Geri Spotlight: Alex Smith and Vicky Tang
The Geriatrics Spotlight initiative fosters community building within the Division, especially during this age of hybrid/remote work where it can be challenging to find ways to interact with colleagues outside of your immediate teams. This is a way for Division members to learn more about all the wonderful work we’re doing!
This week, we get to know our division faculty, Alex Smith, MD (pictured left) and Vicky Tang, MD (pictured right).
Role: Professor of Medicine
Joined Division: 2008
Work site: SFVAHCS and from home in Mill Valley, CA
Email: [email protected]
Interviewed by Vicky Tang, MD over Zoom
About Alex’s Role/Ongoing Projects
Alex is currently working on developing a grant with Brie Williams (Amend at UCSF) and the California Department of Corrections to build better prognostic models for incarcerated individuals. This will help clinicians working in prisons to determine who qualifies for compassionate release. Alex enjoys working on teams so he is also collaborating with Division Faculty Sei Lee and James Deardorff. He particularly appreciates working on a project where scientific study intersects with the social mission of justice reform. This work supports the Division’s mission through research.
One of Alex’s favorite aspects of his current role is the opportunity to mentor Division Faculty. He also loves directing the T32 Aging Research Fellowship, which supports the learning and development of the next generation of Division Faculty members.
What is a professional goal you would like to accomplish by the end of this year?
Alex aims to continue to live one day at a time!
More about Alex
What are you happiest doing in your free time?
Alex likes to spend his free time training for an Iron Man marathon which is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile marathon, back-to-back.
Role: Associate Professor of Medicine
Joined Division: 2016
Work site: Works remotely from Houston, TX
Email: [email protected]
Interviewed by Alex Smith, MD over Zoom
About Vicky’s Role/Ongoing Projects
Vicky is working on a career development award (Beeson) focused on psychosocial vulnerability among older surgical patients. She is currently working on a study using problem solving therapy for older adult surgical patients with depression and low psychosocial support. Surgery is an interesting time to engage patients and caregivers as the pre-operative setting is an opportune time to catch patients before they have an acute event (surgery). There is an opportunity to optimize a patient's psychosocial wellbeing before surgery in hopes of better outcomes down the road. This project advances and supports the Division’s mission through research and patient care.
One of her favorite aspects of her job is the opportunity to work with the Early Division of Geriatrics Investigators (EDGI) group, where Vicky provides individual and group coaching to early-stage faculty-researchers.
What is a professional goal you would like to accomplish by the end of this year?
Vicky would like to find a great academic clinician-research job in Houston, and draft her first R01 grant.
More about Vicky
What is a “fun fact” about you that not many people know?
When Vicky was in high school, she was a telemarketer for a Merrill Lynch financial advisor– she knows how to sell things!