The Case for Geriatricizing Subspecialty Care

G. Michael Harper, MD and Leah Witt, MD
Session moderated by Bob Wachter

An aging population with high rates of chronic diseases is reshaping the management of chronic illnesses. This Grand Rounds will delineate this shift while providing strategies for integrating geriatric principles into subspecialty care. G. Michael Harper and Leah Witt will highlight age-friendly UCSF partnerships and programs, and review actionable approaches to address the challenges posed by an aging society.

Speakers:
G. Michael Harper, MD, is a professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatrics at UCSF Health and a sustaining member of the UCSF Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators. He is the chair of the board of directors of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and a member of the AGS executive committee. He currently sees patients at both the SFVAHCS and UCSF Health. At the SFVAHCS, he attends on the Mobile Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Service and supervises fellows in the Community Living Center and the SFVAHCS Geriatrics Clinic.

Leah Witt, MD, is an associate professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Sleep Medicine at UCSF Health, where she serves as the associate chief of pulmonary for ambulatory affairs. From 2019 to 2023, Witt was a HRSA Geriatric Academic Career Awardee for her work on interprofessional geriatrics education for chronic lung disease care. She has also served as a coach for the UCSF Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine Fellowship. She is a member of the UCSF Academy of Medical Educators.