Dr. Sandra Shi Receives American Geriatrics Society Health in Aging Foundation New Investigator Award

The American Geriatrics Society has named Sandra Shi, MD, MPH, a 2024 Health in Aging Foundation New Investigator Award recipient.

The American Geriatrics Society annually honors researchers, clinicians, educators, and emerging health professionals who have made outstanding contributions to high-quality, person-centered care for older adults. This year’s award recipients include 21 leaders representing the breadth of medical disciplines championing care for us all as we age. 

The Health in Aging Foundation New Investigator Awards are presented to individuals whose original research, as presented in a submitted abstract for an American Geriatrics Society Annual Scientific Meeting, reflects new and relevant research in geriatrics. The award is designed to recognize individuals committed to a career in aging research.

“As a clinician and researcher, I am always striving to do research that is meaningful for patients, families, and colleagues,” said Dr. Shi. “It is an honor to be recognized by AGS with this award.” 

Sandra Shi, MD, MPH, is a geriatrician, instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and assistant scientist at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife. She researches frailty and post-acute care outcomes in skilled nursing facilities, leveraging large databases, including national surveys and Medicare claims data. Her American Geriatrics Society Annual Meeting abstract entitled “Frailty and Time at Home After Post-Acute Care in Skilled Nursing Facilities” investigated the impact of pre-existing frailty on post-acute care outcomes. The study concluded that clinical frailty assessments may provide valuable risk stratification for post-acute skilled nursing facility care. An active member of the American Geriatrics Society, Dr. Shi serves as an editorial board member for the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, question author for the Geriatrics Review Syllabus, and is a member of the Junior Faculty Special Interest Group. Dr. Shi was a National Institute on Aging Butler-Williams Scholar and currently holds an R03 GEMSSTAR award for studying time at home after post-acute care and Older Adults Independence Center Research Education Core award to design and implement a multicomponent intervention for frail older adults in skilled nursing facilities. Her goal is to improve the quality of life for frail older adults by combining geriatrics and rehabilitation sciences in post-acute rehabilitation interventions within skilled nursing facilities.

About the American Geriatrics Society
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society is a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics health care 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 health care 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 health care 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 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 2,600 nurses, pharmacists, physicians, physician assistants, social workers, long-term care and managed care providers, health care administrators, and others will convene virtually, May 9 – 11 (pre-conference days: Tuesday & Wednesday, May 7-8) 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 4,500 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 $98 million, making it one of the largest gerontological research facilities in the U.S. in a clinical setting. It also trains more than 500 geriatric care providers each year. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit our website or follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn.