About

The Program for the Aging Century was established at UCSF in 2011 through the support of the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. Closely associated with the UCSF Division of Geriatrics, the Program was created in response to the biggest demographic shift of this century – the aging of the worldwide population. The Program for the Aging Century is designed to sustain visionary leaders, transformative models in clinical care, discovery and education. The Program seeks to bring together leaders who will make breakthroughs and create change on a national level through ideas to transform medicine and health care for the Aging Century, and to build communication between these leaders in aging-related services and the greater community.

Vision

The Program for the Aging Century aims to transform and personalize health care to meet the needs of older Americans and their families.

Program Leadership

C. Seth Landefeld, MD

Director, Program for the Aging Century

Seth Landefeld founded the Program for the Aging Century to catalyze solutions to the health care needs of frail elders and their families. Because health care does not meet the needs of many frail elders, families and society face a crisis that will require new approaches to care, leadership, and communication that wins the trust of the public and informs policy. Dr. Landefeld is committed to developing outstanding people and programs to meet this crisis.
Dr. Landefeld is Professor of Medicine at UCSF where he serves as Chief, Division of Geriatrics and Associate Chair for Strategic Planning and Implementation, Department of Medicine. He also directs the UCSF-Hartford Center of Excellence in Academic Geriatrics and is a staff physician at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

Anna Chang, MD

Associate Director, Program for the Aging Century – Caring and Leadership

Anna Chang, Associate Director, guides Program innovations in caring for people and educating future leaders. She leads the creation of an Aging and Wellness Center in San Francisco, a new health care model resulting from a collaboration between academics and the community. She is passionate about education, and will develop programs to train the next generations of leaders in the care of older adults. Dr. Chang is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the UCSF Division of Geriatrics, and a clinical skills course director in the UCSF School of Medicine.

Brie Williams, MD, MS

Associate Director, Program for the Aging Century – Discovery and Communication

As Associate Director for Discovery and Communication, Brie Williams is developing and directing the Program’s core research and communication initiatives. The initial goals of these areas are to bring together and support visionary leaders across multiple disciplines who make ground-breaking aging-related discoveries, and to facilitate the communication of these discoveries to the public. Dr. Williams is also Associate Professor of Medicine in the UCSF Division of Geriatrics where she is the Medical Director of the San Francisco VA Geriatrics Clinic and where she conducts research focused on the intersection between clinical geriatrics and the legal system.

Suzanne Kawahara, MBA

Deputy Director, Program for the Aging Century

Ms. Kawahara received her BA degree in History from Stanford University and her MBA from the Yale School of Management. She has a broad background in finance, marketing, and sales as well as experience working for educational institutions. As Deputy Director of the Program for the Aging Century, Ms Kawahara will conceptualize, build, and guide the managerial, financial and operational aspects of the Program. She also works closely with Drs. Chang and Williams to lead the development of the clinical programs and communication efforts supported by the Program. Among her current responsibilities at UCSF is working with the Department of Medicine in the implementation of its strategic plan and communication strategy.

Sarah Garrigues, BA

Program Coordinator, Program for the Aging Century

Sarah Garrigues coordinates the Program for the Aging Century’s activities and communication initiatives. With a background in palliative care and patient-centered clinical research, she seeks to advance Program efforts to improve the care for older adults and communicate these discoveries to the country’s elderly patients and their caregivers. Sarah received her BA degree in Biology from Harvard University and coordinated clinical research in the Center for Palliative Care at Duke University before joining the Division of Geriatrics at UCSF.

Associated Faculty

Helen Kao, MD

Director, Clinical Programs

Helen is dedicated to the care of vulnerable older adults in both her clinical practice and through her leadership implementing health systems change. She spearheaded the partnership between UCSF and Berkeley’s Over 60 Health Center, through which she provided care to older adults across the care spectrum—at home, in clinic, in hospital or nursing homes, and in hospice. Her rich experiences at Over 60 inspired her current focus to change the way we care for older adults. In 2010, she founded the Geriatrics Transitions, Consultation, and Comprehensive Care service which, together with UCSF nursing and Home Health teams, has significantly improved the well-being for frail patients with congestive heart failure. Dr. Kao is also an Assistant Professor in the UCSF Division of Geriatrics, where she leads UCSF efforts to improve the care of older adults and expand access to geriatric care. Helen has been recognized with awards of distinction not only for her clinical care but also for her teaching and leadership.

Deborah Barnes, PhD, MPH

Senior Investigator, Program for the Aging Century

Dr. Deborah Barnes is a Senior Investigator with the Program. As an epidemiologist, Dr. Barnes’ works closely with Dr. Williams on developing the methodology and implementation strategy for the Program’s research agenda. Dr. Barnes is also an Associate Professor at UCSF with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychiatry and Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, and she is a Mental Health and Health Services Researcher at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Louise Aronson, MD MFA

Director of Public Medical Communication

Louise Aronson works with the Program to develop innovative strategies and materials for communication with the public and policy makers about the needs and experiences of older Americans. Dr. Aronson is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the UCSF Division of Geriatrics and director of the Northern California Geriatrics Education Center, the UCSF Pathways to Discovery program which develops research, advocacy and leadership skills in health professions trainees, and UCSF Medical Humanities. A writer as well as a physician, Louise seeks to combine her passions for narrative, education, and medicine to improve medical training, health, and health care.

Michael Steinman, MD

Director of the UCSF Research Fellowship Program in Aging Research

As Director of the UCSF Research Fellowship Program in Aging Research, Dr. Steinman leads the recruitment efforts of top clinical and research trainees interested in geriatric careers. Through the fostering of trainees’ interest in geriatrics, he focuses on molding new leaders in health care and research.