Marianne Fahs Named Research Director of Hunter College's Brookdale Center on Aging

Date: January 25, 2005
Contact: Meredith Halpern (meredith.halpern@hunter.cuny.edu)
Phone: (212) 772-4068

Dennis L. Kodner, The Rose Dobrof Executive Director of Brookdale Center on Aging of Hunter College today announced that Dr. Marianne (Mimi) C. Fahs, a nationally recognized health economist who has conducted prominent research on Medicare and other health policy areas, has been named the Center's Director of Research. She also has been appointed professor of urban public health in the Schools of Health Professions at Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY).

"We are delighted that Dr. Fahs has joined Brookdale. She is a leading scholar and the creator of important research on policy related to the elderly and other vulnerable populations. We look forward to her leadership in establishing a broad-ranging research program focused on urban aging and its challenges, especially as they affect the lives of older New Yorkers," said Kodner.

Dr. Fahs was the founding Director of the Health Policy Research Center and Associate Professor in Health Services Management & Policy Program at the Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy of the New School University, where she raised over $7 million in external research funding. In addition, she served 13 years as Director of the Division of Health Economics, Department of Community Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, holding joint appointments in the Department of Geriatrics and the International Leadership Center on Longevity and Society. Prior to coming to New York City, Dr. Fahs directed research for a Congressionally-mandated study of quality of care under the aegis of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Dr. Fahs, who has served on numerous advisory committees, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, is the recipient of the Outstanding Service Award given by the Medical Care Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA), and lists over 100 publications in the health services literature. She received her MPH from the School of Public Health, and her PhD from the Rackham School of Graduate Studies, both of the University of Michigan.

"The strong tradition of the Brookdale Center on Aging and Hunter College on aging and the social issues of urban society is one for which I hold great respect," said Fahs. "I look forward to working with the Hunter Brookdale faculty and staff in building a cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research initiative in urban aging, making maximum use of New York City as a natural laboratory to advance policy, practice, and education in this important field," added Fahs.

The Brookdale Center on Aging is one of the nation's first academic gerontology centers, the only one in the New York metropolitan area. The Center is part of Hunter College, considered the "jewel in the crown" of the City University of New York. Brookdale's mission is to enhance the quality of life of the elderly through a multidisciplinary program of education, training, applied research, service innovation, and advocacy. A major focus is on urban aging. New York City, where the Center is located, is home to nearly 1 million people age 65 and over, thus making it America's largest concentration of urban elderly.

About Hunter
With a highly diverse student population of more than 20,000, Hunter is the largest college in the City University of New York (CUNY) system and the first choice among all CUNY applicants. Founded in 1870, the College offers more than 170 undergraduate and graduate programs. Hunter is noted for its professional schools in education, health sciences, nursing and social work, as well as its excellence in the liberal arts. Heralded as the "Crown Jewel of CUNY" by The Princeton Review, Hunter College has a distinguished reputation for nurturing talented minority scientists and meeting the challenge of providing high-quality science education in the 21st century. The College also oversees the Hunter College Campus Schools serving gifted and talented students, preschool through grade 12. For more information about Hunter College, please visit our Web site at http://www.hunter.cuny.edu.

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