West Health Champions at Mass General Brigham: Preparing Clinicians to Lead the Future of Older Adult Care
Preparing for the future of healthcare means anticipating the evolving needs of an aging population and transforming how we deliver care to older adults. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2030, 1 in 5 Americans will be 65 or older, creating a pressing demand for care that is tailored to the unique, complex needs of seniors. Meeting this challenge requires not just new models of care, but also bold investments in people prepared to lead the way. That is why Mass General Brigham (MGB) has partnered with the West Health Institute, an applied medical research organization focused on healthcare and aging, to develop the West Health Accelerator at MGB. A key component of this $16.4 million, multi-year initiative is the West Health Champions program — a forward-looking effort to equip clinicians with the skills, vision, and leadership to pioneer better care for older adults, providing an innovative model of care that can be scaled nationally.
Training on-the-ground leaders
The West Health Champions program will train clinicians in geriatric care, quality improvement and change management, building a network of on-the-ground leaders empowered to implement age-appropriate protocols and best practices across the MGB system.
The first cohort of West Health Champions includes over 50 clinicians from various roles across five of MGB’s hospitals. The group recently gathered at Assembly Row to meet and take part in a kick-off retreat for the year-long program. The excitement was palpable, reflecting the deep commitment these clinicians bring to improving care for older adults in the hospital setting.
“We are thrilled to welcome our West Health Champions,” said Rachelle Bernacki, MD, MS, co-leader of the West Health Accelerator with Zara Cooper, MD, MSc. “I’m a geriatrician and a palliative care clinician and have always felt that there are not enough of us and that we need more — more geriatric advocates and more geriatric education.”
“The goal of this project is not only to provide champions with training and tools but also to connect them with West Health Accelerator leaders and each other to develop a more integrated, holistic view of our system,” Bernacki said. “I’m a big fan of grassroots efforts and bottom-up change, and this group can lead that critical work.”
Champions represent a diverse field of clinicians
The inaugural cohort of West Health Champions includes clinicians from a wide range of roles, from nurses, physicians, and physician assistants to certified registered nurse anesthetists, pharmacists, and physical and occupational therapists. They represent five of the hospitals within the MGB system: Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Salem Hospital and Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
“I’m passionate about working with older adults because they’re a vulnerable population in the community and hospital setting,” said Serena McConkey, RN, a West Health Champion from BWH. “They can struggle with functional, medical, neurological, social, or economic circumstances that restrict them from living a fulfilling life. Helping them achieve their healthiest outcomes and feel supported by the healthcare system is what makes my job so enjoyable.”
The opportunity to become a West Health Champion was one that Samantha Patterson, MD, a geriatrician at Salem Hospital, couldn’t pass up. “I have a deep respect for the journey of life that an older adult has been on and the wisdom that accompanies it,” she said. “As our population ages, it’s crucial for all members of the care team to understand the intricate complexities of caring for older adults as a measure not only of our health system but also of our society at large.”
Sarah Rastegar, PA-C, a West Health Champion from Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital was also excited to start the work. “I’m excited about the program’s goals of growing leaders who take an active role in affecting positive change for older adults,” she said. “I’m looking forward to expanding my skills in the area of quality improvement and making a difference for our patients.”
Champions to lead quality improvement projects
The program will consist of monthly workshops and coaching calls with champions. Each champion will also lead a site-specific quality improvement project that aligns with the goals of the West Health Accelerator and MGB’s For Every Patient quality strategy.
“We’ll be teaching the principles of quality improvement to help champions identify a problem that needs to be addressed,” said Andrea W. Schwartz, MD, MPH, AGSF, education strategy lead for the West Health Accelerator. “We’ll help them assess where their team is starting from and what’s been tried before, so they can understand how to move toward our improvement goals. The ideal projects will be tests of change that, if successful at our local sites, could be scaled across MGB.”
Next summer, the West Health Champions program will expand to include clinicians from Massachusetts General Hospital, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, Nantucket Cottage Hospital and Wentworth-Douglass — extending its reach across the MGB system. With each new cohort, clinicians are better equipped to lead lasting change and build a more inclusive and future-ready system of care for older adults.