Resilience and Vitality

Center for Integrative Brain Health

Hoag is working to develop the Center for Integrative Brain Health within the Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute. This Center will ensure that Hoag continues the continuum of care all the way to advanced life care. It will empower primary care physicians and non-neuro specialists with the expertise, processes and tools to integrate care for cognitive and mental health challenges so commonly associated with chronic and acute medical conditions. Creating this Center will also deliver a unique feature: essential support for caregivers of older patients. Focusing on a patient’s support system shows Hoag’s commitment to integrating every aspect of a person’s life into their care plan.

Expanding Care

Thanks to philanthropic support, Dr. Aaron Ritter was recently recruited to Hoag to lead this Center. Dr. Ritter has been named the Larkin Family Endowed Chair in Integrative Brain Health, further showing the dedication Hoag has for building this space. Staffing this Center with a comprehensive team is going to rely heavily on philanthropic support.

› Center Team Infrastructure: • Nurse Navigator • Front-of-House Position • Licensed Vocational Nurse • Social Worker

The integrative model of this center will help identify signs of cognitive decline as early as possible, allowing treatment and optimizing the maintenance of a person’s long-term quality of life. This Center aims to respond to the challenges that arise when a person’s age advances. In Orange County, much of the population are living in their golden years, and Hoag is aiming for people to enjoy vitality in that stage of life.

“I hope to use my skills and knowledge to continue driving Hoag forward in advancing care for those living with memory and cognitive impairment.”

– Dr. Aaron Ritter, Larkin Family Endowed Chair in Integrative Brain Health, Director, Memory &

Cognitive Disorders Program