Heather E. Whitson DCGS Profile

Heather Whitson

What is your specific area of interest in Geriatric Surgery?

Developing feasible tests or biomarkers that predict outcomes after surgery (especially cognitive outcomes)

What is an example of your best work in geriatric research?

Development of the conceptual framework of “resilience” to health stressors

In your opinion, what is an important health services research question that needs to be answered in the field of Geriatric Surgery?

Which elements of age-friendly inpatient systems are most critical for reducing adverse outcomes after surgery in older patients?

What are your most relevant geriatric surgery publications?

  • Cohen RR, Lagoo-Deenadayalan SA, Heflin MT, Sloane R, Eisen I, Thacker JM,  Whitson HE. Exploring predictors of complication among older surgical patients: a deficit accumulation index and the Braden scale. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2012 Sep;60(9):1609-15.
  • Whitson HE, Duan-Porter WD, Schmader KE, Morey MC, Cohen HJ, Colón-Emeric CS. Physical resilience in older adults: Systematic review and development of an emerging construct. Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences. [Editor’s Choice] 2016 Apr;71(4):489-95.
  • McDonald SR, Heflin MT, Whitson HE, Dalton TO, Lidsky ME, Liu P, Poer CM, Sloane RP, Thacker JK, White HK, Yanamadala M, Lagoo-Deenadayalan SA.  Association of Integrated Care Coordination with Postsurgical Outcomes in High Risk Older Adults: The Perioperative Optimization of Senior Health (POSH) Initiative. JAMA Surgery.  2018 May 1;153(5):454-462.
  • Berger M, Oyeyemi D, Olurinde MO, Whitson HE, Weinhold KJ, Woldorff MG, Lipsitz LA, Moretti E, Giattino CM, Roberts KC, Zhou J, Bunning T, Ferrandino M, Scheri RP, Cooter M, Chan C, Cabeza R, Browndyke JN, Murdoch DM, Devinney MJ, Shaw LM, Cohen HJ, Mathew JP; and the INTUIT Investigators. The INTUIT Study: Investigating Neuroinflammation Underlying Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2019 Apr;67(4):794-798.
  • High KP, Zieman S, Gurwitz J, Hill C, Lai J, Robinson T, Schonberg M, Whitson H. Use of Functional Assessment to Define Therapeutic Goals and Treatment. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2019 Sep;67(9):1782-1790.
  • Zeitlow KE, Oyeyemi D, Cook SE, Hardy M, McDonald SR, Lagoo-Deenadayalan S, Heflin M, Whitson HE. Cognition and Capacity to Consent for Elective Surgery. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Accepted July 2020

What is a fun fact about you?

I love to travel!