Navigating the Challenges of Aging

Navigating aging

Generous support for this event is being provided by 

Belmont Village Logo

Navigating the Challenges of Aging

Interactive Public Discussion Panel with Experts from Geriatric Medicine, Social Work, Physical Therapy, and Pharmacy

YouTube Recording of the Webinar (11-14-2022)

Handout with Resources

In contrast with many presentations on the negative changes to be expected in aging, the panelists will focus on take-home messages about what we can do to meet the challenges associated with aging. This interdisciplinary panel featured the following experts: Keynote speaker Geriatrician John Newman, MD, PhD,  University of California, San Francisco (UCSF); Clinical Services Director and Family Consultant Christina Irving, LCSW, Family Caregiver Alliance;  Physical Therapist Wendy Katzman, PT, DPTSc, OCS, Professor Emerita, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, UCSF; and Pharmacist Marilyn Stebbins, PharmD, Professor Emerita, School of Pharmacy, UCSF, and Pharmacy Director of Riva Health, a Cardiovascular healthcare startup. The event was moderated by Cary Sweeney, MS, Director, Retirement Center, UCB. 

Keynote Speaker: John Newman, MD, PhD, UC San Francisco & The Buck Institute

John Newman, MD, PhD, UCSF

Dr. Newman is a geriatrician, basic science researcher, and educator at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and in the Division of Geriatrics at UCSF. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Newman hopes to translate what we are learning of the pathways that control fundamental mechanisms of aging into therapies that will improve the health and preserve the independence of older adults.

His research work as an Assistant Professor at the Buck Institute, in sunny Novato, focuses on how ketone bodies, small molecules that our bodies make for energy when we fast or exercise, also act as molecular signals to control inflammation and gene expression. The signaling functions of ketone bodies may be translational targets for protecting cognition and improving resilience in older adults. This is one example how environmental cues like diet and fasting signal through small metabolites in our cells to regulate the genes and pathways that in turn control aging. Dr. Newman is particularly interested in testing if harnessing these signals can protect older adults from the risks of hospitalization like delirium and functional decline.Dr. Newman attends on the inpatient medicine service and the acute care of elders unit at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, with a clinical focus on delirium and functional decline. He teaches students, residents, and fellows about geriatric clinical problems, as well as about the biology of aging and emerging translational science in geriatrics. He works as a part of the national Geroscience Network to develop frameworks and resources for testing interventions that target fundamental mechanisms of aging in clinical trials. He seeks to bridge the community of basic scientists that study aging to geriatricians and other clinicians who study the clinical problems of aging in order to develop innovative translational therapies.Dr. Newman completed an MD/PhD at the University of Washington in Seattle, then residency training in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Geriatrics at UCSF before joining the faculty in 2014. He joined the faculty of the Buck Institute in 2018. Dr. Newman is a 2014 Beeson Scholar from the National Institute on Aging and the American Federation of Aging Research.

Christina Irving, LCSW, Clinical Services Director and Family Consultant, Family Caregiver Alliance

Christina Irving, LCSW, Family Caregiver Alliance

Christina Irving is the Director of Client Services at Family Caregiver Alliance. She oversees the staff of the Bay Area Caregiver Resource Center who provide direct services to family caregivers, including assessment, counseling, education, and support. She has been with FCA for over 16 years, first as a Family Consultant and then as Clinical Supervisor. She received a Master’s degree in Social Work from San Jose State University and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Wendy Katzman, PT, DPTSc, OCS, Professor Emerita, UC San Francisco

Wendy Katzman, Professor Emerita, UCSF

Wendy Katzman is a physical therapist and clinical research Professor Emeritus in the UCSF Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science. After a long career as a physical therapy clinician, Dr. Katzman received a post-professional doctoral degree in Physical Therapy Science, completed the UCSF Advanced Training in Clinical Research program, and received a NIH/UCSF K12 career development award to study age-related hyperkyphosis. Hyperkyphosis, an increased spinal curvature in the upper back, affects approximately 40% of older adults, and has been associated with poor health outcomes, including falls, fractures, physical functional disability, and early mortality. Her research focused on the influence of excessive kyphosis on aging and the development of preventative and rehabilitative strategies for improving kyphosis and musculoskeletal aging. Her research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, including the National Institute of Aging, Office of Research in Women's Health, and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH/UCSF Pepper Center. Dr. Katzman continues to mentor junior faculty and collaborate on ongoing musculoskeletal research.

Marilyn Stebbins, PharmD, Professor Emeritus, Clinical Pharmacy, UC San Francisco

Marilyn Stebbins, UCSF

Marilyn Stebbins, PharmD, is Professor Emeritus, School of Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco. Her clinical work has focused on developing innovative pharmacy practice models in the physician group practice setting, primarily for underserved populations. Her teaching has been in the areas of Medicare Part D, innovative practice models, health policy, managed care and leadership development. Currently she serves as the Pharmacy Director of Riva Health, a Cardiovascular healthcare startup building the next generation of cardiovascular disease management. 

Moderator: Cary Sweeney, Director, UC Berkeley Retirement Center

Cary holds a Master's of Gerontology from Virginia Commonwealth University and has 20+ years of experience in developing and managing programs in geriatrics and gerontology aimed at improving the well-being of older adults. Prior to joining the Retirement Center in 2014, Cary served at UC San Francisco as Project Director of the Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence, and Program Manager of the NorCal Geriatric Education Center, Division of Geriatrics, School of Medicine. 


Planning Committee: 

Professors Philip Cowan, Michael Harris, Kenneth Polse, Steven Segal, & Stephen Shortell

Recordings of Past Public Discussion Panels

Please visit the "Public Discussion Panels" webpage.