- Drawing on 30+ years of experience as geriatrician & health system leader, Dr. Laurie Jacobs convenes meeting of 2,500+ #geriatrics experts as new President of @AmerGeriatrics http://ow.ly/iBc030jLiTF
New York (April 30, 2018)—As more than 2,500 geriatrics experts prepare to converge on Orlando, Fla., for the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS18), their commitment to research, clinical practice, and public policy serving us all as we age will be reflected in the expertise of the Society’s newest president: Laurie G. Jacobs, MD, AGSF. A seasoned health systems leader, educator, and geriatrics scholar, Dr. Jacobs has been an AGS member since 1988 and an AGS Board representative since 2011. She will begin her tenure as AGS President outlining her vision to improve health in aging by disrupting outdated models of care as she opens #AGS18, which runs May 3-5 (pre-conference day May 2) at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort®.
“The AGS membership and geriatrics community is uniquely positioned to both provide care to older adults and to shape how that care is provided now and in the coming years,” notes Dr. Jacobs.
She is Chair of both the Department of Internal Medicine at Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, where she also serves as a Professor of Medicine. Dr. Jacobs has been a leader in geriatrics research and education for more than 30 years. In her present role, Dr. Jacobs ensures geriatrics expertise can help guide not only one of the country’s most prestigious academic health systems but also one of its newest and most advanced medical colleges. Dr. Jacobs previously served as Vice Chair in the Department of Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where she helped to shape a focus on geriatrics education and training for thousands of undergraduates, residents, fellows, and practicing health professionals engaged in continuing education.
Dr. Jacobs joined the faculty at Montefiore-Einstein after completing her internal medicine residency and geriatrics fellowship there, following her course of study at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She quickly rose to the role of Geriatrics Division Chief, leveraging that position and her expertise to create one of the first required geriatrics clerkships for medical students in the U.S. While at Montefiore-Einstein, Dr. Jacobs also helped to implement an innovative residency rotation in geriatrics, simultaneously expanding continued medical education in the care of older adults for practicing physicians. Across her career, Dr. Jacobs has overseen more than 15 grant-funded projects to improve geriatrics education and the care of older adults across the U.S. She has authored more than 40 book chapters, reviews, and original research articles, all while continuing to teach and practice medicine caring for older individuals in the New York metropolitan area.
“Dr. Jacobs is a nationally recognized clinician and educator in geriatrics, who has outstanding administrative and leadership experience,” said Debra Saliba, MD, MPH, AGSF, outgoing President of the AGS. “Under her capable guidance, we are sure to see even more progress supporting health, safety, and independence for all older adults.”
As outgoing AGS president, Dr. Saliba becomes Chair of the AGS Board of Directors when Dr. Jacobs assumes her new post. In addition to a year-long tenure as AGS President—during which the Society redoubled on its commitment to leadership connecting clinical practice and public policy—Dr. Saliba brings to the AGS Board decades of experience as a researcher, educator, and advocate. The slate of Board Officers who will join Dr. Saliba on the Executive Committee include Peter Hollmann, MD, AGSF, as Board Treasurer; Annette M. Medina-Walpole, MD, AGSF, as Board Secretary; and Sunny Linnebur, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS, BCGP, as AGS President-Elect.
These leadership transitions will take place at the convocation of #AGS18, a premier educational event on geriatrics clinical practice, public policy, education, and research. Other meeting highlights include:
- A celebration of more than 15 award recipients representing the depth and breadth of disciplines championing geriatrics;
- A synthesis of the field’s most important scholarship from the last year; and
- Detailed practical overviews of clinical guidance and research on several important issues, from communication strategies to improve interprofessional teams to research findings from 2017 that will be at the bedside of older adults and caregivers within the next five years.
About the American Geriatrics Society
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics healthcare professionals that has—for more than 75 years—worked to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of older people. Its nearly 6,000 members include geriatricians, geriatric nurses, social workers, family practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and internists. The Society provides leadership to healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the public by implementing and advocating for programs in patient care, research, professional and public education, and public policy. 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 May 3-5, 2018 (pre-conference program on May 2), at the Walt Disney World® Swan & Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Fl., to advance geriatrics knowledge and skills through state-of-the-art educational sessions and research presentations. For more information, visit Meeting.AmericanGeriatrics.org.