Clinicians, researchers, and staff from the Division of Geriatric Medicine and the Center for Aging and Health converged on Long Beach, CA in early May for the 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). Billed as ‘the premier educational event in geriatrics,’ the annual meeting offers the latest on clinical care, aging research, and innovative models of care.
AGS Pre-conference

Before the meeting began in earnest, some people attended a day of pre-conference activities on Wednesday, May 3. One of these events was the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) pre-conference session. Dr. Jan Busby-Whitehead kicked off the session with a welcome and introduction.
Additionally, a pre-conference ‘GWEP Marketplace’ allowed attendees to learn more about various programs from around the nation. Along with Dr. Busby-Whitehead, Dr. Ellen Roberts and Jennifer Hubbard represented the CGWEP (Carolina Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program).
Presentations and Sessions
Both the Division and the Center were solidly represented in presentations and sessions throughout the conference. This year’s AGS annual meeting featured several faculty presenters and one medical student presentation.
Thursday, May 4
- Dr. John Batsis moderated a session entitled Journeying Out of Journals: Sharing Your Findings with the Community.
Friday, May 5
- Dr. Laura Hanson presented Comfort First: Web-based Video Training for Comfort Matters Dementia Care at the Geriatric Education Materials & Methods Swap
- Third year UNC Medical Student Caroline Buse presented Put Students at the Helm! A New Leadership Model in a Geriatric Scholarly Concentration Program at the Geriatric Education Materials & Methods Swap
- Dr. Mallory McClester Brown made two presentations:
- Strategies to Teach Geriatrics to Residents in IM & FM: The Updated Resident Competencies in Geriatrics using the Geriatrics 5Ms Framework, AGS Initiative
- Anti-Ageism Interventions in Primary Care Residency Training Intervention that can Improve Patient Care
- Dr. Josh Niznik presented Addressing the 5 Ms of Osteoporosis Management
Saturday, May 6
- Dr. Hanson presented Comfort First: Web-based Video Training for Comfort Matters Dementia Care again at an education product showcase workshop
- Dr. Chrissy Kistler presented Overdiagnosis of UTI’s in the Nursing Home and the Promise of Clinical Decision Support
- Dr. McClester Brown presented Identifying and Addressing Ageism in Education: A Straightforward Intervention that can Improve Patient Care

Scientific Poster Presentations
In addition to the above sessions, the three-day event featured numerous poster presentations. In total, there were 44 posters from Center for Aging and Health researchers; Division of Geriatric Medicine faculty, residents, and fellows; UNC School of Medicine students; MSTAR students; and MSTAR alumni. Among these were 10 Presidential poster session awardees: five current/former MSTAR students, two faculty, and three residents.