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Successful Aging
Welcome to the August 2022 issue of the UC San Diego Center for Healthy Aging and the Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging e-newsletter!
Welcome Letter from the New Director
I am thrilled to have been appointed to be Interim Director of the Stein Institute for Research on Aging and the UC San Diego Center for Healthy Aging. This is a wonderful opportunity to continue the impactful and important work conducted by Dr. Dilip Jeste and the Stein team and to explore new areas for investigation, training, and ways to engage with our community - with you. I love building programs, mentoring, and connecting with patients and the community so this job is a dream job for me.

To let you know a little more about me, I came to UC San Diego from UCLA six years ago with the help of Dr. Jeste, who led the search committee for my position as Chief of Geriatrics at UC San Diego. I decided to come here in part because of the Stein Institute and its strengths in aging research, training, and community engagement and to have the chance to lead and grow a world-class geriatrics academic program. I had the resources to recruit a few others so I, fortunately, recruited Anthony Molina, PhD, a gerontologist, from Wake Forest University to be Vice-Chair of Research in the division. With his arrival, we changed the division name to Geriatrics and Gerontology and hired additional researchers, further developed our portfolio of aging research, and also grew our research and clinical training, and clinical care and educational programs. A few years later, we had the opportunity to merge with Palliative Care, then based in the Moores Cancer Center, and once again changed our division name to Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Care. Joining our wonderful geriatrics team who provide high-quality primary and consultative care to older adults as well as train others to do the same, Palliative Care includes an amazing group of clinicians and educators who provide supportive care to those with serious illnesses and educate many trainees. I am extremely proud to say that were recently ranked #11 for Geriatrics in U.S. News and World Report's annual Best Hospitals survey.

Over the time I have been at UC San Diego, I have loved the collaborative spirit here and have been able to work on many projects and initiatives with a variety of groups at the university, health system, and the broader scientific, community-based service organization, and older adult community in San Diego.

In the position of Interim Director, I hope to leverage the successes of the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Care, and those of our networks with the Stein Institute for Research on Aging and the Center for Healthy Aging. I aim to both nurture the current work and engage in new and exciting programs focused on aging, training in aging research, and community outreach. I anticipate the outcomes will lead to new discoveries, new training programs, and even greater community engagement to improve older adults' lives - here in San Diego and all over the world.

Alison A. Moore, MD, MPH, FACP, AGSF
Interim Director, Stein Institute for Research on Aging and UC San Diego Center for Healthy Aging
Larry L. Hillblom Chair in Geriatric Medicine
Professor of Medicine
Vice Chair for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Department of Medicine
Chief, Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative Care
University of California San Diego 
UC San Diego's Geriatrics Ranked Among the Nation's Top Programs for Senior Care
We are thrilled to share that the Senior Medicine Program at UC San Diego has ranked #11 nationally by the 2022-2023 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” survey. UC San Diego Health has once again ranked #1 in San Diego and #5 in California, placing it among the nation’s best health care providers. Congratulations! Learn more
Stein Institute's Jackuelyn Harris Award for Excellence in Aging Research
Congratulation to Kevin Yang for receiving the 2022 Stein Institute's Jackuelyn Harris Award for Excellence in Aging Research. Yang was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama and graduated from UCLA in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. After graduating, he took two gap years working as a Certified Nursing Assistant in a nursing home and on an inpatient geriatric psychiatry unit in Los Angeles. These experiences inspired him to pursue a career in geriatric psychiatry. During his time in medical school at UCSD, he was involved with the MSTAR program where he worked with Dr. Alison Moore and Dr. Chris Kauffman to evaluate the prevalence and use characteristics of cannabis among older adults in San Diego. Their research resulted in multiple publications and media appearances and solidified Kevin’s desire to become an academic clinician. He has continued to conduct aging research through Dr. Alison Moore and Dr. Benjamin Han’s lab, further investigating the risks and benefits of cannabis use in older adults using epidemiologic data and qualitative analyses. He also received the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) Honors Scholar Award in 2021. He recently graduated and received his MD degree from UC San Diego in 2022 and will be starting his psychiatry residency at UC San Diego. He hopes to continue conducting aging research throughout residency and beyond and plans to become a geriatric psychiatrist. 
We Need Your Support!
When you give to the UC San Diego Center for Healthy Aging and the Stein Institute for Research on Aging, you're making the decision to support the pursuit of a healthier, longer life for you and your loved ones. Please make a gift to help sustain and expand our successful aging programs.