Lipsitz Earns Gerontological Society of America’s 2018 Donald P. Kent Award
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.
