Geri Spotlight: Siqi Gan and Irena Cenzer
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 members, Siqi Gan and Irena Cenzer.
Title: Statistician
Joined Division: 2015
Work site(s): From home in SF, CA
Email: Si[email protected]
Interviewed by Irena Cenzer over Zoom.
About Siqi Role/Ongoing Projects
Siqi is currently working with Dr. Lauren Hunt on several projects about hospice usage with 100% Medicare data. These projects explore hospice usage and disenrollment patterns, uncover issues in hospice care, and raise important questions about how to provide better support to hospice enrollees.
Hospice early disenrollment significantly impacts end-of-life care for older adults as it interrupts the continuity of care during a critical and vulnerable time. Studying hospice usage and disenrollment patterns, identifying disenrollment reasons, and exploring characteristics associated with disenrollment can provide insights about how to provide better hospice care for older adults.
Siqi’s favorite aspect of her role is getting to work with and learn from her Division colleagues.
What is a professional goal you would like to accomplish by the end of this year?
Siqi’s professional goal for the year is to utilize data more efficiently.
More about Siqi
What are you happiest doing in your free time?
Siqi is happiest making herself pour-over coffee and watching anime.
What else would you like us to know about you?
If Siqi could have a special skill, she would love to have an ‘Anywhere Door.’ Also, Siqi’s most used emojis in her work messages are 😊 🎉
Title: Statistician
Joined Division: 2008
Work site(s): Remote from home
Email: I[email protected]
Interviewed by Siqi Gan over Zoom.
About Irena’s Role/Ongoing Projects
Irena is working with Dr. Ashwin Kotwal on projects that focus on loneliness and social isolation in older adults. She is excited that these projects are an opportunity to explore how social connections impact mental and physical health, and the potential for the research to drive meaningful change in how we support older adults in maintaining their well-being beyond medical interventions.
Researching loneliness and social isolation among older adults can advance our understanding of how addressing social factors can enhance the quality of life in clinical care, strategies to improve access to high-quality health care, and efforts to bridge social and medical care available in our communities and health systems.
Irena's favorite aspect of her role in the division is the incredible people she gets to work with. The people in the division are not only highly skilled and knowledgeable but also incredibly supportive and collaborative. Irena deeply respects them, learns from their expertise, and feels motivated by the positive and encouraging environment they create.
More about Irena
What are you happiest doing in your free time?
Irena likes doing jigsaw puzzles in her free time, and she also enjoys biking with her family.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Irena enjoys listening to True Crime podcasts.
What else would you like us to know about you?
If Irena could swap jobs with anyone in the Division for a day, she would swap jobs with Karen Yuan because Karen gets to know and connect with all Division members, as Division Manager. Irena’s most-used emoji in her work messages is 😊.