BOSTON - The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — has chosen Lewis A. Lipsitz, MD, FGSA, as the 2018 recipient of the Donald P. Kent Award. Dr. Lipsitz is Director of the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research (Marcus Institute) and Chief Academic Officer at Hebrew SeniorLife, a professor at Harvard Medical School, and Chief of the Division of Gerontology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The award was presented at the opening session of GSA’s 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting, on Thursday, November 15 in Boston. This conference is organized to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, educators, and practitioners who specialize in the study of the aging process.

This distinguished honor is given annually to a GSA member who best exemplifies the highest standards for professional leadership in gerontology through teaching, service, and interpretation of gerontology to the larger society. It was established in 1973 in memory of Donald P. Kent, PhD, for his outstanding leadership in translating research findings into practical use.

Dr. Lipsitz’s career as a geriatrician and physician researcher has spanned 40 years. Following his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1977, Lipsitz moved to Boston for his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in geriatric medicine at BIDMC. He subsequently became a National Institute on Aging (NIA) academic awardee in 1983 and began a systematic series of epidemiologic and physiologic studies evaluating syncope and abnormal blood pressure regulation in older adults.

He was the first to identify postprandial hypotension in the older adults and subsequently acquired funding for his studies through an NIA-funded program project, which he directed for 23 years. This program project supported the prospective, observational MOBILIZE Boston Study, which has elucidated several novel risk factors for falls. He currently directs an independent NIA-funded research program on the mechanisms, management, and prevention of impaired mobility and cognition in older people. Lipsitz is also a GSA fellow, which is the highest category of membership within the Society. He is also a previous recipient of GSA’s Joseph T. Freeman Award.

View a video with messages from colleagues who were members of the nominating committee here.

About the Hinda and Arthur Institute for Aging Research

Scientists at the Marcus Institute seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity, and productivity into advanced age. The Marcus Institute carries out rigorous studies that discover the mechanisms of age-related disease and disability; lead to the prevention, treatment, and cure of disease; advance the standard of care for older people; and inform public decision-making.

About Hebrew SeniorLife

Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Based in Boston, the nonprofit, non-sectarian organization has provided communities and health care for seniors, research into aging, and education for geriatric care providers since 1903. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org, follow us on Twitter @H_SeniorLife, like us on Facebook or read our blog.

BOSTON - Where you live can increase your risk for experiencing delirium after surgery. So said a study that showed older adults who live in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods are two times more likely to experience delirium after surgery than their counterparts from more affluent communities. These findings by researchers from the Aging Brain Center in the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research (Marcus Institute) at Hebrew SeniorLife were published today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Franchesca Arias, Ph.D., Assistant Scientist, and Sharon K. Inouye, M.D., Director of the Aging Brain Center, were lead and senior authors respectively on the study.

Delirium is a clinical syndrome characterized by acute decline in cognition, which can present as inattention, disorientation, lethargy or agitation, and perceptual disturbance. Delirium among older hospitalized patients can lead to poor outcomes, including prolonged hospital stays, deep psychological stress for patients and their families, functional decline, and in worst cases, death. To date, however, the association between delirium and community-based factors that can influence health outcomes, such as resources, health care access, and local economic conditions, has not been well-examined. The study enrolled a prospective observational cohort of 560 patients aged 70+ undergoing major non-cardiac surgery between June 2010 and August 2013 at two academic medical centers in Boston. The research team used the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) to characterize participant’s neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage.

ADI uses 17 United States Census indicators of poverty, education, employment, and physical environment to characterize the socioeconomic disadvantage of a census block group. This study found that neighborhood characteristics, such as poverty, lack of infrastructure, and density contributed to the two-fold increase in the number of patients who developed delirium after surgery. When compared with other social and economic risk factors for diminished health outcomes in older adults, including income and level of education, neighborhood characteristics emerged as the strongest predictor of delirium incidence.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the consequences of economic health care disparities in the U.S., and this study is yet another example of how social, economic, and environmental marginalization impacts the health of those who live in disadvantage communities.

“Our hope is that by building awareness of barriers to care present in disadvantaged neighborhoods, clinical teams will tailor support and treatment recommendations based on the resources available within a patient’s community,” said Dr. Inouye.

