2017 Press Releases

New York (May 11, 2017)—As part of their shared commitment to bringing the knowledge and expertise of geriatrics to fellow healthcare professionals and the public, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the AGS Health in Aging Foundation this week congratulated two distinguished scholars who are the first recipients of the Thomas and Catherine Yoshikawa Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation and the Jeffrey H. Silverstein Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in the Surgical and Related Medical Specialties. The awards will be presented to Sei Lee, MD, MAS, a geriatrician, and Anne M. Suskind, MD, MS, a urologist, respectively, at the AGS 2017 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS17) in San Antonio, Texas, May 18-20.

New York (May 4, 2017)—The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) remains opposed to the amended American Health Care Act (AHCA) that today passed the U.S. House of Representatives despite serious concerns from geriatrics experts and a host of other stakeholders across health care. This legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would harm access to key health services for older adults, caregivers, and healthcare professionals—which is why the AGS now urges the U.S. Senate to oppose the bill in its current form. 

“The present proposal would still increase costs, reduce coverage, and cut benefits, putting health, independence, and quality of life at risk for all of us as we age,” reiterated Nancy E. Lundebjerg, MPA, Chief Executive Officer of the AGS. “We are committed to working with Congress and the Trump Administration on meaningful reforms, but we continue to oppose changes that might jeopardize access to high-quality, person-centered, and affordable health coverage for all older Americans.” 

The AGS has previously voiced opposition to several iterations of the AHCA. AGS experts noted that any health reform legislation would need to: 

New legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act concerning for us all as we age.

New York (April 27, 2017)—Following a review of the recently released MacArthur Amendment to the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) remains opposed to this legislation that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and which AGS experts believe would harm access to key health services for older adults, caregivers, and healthcare professionals.

The MacArthur Amendment creates additional concerns for older Americans—particularly people in states that might pursue waivers  from current protections benefitting individuals with pre-existing conditions, such as provisions requiring benefits and restricting carriers from charging more based on a person’s health background. The Amendment also would allow states to waive essential health benefits defined under the ACA—emergency-room visits, outpatient services including home health services and hospice care, and care for chronic conditions and rehabilitative services, for example. Nothing in the Amendment remedies any of the AGS’s concerns with the original legislation.

New York (April 27, 2017)—Celebrating its seventy-fifth anniversary in 2017, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) announced that it will honor more than 15 leading researchers, clinicians, educators, and emerging health professionals who have made outstanding contributions to high-quality, person-centered care for older adults. Awards will be presented at the AGS 2017 Annual Scientific Meeting, May 18-20, 2017 (pre-conference program on May 17), at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Choosing Wisely® Champion Award

• Eric Anthony Lee, MD

Clinician of the Year Award

• Fatima Sheikh, MD, CMD, MPH

Clinical Student Research Award

• Laura Hatchman
• Jessica Rizzuto

David H. Solomon Memorial Public Service Award

• Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, AGSF

Dennis W. Jahnigen Memorial Award

• Maura Brennan, MD, AGSF, FACP, FAAHPM, HMDC

Edward Henderson Award

• Richard M. Allman, MD

Edward Henderson Student Award

• Thom Ringer, JD, MPhil

Jeffrey H. Silverstein Memorial Award for Emerging Investigators in the Surgical and Related Medical Specialties

• Anne M. Suskind, MD, MS

New Investigator Award

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.”