Laurie G. Jacobs, M.D. Named President of the American Geriatrics Society

Newswise — Hackensack Meridian Health is pleased to announce that Laurie G. Jacobs, M.D., AGSF, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at Hackensack University Medical Center and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, where she also serves as a professor of medicine, will begin serving as president of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) on May 3, 2018.

“The AGS membership and Geriatrics community is uniquely positioned to provide care to older adults and shape how that care is provided now and in the future,” Dr. Jacobs said. “I care deeply about doing all I can to make a positive and meaningful difference in this regard.”

Drawing on more than 30 years of experience as a geriatrician and health system leader, Dr. Jacobs will begin her tenure as AGS president by convening the AGS 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando, FL in May.

“We are delighted that Dr. Jacobs will serve the AGS in this leadership role,” said Ihor S. Sawczuk, M.D., FACS, president of Hackensack University Medical Center. “She fully embodies our commitment to provide the highest quality, human-centered care and I’m confident that her contribution will make have a significant impact.”

Dr. Jacobs has been an AGS member since 1988 and an AGS Board representative since 2011. She will begin her tenure as AGS President outlining her vision to improve health in aging.

Across her career, Dr. Jacobs has overseen more than 15 grant-funded projects to improve geriatrics education and the care of older adults across the U.S. She has authored more than 40 book chapters, reviews, and original research articles, all while continuing to teach and practice medicine caring for older individuals in the New York metropolitan area.

About the American Geriatrics Society

Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics healthcare professionals that has—for more than 75 years—worked to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of older people. Its nearly 6,000 members include geriatricians, geriatric nurses, social workers, family practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and internists. The Society provides leadership to healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the public by implementing and advocating for programs in patient care, research, professional and public education, and public policy. For more information, visit AmericanGeriatrics.org.

About the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting

The AGS Annual Scientific Meeting is the premier educational event in geriatrics, providing the latest information on clinical care, research on aging, and innovative models of care delivery. More than 2,500 nurses, pharmacists, physicians, physician assistants, social workers, long-term care and managed care providers, healthcare administrators, and others will convene May 3-5, 2018 (pre-conference program on May 2), at the Walt Disney World® Swan & Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Fl., to advance geriatrics knowledge and skills through state-of-the-art educational sessions and research presentations. For more information, visit Meeting.AmericanGeriatrics.org.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 16 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children’s hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune; 11 community hospitals - Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, and Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.Additionally, the network has more than 160 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, and urgent care and after-hours centers. Hackensack Meridian Health has 33,000 team members, and 6,500 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.The network's notable distinctions include having one of only five major academic medical centers in the nation to receive Healthgrades America's 50 Best Hospitals Award for five or more consecutive years, four hospitals among the top 10 in New Jersey, including Hackensack University Medical Center which is ranked No. 1 by U.S. News and World Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, recipient of the John M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality from The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum, a six-time recipient of Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For," one of the "20 Best Workplaces in Health Care" in the nation, and the number one "Best Place to Work for Women." Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.

For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.