“Patients with higher ADI percentiles may benefit from having additional support and periodic check-ins with treatment teams prior to surgery and/or participating in rehabilitation programs postoperatively,” said Dr. Arias.

In addition to Drs. Arias and Inouye, study investigators included Amy J.H. Kind, M.D., Ph.D., Health Services and Care Research Program, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health/ Madison VA Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center; Fan Chen, M.S., M.P.H., Aging Brain Center, Marcus Institute/Biostatistics and Data Sciences, Marcus Institute; Tamara G. Fong, M.D., Ph.D., Aging Brain Center, Marcus Institute and Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Haley Shiff, B.A., Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health; Margarita Alegria, Ph.D., Disparities Research Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine and Psychiatry/Harvard Medical School; Edward R. Marcantonio, M.D., S.M., Division of General Medicine and Gerontology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Yun Gou, M.A., Aging Brain Center, Marcus Institute/Biostatistics and Data Sciences, Marcus Institute; Richard N. Jones, Sc.D., Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Warren Alpert Medical School; Thomas G. Travison, Ph.D., Biostatistics and Data Sciences, Marcus Institute/Department of Medicine and Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Eva M. Schmitt, Ph.D., Aging Brain Center, Marcus Institute.

This study was funded in part by the National Institute on Aging grants no. R24AG054259 (SKI), P01AG031720 (SKI). Dr. Inouye holds the Milton and Shirley F. Levy Family Chair at Hebrew SeniorLife. Dr. Marcantonio’s time was supported in part by K24AG035075; Dr. Franchesca Arias’ time was supported in part by grant no. 2019-45AARFD-644816 of the Alzheimer’s Association; Dr. Kind’s time was supported by National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Award (R01MD010243 [PI 47Kind]) and National Institute on Aging RF1AG057784 [PI Kind, MPI Bendlin].

About the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
Scientists at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity, and productivity into advanced age. The Marcus Institute carries out rigorous studies that discover the mechanisms of age-related disease and disability; lead to the prevention, treatment, and cure of disease; advance the standard of care for older people; and inform public decision-making. For further information on the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, please visit https://www.marcusinstituteforaging.org/.

About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Based in Boston, the nonprofit organization has provided communities and health care for seniors, research into aging, and education for geriatric care providers since 1903. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org and our blog, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Congratulations to Amanda Lorbergs, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Hebrew SeniorLife’s Institute for Aging Research for receiving the 2016 American Society for Bone Mineral Research (ASBMR) Young Investigator Award for the abstract presentation “Light intensity physical activity measured by accelerometer is associated with favorable bone microarchitecture and strength: The Framingham Study.”

The Young Investigator Award recognizes young investigators who submit top-ranking abstracts to an ASBMR Meeting. Dr. Lorbergs has been working on studies of bone health with post-doc mentor, Dr. Lisa Samelson, Associate Scientist in the Musculoskeletal Center in IFAR.

BOSTON - Louis J. Woolf, president and CEO of Harvard Medical School-affiliate Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL), an integrated system of health care, senior living, research, and teaching that serves more than 3,000 Greater Boston seniors each day, announces that he will retire at the end of June 2023. Former HSL Board Chair Jeff Drucker, current Governance Committee Chair, is leading the Board Search Committee for Woolf’s replacement.

Since 2009 Woolf has led the Hebrew SeniorLife system that includes Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Boston and Dedham, continuing care retirement communities NewBridge on the Charles in Dedham and Orchard Cove in Canton, three senior supportive housing communities in Brookline, Revere, and Randolph, a wide array of outpatient and home- and community-based services, including home health and hospice care, the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, and an extensive geriatric workforce teaching program.

“Being the leader of HSL has been the opportunity and experience of a lifetime,” Woolf said. “It has been an absolute privilege to work alongside HSL’s dedicated and compassionate employees, board members, trustees, and donors, and I’m so incredibly proud of all we’ve accomplished together to serve our senior community.”

“At age 68 and with five grandchildren, I’m ready to follow the advice we provide all older adults and fully engage in my post-career best life,” Woolf continued. “Also, with the significant changes occurring in our society and in the health care and social services ecosystems, I believe this is a good time to establish a new HSL leader with a longer-term horizon who can steer this amazing organization into the future.”  

