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September/October 2024
September/October 2024 Issue Professional Development: An Inside Look at the Emerging Leaders in Aging Program By Lindsey Getz Training tomorrow’s leaders in the field of geriatrics is an effort that must begin today. The American Geriatrics Society has partnered with the University of California, San Francisco, on a national leadership development program designed to train interprofessional leaders focused on the health and well-being of older adults. The Tideswell Emerging Leaders in Aging (ELIA) program competitively selects early- and mid-career leaders in clinical, research, and education initiatives in aging. Nancy Lundebjerg, CEO of the American Geriatrics Society, describes the rationale for this program: “There is a need for geriatrics leaders across health care in order to ensure that we all have access to high-quality, person-centered care as we age. Clinical training of geriatrics health professionals prepares people to practice across settings of care and to lead teams at the cutting edge of research, educating the next generation about geriatrics across disciplines and specialties and leading the transformation of health systems. The Tideswell program is critical to their growth as leaders and their ability to assume leadership roles.” Anna Chang, MD, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco division of geriatrics, department of medicine, partners with Louise Walter, MD, chief of the division, to direct the program. “The number of health professionals in the US with expertise in aging is quite small, so we need dedicated programs like ELIA to equip this specialized workforce to be as effective leaders as possible,” Walter says. They’re grateful for “Each year, we select scholars from around the country to be part of our program,” Chang explains. “We have had more than 150 graduates from 30 states in the last 10 years. These are individuals who are transforming clinical care delivery, conducting innovative research, and educating others in evidence-based geriatric care. They are positively impacting the well-being of older adults across the country by addressing gaps in geriatric care, initiating age-friendly programs, engaging in geriatric research, making a difference in the here and now, and training the next generation of leaders.” According to Chang, scholars come from the full spectrum of geriatric clinical care, including physical therapy, pharmacy, psychology, nursing, social work, surgery, and medicine. They’re learning leadership and social change skills that will help them be catalysts for better geriatric care. “In health care, we don’t receive training in how to lead change,” Chang says. “That’s what our program is teaching—how to be effective leaders.” Because older adults make up one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the country, especially those 85 and older, there’s a substantial need for a program like this, adds Christine S. Ritchie, MD, MSPH, founder and associate director of the ELIA Program as well as a professor and director of the Center for Aging and Serious Illness Research at Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard Medical School. “As we age, our care complexity increases at the same time our social networks thin,” Ritchie explains. “Our society needs effective champions for older adults facing complex care needs—leaders who are systems thinkers and at the same time ‘in-the-weeds’ implementers of societal and health care change to support optimal aging. And yet, comparatively speaking, we do not invest in health and aging leadership programs that support this vast and growing population.” As a society and a country, Ritchie adds, we do not have a leadership program to help aging champions become social change agents in the communities they serve. “In fact, relative to the enormous need, the level of investment by foundations and others in this kind of transformative area is very small,” she says. “This was a huge gap given the growing needs in this area. We were fortunate to receive seed funding from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr Foundation, the Gary and Mary West Foundation, and the Archstone Foundation to support the operation of this program.” Training Tomorrow’s Leaders “We’re connecting these scholars to one another, which is a big deal when they might feel like the lone person trying to make something happen,” she explains. “These are individuals from all parts of the country who are trying to do similar things. Now, they’re learning lessons and tips from each other. This was particularly valuable during the pandemic when the connection to community became very important.” Within the community, both peer and traditional mentorship takes place. Chang says. Scholars are paired with mentors who are 10 to 20 years ahead of them in their careers and who have experience to share. Peers at similar levels are also connected with one another. A lot of times, that comes from connecting to one another and learning what does and doesn’t work. We’re teaching the skills to lead change.” Program graduates like Timothy Farrell, MD, a professor of medicine, geriatrics division interim co-chief, and associate chief for age-friendly care at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah, say their time in the program made a difference in their ability to lead. “The Tideswell Emerging Leaders in Aging Program is absolutely indispensable in creating a cadre of leaders needed to ensure continued clinical, research, and educational advances in aging,” Farrell says. “The skills acquired by Tideswell scholars prepare them to be change agents that develop, implement, and sustain innovations in aging that benefit all older adults.” Megan Young, MD, a clinical associate professor at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, says she’s been able to apply what she’s learned in practice, too. “One of the things the Tideswell program emphasizes is how to ‘tell your story of self’ and the difference you want to make in the world, which I now use in my leadership role as an assistant dean of student affairs at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine,” Young says. “There, I’m able to help students through their own path of medical school. Through the program, I have also made friendships and connections with national colleagues who have been invaluable in my career.” A Future in Question: The Need for Funding “The Tideswell Emerging Leaders in Aging program has been a catalyst for positive social change by equipping 167 social change agents from disciplines spanning psychology to surgery in optimizing care for older adults,” Ritchie says. “Alumni from the Emerging Leaders in Aging Program have become division chiefs and department chairs, leaders in local, regional, and national organizations in aging-related care. The need for this work continues to grow. The future looks bright for a new generation of leaders; it will only be thwarted by the general lack of investment in aging and health care leadership in this country. Without additional funding for this program, the Emerging Leaders in Aging program will sunset in 2025.” Chang says that there is a need for partnerships with organizations that see the value in this type of program. “Without a program like this, we will remain disappointed in the systems that care for us as we get older,” Chang says. “It’s a dire situation, and we are behind many other countries in terms of a productive focus on the experience of aging. Countries that are poorer than us are doing a better job at caring for older adults as they advance in age. There is an urgent need to address this issue, and our program does that—but we can’t do it without funding.” — Lindsey Getz is an award winning freelance writer in Royersford, Pennsylvania. |
