G E R I ATRICS AT MOUNT SINAI
Geriatrics Newsletter • Spring 2019
With an Eye toward the Future, the Brookdale Department Introduces Training Program for Leaders in Geriatrics
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n the next ten years, one-in-five adults will be over the age of 65 and those over the age of 85 will double to 10 million. Current hospitals and health systems are not designed to meet the needs of this new generation of Americans. Older adults require highly trained expert physicians and the future healthcare system requires leaders with a thorough understanding of older adults, their caregivers and their needs. The Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine is leading the way in preparation of the longevity revolution. Building on the success of our expert clinician training fellowships, the Brookdale Department has launched a new leadership program for future executive-level clinicians. The LEAP Fellowship, which stands for Learn, Explore, Advocate and Promote, is designed to develop leaders capable of creating and running innovative health systems to meet the needs of older adults. This one-of-a-kind two-year fellowship provides needed clinical and leadership skills through coursework, seminars, and unique experiences such as apprenticeships and mentorships with nationally recognized healthcare executives. LEAP is designed to help physicians succeed in executive-level roles while re-engineering the national healthcare enterprise to better meet the needs of the increasing population of older adults and their caregivers. Designed
by Brookdale faculty members Drs. Helen Fernandez and Elizabeth Lindenberger, the LEAP fellowship adds to our growing number of “firsts in American medicine” including the first Department of Geriatrics, first Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and first integrated Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program. “This is a critical time in healthcare. We know that the population is aging
at an unprecedented rate. More people than in all of human history are living into their eighties and nineties and the current healthcare system is simply not designed to accommodate their needs. This innovative training program will develop the elite workforce that will disseminate and implement geriatric principles throughout both our Mount Sinai Health System and the United States,” states Dr. R. Sean Morrison, Ellen and Howard C. Katz Chair of the Brookdale Department. t
A Letter from Martha It is no secret that I am passionate about healthy aging. This is why my partnership with the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine is so dear to my heart. Since opening the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai Hospital over a decade ago, we have cared for thousands of older adults and their loved ones. In caring for these individuals, we have also educated the public on how to age gracefully - with the foundation of a healthy diet and active lifestyle - and how to advocate for oneself and one’s loved ones. The Center for Living has become a prototype for high quality geriatric care across the nation and internationally. Yet we are just getting started! From now until 2030, 10,000 baby boomers will turn 65 each day. This is the perfect time for leading medical centers and philanthropists to partner in improving care for these adults and their parents. Mount Sinai and I are preparing for the unprecedented numbers of Americans over age 65—both on an individual and societal level.
INSTITUTE FOR CARE INNOVATIONS AT HOME Last fall the Brookdale Department launched The Institute for Care Innovations at Home as an epicenter of homebased care research and as the official academic partner to Mount Sinai at Home. Located within the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Institute draws on Mount Sinai’s large and diverse patient base, strong tradition of collaboration and extensive resources as a top-tier academic medical center to develop and validate new care models and extrapolate them to wider populations. Through research, the Institute, led by Drs. Albert Siu, Katherine Ornstein and Linda DeCherrie, will expand the delivery of high quality care within the home. The Institute provides the research infrastructure for all Mount Sinai at Home clinical activities and serves as a base for national and international research activities focused on Care Innovations at Home. Mount Sinai at Home also serves as an innovative teaching platform that empowers Mount Sinai trainees to learn how to deliver home-based care and understand its benefits for patients and families.
Stay tuned for exciting announcements this summer as we begin to unveil our plan to address this call to action throughout New York City and beyond! Sincerely,
Martha The Institute is support by grants from The Gary and Mary West Health Institute, The John A. Hartford Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Palliative Care Research Center and generous individual donors. If you are interested in learning more about how the Brookdale Department leverages philanthropy to advance new care models for American medicine, or to donate, please contact our Director of Development, Natasha McCabe, at (646) 605-8821. t Geriatrics at Mount Sinai • Spring 2019
PROVIDER SPOTLIGHT
VERONICA RIVERA Associate Director, Martha Stewart Center for Living Twice-named Brookdale Educator of the Year, Dr. Veronica Rivera dedicates herself to the care of older adults and their families at the Martha Stewart Center for Living, where she serves as Associate Director, as well as at the Family Health Center of Harlem, where she provides primary care and assists her family medicine physician colleagues in caring for older adults. Dr. Rivera, who is the mother of twin toddlers, joined the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health in 2012. She is passionate about providing the highest quality care to her patients and their families today while also ensuring that future clinicians have the expertise to provide such care. “I believe that it’s so important to keep our older adult patients healthy, independent and thriving with the best quality of life possible. I love to watch my patients enjoy life and take the opportunity to travel to a new location or attend a grandchild’s graduation. I love being able to care not only for the patient but also for the patient’s family and support team. Learning about the lives of my patients and their families over time really makes my work meaningful and special,” said Dr. Rivera. t
Kudos:
Special Faculty Honors and Achievements
¢ Melissa Aldridge, PhD was awarded an extremely competitive senior leadership award from the National Institute on Aging. ¢ Claire Ankuda, MD received a New Investigator Award from the American Geriatrics Society Scientific Program Committee. ¢ Patricia Bloom, MD received the Mount Sinai Alumni Special Recognition Award at the 2019 Alumni Reunion and Awards Ceremony. ¢ Cathy Devons, MD ran the NYC Marathon for Athletes to End Alzheimer’s for Caringkind and raised over $10,000 which benefits many of our patients. ¢ Gregory Hinrichsen was appointed as Associate Editor of Clinical Psychology:
Science and Practice, The American Psychological Association’s Society of Clinical Psychology’s journal. ¢ Martine Sanon, MD was appointed to the American Geriatrics Society Clinical Practice and Models of Care Committee.
Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai One Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1070 New York, NY 10029 Tel. 212-659-8552
¢ Christopher Woodrell, MD was awarded a five-year Mentored Research Scholar Grant from the American Cancer Society. ¢ The following physicians were named among Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors: Shahla Baharlou, Eileen Callahan, Emily Chai, Christine Chang, Audrey Chun, Linda DeCherrie, Helen Fernandez, Joyce Fogel, Nathan Goldstein, Fred Ko, Rosanne Leipzig, Elizabeth Lindenberger, and R. Sean Morrison. Geriatrics at Mount Sinai • Spring 2019
www.mountsinai.org/geriatrics @MSHSGeriPalCare
Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1070 New York, NY 10029
GERIATRICS AT MOUNT SINAI Spring 2019
THE BEST CARE FOR ALL OLDER ADULTS IN NEW YORK CITY The Brookdale Department at Mount Sinai Hospital is a national model for high quality clinical care for older adults. “Our mission is to ensure that all older adults and their caregivers – especially those in New York City – have access to the best clinical care and the resources that will improve their quality of life,” said Dr. Audrey Chun, Vice Chair for Ambulatory Services. “These resources include: expert teams of doctors, nurses, social workers, and licensed massage and yoga therapists; comprehensive medical services; and wellness programs for our patients and their families.” For older adults admitted to our four Manhattan hospitals (Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Beth Israel), Brookdale provides high quality services to patients and their families. For those living throughout Manhattan who are not in need of hospitalization, we provide an equally high level of service in our outpatient practices in Upper East Manhattan (Martha Stewart Center for Living), Upper West Manhattan (Mount Sinai Saint Luke’s) and Downtown Manhattan (Mount Sinai Union Square). Lastly, Mount Sinai at Home delivers exemplary care to older adults whose medical needs make it difficult for them to leave home. Brookdale’s suite of medical services have been proven to enhance patient and family care and wellbeing while reducing unwanted and unnecessary emergency department visits and hospitalizations. t