New York (April 27, 2017)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the AGS Health in Aging Foundation today announced that Sei Lee, MD, MAS, Associate Professor in the Division of Geriatrics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), will be honored with the 2017 Thomas and Catherine Yoshikawa Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation. A Senior Scholar with the San Francisco VA Quality Scholars fellowship and rising research leader in targeting health care for older adults, Dr. Lee will deliver a plenary presentation on individualizing preventive care for older men and women at the AGS 2017 Annual Scientific Meeting (May 18-20 in San Antonio, Texas).
“Dr. Lee is a skilled clinician and recognized scholar—a model for the multifaceted leadership we hope to inspire at the AGS,” notes AGS President Ellen Flaherty, PhD, APRN, AGSF. “The future of geriatrics is rooted in providing high-quality, person-centered care for us all as we age; it’s an exciting time to hear about the state of individualized care from an authority like Dr. Lee.”
Dr. Lee’s presentation at #AGS17 represents more than 10 years of work examining how the status of our personal health can be used to maximize benefits and minimize harms when it comes to treatments and preventive care. Among other novel approaches to wellness, Dr. Lee has worked to incorporate life expectancy predictions into prioritizing interventions for older men and women—a critical need for the healthcare professionals who treat us all as we age.
Dr. Lee’s groundbreaking contributions started with a 2006 publication in JAMA describing a mortality prediction index, now widely known as the “Lee Index.” The Lee Index demonstrated that measures of function for older adults were as important to determining mortality as were disease-specific measures traditionally used in health assessments. The Lee Index served as the genesis for Eprognosis, a free web platform developed with colleagues at UCSF that helps to link health status to future clinical care decisions.
An AGS member since 2005, Dr. Lee has helped secure more than $6 million in funding for his work across mortality prediction and care for older adults with diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Lee has authored or co-authored more than 60 publications and delivered countless international presentations—now to include his plenary remarks at #AGS17.
Announced at the 2016 AGS Annual Scientific Meeting and supported for 16 years thanks to generous contributions to the AGS Health in Aging Foundation, the Yoshikawa Award recognizes the research accomplishments of mid-career clinician-investigators directly involved in the care of older adults. It is one of several honors conferred by the AGS at its Annual Scientific Meeting—held this year in San Antonio, Texas, May 18-20. For more information, visit 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 that has—for 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 Health in Aging Foundation
The Health in Aging Foundation is a national non-profit established in 1999 by the American Geriatrics Society to bring the knowledge and expertise of geriatrics healthcare professionals to the public. We are committed to ensuring that people are empowered to advocate for high-quality care by providing them with trustworthy information and reliable resources. Last year, we reached nearly 1 million people with our resources through HealthinAging.org. We also help nurture current and future geriatrics leaders by supporting opportunities to attend educational events and increase exposure to principles of excellence on caring for older adults. For more information or to support the Foundation's work, visit HealthinAgingFoundation.org.
About the Thomas and Catherine Yoshikawa Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation
Named in honor of Dr. Thomas T. Yoshikawa and his wife, Catherine—who together served the AGS and the geriatrics community for more than two decades—the Yoshikawa Award will offer recognition and financial support to emerging geriatrics scholars who represent the early promise of the Yoshikawas’ own illustrious careers. The award has been supported for the next 16 years thanks to generous contributions to the AGS Health in Aging Foundation from AGS members, as well as from friends and colleagues of the Yoshikawas.
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 18-20, 2017 (pre-conference program on May 17), at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, to advance geriatrics knowledge and skills through state-of-the-art educational sessions and research presentations. For more information, visit AmericanGeriatrics.org.