“We are so thankful to Lou for his thoughtful and steady leadership in strengthening the organization, continually looking to improve the quality of care and services we provide, supporting our academic research and teaching mission, and focusing on our workplace culture so that we’re regularly recognized by our employees as a top place to work in Boston,” said HSL Board Chair Melissa Tearney. 

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Woolf worked with the Massachusetts Senior Care Association to create and implement a statewide training and accountability program that then had national impact, to prepare and equip staff so they could better protect residents and themselves, and reduce the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes.

According to Charlie Baker, governor of Massachusetts, Woolf’s “ability to stand up and effectively communicate a statewide strategy on this issue was enormously helpful …in the early and very dark days of COVID” in 2020.

During his tenure, Woolf oversaw a period of steady revenue growth, from $150 million in FY2009 to $248 million in FY2021, and increased HSL’s consolidated investment pool from $117 million to the current $198 million while repaying HSL’s $40 million of pension fund obligations. This growth supported an array of new clinical and research initiatives as well as new and expanded senior living communities. Notable organizational accomplishments in support of the HSL mission include the following:

Establishing New Health Care Programs and Centers

• Establishing the Deanna and Sidney Wolk Center for Memory Health to tackle Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in a comprehensive and integrated way not provided by other health care organizations across the nation.
• Opening a much-needed community-based hospice service for the local Jewish community, serving people of all faiths.
• Establishing a new palliative care program offered by Hebrew SeniorLife Home Health for patients who want to be treated at home for a serious or chronic illness.
• Beginning the renovation of Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-Boston’s Berenson Allen building so long-term chronic care patients can receive individualized care in a home-like setting.
• Establishing the Marcus Institute Interventional Studies in Aging Center (ISAC), in order to develop and develop and support clinical trials and intervention studies preserving and improving the health and quality of life of older individuals.

Expanding Housing Options For Seniors

• Overseeing the opening of NewBridge on the Charles, a state-of-the-art continuing care retirement community on the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Campus in Dedham, Mass.
• Receiving approval and financing to build 54 new units and a neighborhood community center at 108 Centre Street at Center Communities of Brookline.
• Building of an additional 45 new units of affordable senior housing at the Simon C. Fireman Community in Randolph.
• Working with Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation to construct 43 units at the first affordable senior housing building in the Upham’s Corner neighborhood in Dorchester.

Fundraising and Grants

• Receiving a two-year grant, later extended, from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission for the Right Care, Right Place, Right Time (R3) initiative. R3 embeds wellness teams comprising coordinators and nurses in affordable housing and builds on an “eyes-on” approach, where all housing staff are trained to share observations and contribute to care coordination efforts. R3 won the Pioneer Institute’s Better Government Award in 2017 and The John A. Hartford Foundation’s 2021 Business Innovation Award.
• Receiving a National Institute on Aging five-year grant, with Brown University, expected to total $53.4 million to lead a nationwide effort to improve health care and quality of life for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, as well as their caregivers.
• Naming the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, and significantly growing and diversifying our research portfolio.
• Launching the Age of Opportunity campaign, the largest fundraising program in the organization’s history, with $111 million committed to date, including the transformative $10 million gift to name the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research.

Recognitions

• Consistently named as one of the Top Places to Work in Massachusetts in the employee-based survey project from The Boston Globe.

About Lou Woolf
Woolf received a B.A. in economics from Brandeis University and an MBA in marketing and finance from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

Woolf began his career in consumer packaged goods management with Gillette, and in 1985 founded Horizon Management Group to offer a full range of services for the financing, management, and marketing of new business initiatives.

From 1995 to 2003, he served in leadership positions in CareGroup Healthcare System, including chief operating officer of New England Baptist Hospital and senior vice president of network development and communications for CareGroup. From 2003 to 2009, Woolf served in Partners Healthcare System as executive vice president and chief operating officer of North Shore Medical Center.

He joined HSL as president in 2009, and was named president and CEO in February 2013, leading the organization’s commitment to redefine the experience of aging in Massachusetts and beyond.

About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Based in Boston, the nonprofit organization has provided communities and health care for seniors, research into aging, and education for geriatric care providers since 1903. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit our website and our blog, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.