Sarah Berry, MD, MPH, Named Gerontology Division Chief at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
She succeeds Lewis Lipsitz, MD, who continues as director of the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research and chief academic officer at Hebrew SeniorLife.
Sarah D. Berry, MD, MPH, has accepted the position of chief of the Division of Gerontology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, succeeding Lewis Lipsitz, MD, beginning in February 2025.
Dr. Berry continues her role in the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, now as a senior scientist, and her clinical role in the Department of Medicine at Hebrew SeniorLife. She is also an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Lipsitz maintains his position as director of the Marcus Institute, chief academic officer at Hebrew SeniorLife, and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
“After nearly 25 years leading the division and watching Dr. Berry’s career grow and flourish, I can think of no better person to take on this role,” said Dr. Lipsitz. “She is an extremely knowledgeable and caring doctor, an outstanding teacher and mentor, an internationally recognized researcher, and a highly effective program leader. I know that she will not only continue the outstanding Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Hebrew SeniorLife reputation for clinical, teaching, and research excellence in the field of aging but also raise it to new heights.”
“Given the exciting movement of age-friendly health care, this is a wonderful time for me to become the division chief and a tremendous opportunity. I am hopeful that our division can help improve care for older adults throughout Beth Israel Lahey Health,” said Dr. Berry.
Dr. Berry has been a member of the Division of Gerontology and the Marcus Institute since 2004, when she completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Utah and came to Boston for her Harvard Medical School Multicampus Geriatric Medicine Fellowship.
She subsequently completed a T32 postdoctoral fellowship in translational research in aging and joined the Harvard Medical School faculty in 2008. During her fellowships, she completed a master’s degree in clinical effectiveness at the Harvard School of Public Health. She later became the program director for the Harvard Medical School Multicampus Geriatric Medicine Fellowship program from 2014 to 2020.
Dr. Berry has expertise in falls, osteoporotic fractures, adverse drug reactions, and other serious events in vulnerable older adults, particularly nursing home residents. She is an experienced geriatrician who cares for frail older patients at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center. She has over 100 publications, multiple research grants, and a prestigious NIA-funded K24 award to support her mentoring efforts. She serves in a national leadership role as a standing member of an NIH study section and is the incoming chair of the American Geriatrics Society Research Committee.
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 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; Jack Satter House, Revere; and Leyland Community, Dorchester. 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, follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn.
