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Sharon Brangman becomes leading voice for elderly as president of Geriatrics Society

BrangmanAGS2010_detail

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Sharon A. Brangman, MD, professor of medicine at Upstate Medical University, is now president of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS).

As president of the AGS, Brangman elevates her position to one of the leading voices for the health of older Americans. The mission of the AGS is to improve the health, independence and quality of life of all older people. Brangman was sworn in as president during the society's Annual Scientific Meeting May 13 in Orlando, Fla.

"I've been a member of the American Geriatrics Society for nearly 25 rewarding years and I'm particularly excited to be starting my term as president at what is clearly a turning point for elder healthcare," said Brangman, citing passage of the recent healthcare reform law as an important step forward for quality elder healthcare. "The law includes a wide range of provisions that are good for seniors, good for geriatrics healthcare providers, and good for our field."

Brangman has been a member of the AGS since 1986, served on the organization's board of directors since 2002, and on the board of AGS Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) since 2007. She is a former AGS treasurer and has chaired several of the organizations committees. In addition, Brangman has been a member of the editorial board for AGS' acclaimed three-volume series, Doorway Thoughts: Cross Cultural Health Care for Older Adults.

In addition to Brangman's faculty post at Upstate, she also serves chief of the Division of Geriatrics, and director of the Central New York (CNY) Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Center at Upstate Medical University.

Upstate recently honored Brangman for her accomplishments by establishing the Sharon A. Brangman, MD, Endowed Professorship in Geriatric Medicine. The professorship will be used to recruit a geriatrician to teach the principles of geriatrics to practicing physicians across specialties and enrich medical school training.

At Upstate, Brangman developed University Geriatricians at Upstate Medical University, the most comprehensive ambulatory practice and interdisciplinary team in geriatric medicine in the region. She also created both LinkAges, an innovative curriculum in geriatric medicine for students during their four years of medical education, and Upstate's Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program, which she directs. In addition, Brangman implemented Upstate's ACE (Acute Care for the Elderly) Program for patients admitted to University Hospital. She is medical director for Greenpoint/The Hearth Senior Living Communities, and an attending physician at James Square Health and Rehabilitation Centre in Syracuse.

A graduate of Syracuse University and Upstate Medical University, Brangman did her internship, residency, and geriatrics fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y. She has board certification in geriatric medicine, and from the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She is a fellow of both the American Geriatrics Society and the American College of Physicians.

Brangman has conducted research concerning and written widely about Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia; ethnicity and health in later life, multicultural geriatric care, geriatrics training, and issues facing seniors' caregivers.

She has been named one of the "Best Doctors of the North East Region" nearly every year since 1996, and has won numerous awards, including the President's Faculty Award, the Eldercare Foundation's Eldercare Accomplished Professional Award, the President's Award for Advancement of Affirmative Action, and the CNY Alzheimer's Association Memory Makers Award. She has participated in a range of prestigious training programs including the National Institute on Aging's Summer Institute in Research on Minority Aging, and the Hartford Geriatrics Leadership Scholars Program.

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