to thank outgoing president Wayne C. McCormick, MD, MPH, AGSF, who now becomes chair of the AGS board of directors.

Nancy Lundebjerg Nancy Lundebjerg

We also join in welcoming Nancy Lundebjerg as the new chief executive officer of AGS. Lundebjerg, who has been AGS’ chief operating officer since 2008, is the lead staff member for the Geriatrics-for-Specialists Initiative, a multi-specialty effort funded by the Hartford Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies. Lundebjerg also represents AGS in a variety of venues, most notably serving as the founding Co-Convener of the Hartford-supported Eldercare Workforce Alliance, which she continues to lead.

Jennie Chin Hansen, RN, MSN Jennie Chin Hansen, RN, MSN

Lundebjerg succeeds Jennie Chin Hansen, RN, MSN, who is stepping down after five years as CEO to return to San Francisco. Chin Hansen’s ties to the Hartford Foundation go back to the 1990s, when she was at On Lok, working on the Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training grant and on On Lok’s effort to develop a custom electronic health record for PACE sites. When Chin Hansen was named CEO in 2010, I called her “pragmatic, visionary, and talented.” She has demonstrated those traits and more during her tenure, and is a deserving recipient of this year’s prestigious David H. Solomon Memorial Public Service Award.

Chin Hansen is one of several members of the Hartford community receiving awards this year.

BResnick_100p Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP

Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, AGSF, a past president of AGS and incoming president of the Gerontological Society of America, will receive this year’s Dennis W. Jahnigen Memorial Award. Dr. Resnick is a professor and the Sonya Ziporkin Gershowitz Chair in Gerontology at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, a National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (NHCGNE). She was a leader and mentor in Hartford’s nurse scholars/fellows program, an active member of the HCGNE Board of Directors, and ran the Maryland Online Dissemination and Implementation program—a component of HCGNE that assisted nurses in strengthening their publications and disseminating their research.

Robert M. Palmer, MD Robert M. Palmer, MD

Robert M. Palmer, MD, MPH, of Eastern Virginia Medical School, is the recipient of the Edward Henderson Award, and will deliver this year’s Henderson State-of-the-Art Lecture on the topic: “Improving the Hospital Care of Older Adults.” Among his many clinical and research accomplishments, Dr. Palmer served as Principal Investigator for a clinical trial that established the effectiveness of the ACE Unit (Acute Care for Elders), a model whose development and testing were funded by the Hartford Foundation in the 1990s. Dr. Palmer has attained international attention for research focused on health outcomes of hospitalization and interdisciplinary geriatric assessment in hospitals and emergency departments.

Rebecca Sudore, MD Rebecca L. Sudore, MD

And Rebecca L. Sudore, MD, associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine’s Division of Geriatrics, will receive the Outstanding Scientific Achievement for Clinical Investigation Award. Dr. Sudore, a 2010 Hartford Foundation Center of Excellence Scholar, will deliver the award lecture on the topic: “Redefining the Planning in Advance Care Planning: Preparation for Medical Decision Making.”

Congratulations to our other Hartford Foundation scholars who are being recognized by AGS:

Justin K. Yamamoto , a Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) awardee, is the winner of the Clinical Student Research Award.

Four Hartford scholars earned New Investigator Awards. They are:

And Joshua Chodosh, MD, a Hartford Center of Excellence Scholar, of UCLA, is presenting his research on “Implementing Dementia Care Management in a Medicare Managed Care Plan: A Randomized Controlled Trial” at the Plenary Paper Session.

Visit the AGS website for a complete list of award winners.