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BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Heather E. Whitson, MD, MHS is an internist, geriatrician, and clinical investigator. Dr. Whitson is the Director of the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (aka Duke Aging Center). Established in 1955, the Duke Aging Center is the longest standing center in the nation devoted to the multi-disciplinary study of the aging process, spanning social, clinical, and basic sciences. Dr. Whitson’s own research agenda seeks to improve health and resilience for older adults with multiple chronic conditions (MCC).She has particular interest and expertise related to the interface between age-related changes in sensory and cognitive health. She leads the new Duke/UNC Alzheimer’s disease initiative, a major collaborative effort which is re-imagining research and care for dementia across Eastern North Carolina. Additionally, she has contributed substantially to the emerging construct of physical resilience to health stressors. Dr. Whitson currently serves as the Chair of the American Geriatrics Society Research Committee and the Chair of the Advisory Committee to the Center for Vision and Population Health. She is a recipient of the American Geriatrics Society Yoshikawa Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation.
MEDIA APPEARANCES
Harvey Cohen Says Yes
Duke University School of MedicineJune 25, 2019
On June 30, 2019, he shed the last of his administrative roles when he turned over the reins of the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development to Heather Whitson, MD, MHS, associate professor of medicine (Geriatrics) and ophthalmology.
Look after your eyes to protect your brain, new study claims
Deccan ChronicleJuly 06, 2018
“This study provides additional evidence that would suggest that people who can keep their vision healthy as they age might also be protecting their cognitive health,” said Dr. Heather E. Whitson of Duke University School of Medicine and Durham VA Medical Center, who wasn’t involved in the research.
Maintaining healthy vision may help keep brain in shape, too
ReutersJuly 04, 2018
“This study provides additional evidence that would suggest that people who can keep their vision healthy as they age might also be protecting their cognitive health,” said Dr. Heather E. Whitson of Duke University School of Medicine and Durham VA Medical Center, who wasn’t involved in the research.
Clinical Research Day highlights the role of new technologies in building partnerships
Duke University School of MedicineMay 28, 2018
Following Insel’s talk, four Duke researchers shared examples of their own projects that delve into clinical research, with an overriding theme of technology. Gary Bennett, PhD, the Bishop-MacDermott Family Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, discussed his work in developing digital obesity treatments. Heather Whitson, MD, MHS, associate professor of medicine (geriatrics) and ophthalmology and deputy director of the Duke Aging Center, discussed the connection between patients with vision and cognition issues in late life, and the importance of developing treatment that recognizes this connection.
Doctor Shortage: Who Will Take Care of the Elderly?
U.S. News & World ReportApril 21, 2015
“We are not prepared as a nation. We are facing a crisis,” says Dr. Heather Whitson, associate professor of medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina. “Our current health care system is ill equipped to provide the optimal care experience for patients with multiple chronic conditions or with functional limitations and disabilities.”
Articles
Use of the ICD-10 vision codes to study ocular conditions in Medicare beneficiaries with stroke
BMC Health Services Research2020Ocular conditions are common following stroke and frequently occur in combination with pre-existing ophthalmologic disease. The Medicare International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) coding system for identifying vision related health conditions provides a much higher level of detail for coding these complex scenarios than the previous ICD-9 system.
A protocol to reduce self-reported pain scores and adverse events following lumbar punctures in older adults
Journal of Neurology2020Lumbar punctures (LPs) are important for obtaining CSF in neurology studies but are associated with adverse events and feared by many patients. We determined adverse event rates and pain scores in patients prospectively enrolled in two cohort studies who underwent LPs using a standardized protocol and 25 g needle.
Cognitive Impairment among Veterans in Outpatient Vision Rehabilitation
Journal of the American Academy of Optometry2020Outpatient vision rehabilitation improves function in veterans with vision impairment, but the prevalence of cognitive impairment and the degree to which it may affect rehabilitation outcomes in the Veterans Affairs system are unknown.
Biomarkers Associated with Physical Resilience After Hip Fracture
The Journals of Gerontology2020Clinically similar older adults demonstrate variable responses to health stressors, heterogeneity attributable to differences in physical resilience. However, molecular mechanisms underlying physical resilience are unknown. We previously derived a measure of physical resilience after hip fracture—the expected recovery differential (ERD)—that captures the difference between actual recovery and predicted recovery.
Two Approaches to Classifying and Quantifying Physical Resilience in Longitudinal Data
The Journals of Gerontology2020We apply two conceptual approaches to defining physical resilience to existing longitudinal data sets in which outcomes are measured after an acute physical stressor. A “recovery phenotype” approach uses statistical methods to describe how quickly and completely a patient recovers.
MORE INFORMATION
Area of Expertise
Affiliation
“AGING” Initiative on MCC, Member: 2014 to present
Gerontological Society of America, Member: 2008 to present
American Geriatrics Society, Member: 2004 to present
Education
Duke University : Clinical Research Training Program
Cornell University, Weill Medical College :
Stanford University :
Media
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