YEAR IN REVIEW: 2022 BREAKTHROUGHS IN RESEARCH
​AND DISCOVERY

Lee A. Lindquist, MD
Chief of Geriatric Medicine in the Department of Medicine
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
As chief of Geriatrics at Northwestern Medicine, I’m extremely proud of our work to help older adults successfully age in place. ​We are proud to highlight 2022’s key activities and accomplishments, and the people who made them possible. I am beyond proud of what we have accomplished this year:
  • Developed a virtual Geriatrics Grand Round series to share information about innovative programs and research.
  • Celebrated our 10th anniversary of planyourlifespan.org with a mobile-friendly relaunch. Plan Your Lifespan is an innovative online tool to help people plan for health events that may happen as people get older. This planning tool is different than end-of-life care and wills. 
  • Developed a new tool to help family members and caregivers negotiate with their older adults: negotiage.com. We’re currently recruiting caregivers/family members of adults older than 65 with memory loss for a research study with this tool. Telehealth appointments are available. 
  • Continued to attract talented physicians to the Geriatrics Fellowship at McGaw Medical Center at Northwestern University. Since its inception in 1989, the program has graduated 66 fellows. 
Every day I am motivated by the older adults who trust us with their care and the trainees we teach to be the next class of geriatricians. With leading-edge research funded by the National Institutes of Health, I look forward to what our team will accomplish in 2023. 

CLINICAL UPDATES AND ADVANCES

PlanYourLifespan.org Celebrates 10 Years of Improving Geriatric Planning
Over the past 10 years, Plan Your Lifespan has been connecting users to local resources and helps with education, communication and planning. It is available at no cost and is a valuable resource for patients, family caregivers and healthcare professionals.

AWARDS, HONORS AND RECOGNITIONS

Lee Lindquist, MD, Honored With Choosing Wisely Champion Award and Faculty Selection by AMDA
Lee Lindquist, MD, has done extensive work on the dissemination of the Choosing Wisely Geriatrics campaign by educating community-based geriatrician/internists/family practitioners through talks and meetings, and more. 
June McKoy, MD, Named to NCCN Forum on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Comprised of more than 20 experts on diversity, equity, and inclusion in health care working to improve equity in cancer care systems, the NCCN DEI Directors Forum will provide a venue to share challenges and best practices in advancing DEI initiatives in a timely fashion.
Sara M. Bradley, MD, Recognized for Exceptional Commitment to Geriatrics
The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) today honored 20 leading health professionals who joined the newest class of AGS Fellows—a select group of experts recognized for their deep commitment to the AGS and to advancing high-quality, person-centered care for us all as we age.

Research news and discoveries

NegotiAge: An AI-Powered Negotiation Solution
​​The newly created NegotiAge is an online platform that uses AI avatars to teach negotiation skills to family caregivers and family members. The platform aims to help resolve conflicts between family members, older adults and care professionals by teaching communication and conflict resolution using business school tactics. The platform is available online and is currently being tested.
Caregiver Involvement in Older Adult Medication Management
In an episode of Better Edge​ podcast, Rachel O'Conor PhD, MPH discusses her research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) surrounding caregiver involvement in managing medications among older adults with multiple chronic conditions. 
Epigenetic ‘Age’ Predicts Cognitive Function
This epigenetic age score could be used to identify individuals at risk of later dementia, facilitating early intervention that would otherwise not be possible. 
Social Justice and Equity: Why Older Adults with Cancer Belong - A Life Course Perspective
The population of older adults with cancer in the United States is rapidly increasing, which will have a substantial impact on the workforces across the cancer continuum, from prevention to end of life. Lead investigator, June M. McKoy, MD, MPH, uses a life course approach to present a multifactorial framework for understanding and addressing cancer disparities.
A Mastery Learning Approach to Education about Fall Risk and Gait Assessment
​The objective of this study was to establish a curriculum for fall risk and gait assessment for medical students, determine an MPS for a fall risk and gait assessment clinical skills examination (CSE), and apply the MPS to a sample of medical students completing a fall risk and gait assessment CSE.
‘Sandwich Generation’ | Analysis on Reducing Caregiver Burnout While Caring for 2 Generations
"Sandwich generation" is a term used to describe adults who act as caregivers for their children and their parents at the same time.. Alexandra Petrakos, MD, performs an analysis to guide caregivers to delegate some of the work or seek professional guidance to avoid burnout. ​

EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS

Geriatrics Grand Rounds | Tune in Live Monthly or Watch Past Episodes
​Join Lee Lindquist, MD, MPH and guests monthly to discuss current topics and innovations with experts in the field of Geriatrics.
Geroscience Academy Grand Rounds
As part of the Northwestern University Potocsnak Longevity Institute, the Geroscience Academy strives to host respected leaders in geroscience who are at the forefront of clinical care, research, education, health policy reform, and quality improvement.

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