Dae Kim, MD, MPH, ScD, to Receive Yoshikawa Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation Award

The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the AGS Health in Aging Foundation (HiAF) have announced that the 2023 Thomas and Catherine Yoshikawa Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation will be awarded to Dae Kim, MD, MPH, ScD,  associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, associate scientist at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, and attending geriatrician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. 

The award will be presented at the AGS 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS23), May 4-6.  At the conference, Dr. Kim will deliver a lecture on Unleashing Frailty from Laboratory to Real World.

A geriatrician, epidemiologist, and large database researcher, Dr. Kim is an internationally recognized leader in the field of frailty research. He has developed a claims-based frailty score that has been widely adopted by pharmacoepidemiologists and health services researchers in the United States. Following his service as a member of an advisory task force convened by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and RAND Corporation in 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) incorporated his frailty claims-based index into the CMS data warehouse. Dr. Kim also has developed a web-based comprehensive geriatric assessment-based frailty index calculator, which demonstrated how the preoperative assessment of frailty can predict recovery and functional status after aortic valve replacement. The calculator has been incorporated into the electronic health record at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and is now disseminated for research and clinical applications at several healthcare systems in the United States. 

“Dr. Kim’s work in frailty is directly impacting clinical care including care provided by large primary care groups who use the claims-based frailty index to risk stratify the patients they serve for cost prediction and to track utilization and outcomes,” said AGS President G. Michael Harper, MD, AGSF. “He has catalyzed advances in decision-making around drug therapy, surgical procedures, and the use of health services in frail older adults. His focus on moving research from the laboratory into the real world exemplifies the Yoshikawas’ commitment to diffusing new knowledge into practice as his commitment to mentoring the next generation to grow and flourish as frailty investigators.” 

A recipient of the Paul Beeson Scholar Award from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), he has been the principal investigator on three and a co-investigator on ten R01 awards as well as a co-investigator on an R21. Dr. Kim is committed to developing and supporting the next generation of investigators who wish to focus their research on frailty. Through the Frailty Research Program that he founded at Marcus Institute, he has mentored over thirty students, research fellows, and junior faculty, including six NIH K or similar career development awardees. He currently holds a K24 Mid-Career Mentoring Award for Patient-Oriented Research in Frailty and Health Outcomes.

An active member of the Society since 2006, Dr. Kim has served on several AGS committees, including the AGS Junior Faculty Interest Group Steering Committee and the AGS Research Methods Subcommittee of the AGS Research Committee. He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and Gerontology, and as an associate editor for the Journal of Gerontology Medical Sciences. 

About the American Geriatrics Society
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics healthcare professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence, and quality of life of older people. Our 6,000+ members include geriatricians, geriatrics nurse practitioners, social workers, family practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and internists who are pioneers in advanced illness care for older individuals, with a focus on championing interprofessional teams, eliciting personal care goals, and treating older people as whole persons. AGS believes in a just society, one where we all are supported by and able to contribute to communities where ageism, ableism, classism, homophobia, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and other forms of bias and discrimination no longer impact healthcare access, quality, and outcomes for older adults and their caregivers. AGS advocates for policies and programs that support the health, independence, and quality of life of all of us as we age. AGS works across patient care, research, professional and public education, and public policy to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of all older people. 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 one 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 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 offers recognition and financial support to emerging geriatrics scholars who represent the early promise of the Yoshikawas’ own illustrious careers. The award has been supported thanks to generous contributions to the AGS Health in Aging Foundation from AGS members, as well as 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 in Long Beach, CA, May 4-6, 2023 (pre-conference program on May 3), to advance geriatrics knowledge and skills through state-of-the-art educational sessions and research presentations. For more information, visit https://meeting.americangeriatrics.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. Hebrew SeniorLife cares for more than 3,000 seniors a day across six campuses throughout Greater Boston. Locations include: Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-Boston and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-NewBridge in Dedham; NewBridge on the Charles, Dedham; Orchard Cove, Canton; Simon C. Fireman Community, Randolph; Center Communities of Brookline, Brookline; and Jack Satter House, Revere. Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife also conducts influential research into aging at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, which has a portfolio of more than $63 million, making it the largest gerontological research facility in the U.S. in a clinical setting. It also trains more than 1,000 geriatric care providers each year. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit our website or follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

About the Hinda and Arthur Marcus 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.