Awards

The Humanism in Aging Leadership Award was implemented in 2007 and continued until 2020. This award recognized a prominent geriatrician who exemplified humanism and innovation in their approach to improving the lives of older adults.

2019-2020 Winner

Dr. Louise Aronson, Professor of Geriatrics University of California San Francisco

Louise Aronson M.D., M.F.A. is a professor of Geriatrics at UCSF where her interests include optimizing healthcare for older adults, medical education, reflective learning, integrative geriatrics, and public medical writing. A graduate of Brown University, Harvard Medical School, and the Warren Wilson Program for Writers, Dr. Aronson has served as director of the Northern California Geriatrics Education Center, UCSF's Pathways to Discovery (scholarly concentration) program, and UCSF Medical Humanities.

She has received the Gold Professorship in Humanism in Medicine, the California Homecare Physician of the Year award, the AOA Edward D. Harris Professionalism Award, and the American Geriatrics Society Clinician-Teacher of the Year award, as well as numerous awards for her teaching, educational research, and writing. Her articles, essays, and stories appear regularly in newspapers, literary, and medical journals including the New York Times, Washington Post, New England Journal of Medicine, Health Affairs, and Lancet. She is the author of the book “Elderhood”.

As an educator, she has developed innovative programs for geriatrics training for non-geriatricians, interprofessional education, reflection in medical education, and the use of writing to harness the expertise and unique experiences of clinicians and medical scientists in service of health and health care.

Watch Past Presentations

The Humanism in Aging Action Award was presented to the UNE COM student and/or resident who submitted an action plan in an adjudicated venue that addressed the question: "How will you apply what you learned from the Humanism in Aging Leadership Award Winner’s lecture in your future practice?”