Ashwin Kotwal, MD

Education
Fellowship, 2019 - Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
Residency, 2017 - Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital
MD, 2014 - Medicine, University of Chicago
MS, 2013 - Biostatistics, University of Chicago
BA, 2009 - Anthropology, Northwestern University
Honors and Awards
  • Early Career Investigator Award, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 2024
  • Outstanding Junior Investigator of the Year Award, American Geriatrics Society, 2024
  • Deep Explore & Inquiry Curriculum Mentor of the Year Award, UCSF Medical School, 2023
  • Deep Explore & Inquiry Curriculum Mentor of the Year Award, UCSF Medical School, 2022
  • Best Abstract, Epidemiology Section, American Geriatrics Society Annual Meeting, 2020
  • New Investigator Award, American Geriatrics Society Health in Aging Foundation, 2020
  • 2020 Editor's Choice Award, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2020
  • Annals of Internal Medicine Top Reviewer, 2019
  • Catherine Dobson Prize for Best Oral Presentation in Clinical or Social Science, University of Chicago, 2014
  • Department of Medicine Award, University of Chicago, 2014
  • Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Award, American Federation for Aging Research, 2010
  • Oswald Werner Prize for Distinguished Honors Thesis in Anthropology, Northwestern University, 2009
  • Phi Beta Kappa, Northwestern University, 2009
Websites
Publications

  1. Lam K, Cenzer I, Ankuda CK, Levy CR, Smith AK, Covinsky KE, Kotwal AA. Social Participation Among Older Adults Before and After Long-Term Care Facility Entry. 2025. PMID: 40758370


  2. Iveniuk J, Piedra LM, Kotwal A, Wilder J, Hawkley L. How Race, Gender, and Cohort Shape Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Americans. 2025. PMID: 40717038


  3. Kotwal AA, Fuller S, Hough K, Singh N, Tha SH, Myers J, Hill D, Zevin R, Meier DE, Perissinotto CM. Recent Innovations in Peer Programs for Socially Isolated Older Adults: Implications for Public Health Emergency Preparedness. 2025. PMID: 40699191


  4. Zimmerman SC, Chen R, Thoma M, Pacca L, Hebert J, Riley A, Kim MH, Pederson A, Yang Y, Buto P, Brenowitz WD, Glymour MM, Kotwal A, Torres JM. The Association of Alzheimer's Disease Genetic Risk with Social Connectedness in Middle- And Older-Ages. 2025. PMID: 40512627


  5. Kotwal AA, Cudjoe TKM. Loneliness and Social Isolation in the Care of the Older Adult. 2025. PMID: 40653348


  6. Suen AO, Kotwal A. Social Isolation and Mortality in COPD-Reply. 2025. PMID: 40257761


  8. Holt-Lunstad J, Cudjoe TKM, Dumitriu D, Ellison NB, Kotwal AA, Pantell MS, Perissinotto CM, Smith ML. The need for scientific leadership and collaboration to enhance social connection: A call to action. 2025. PMID: 40317757


  9. Stellefson ML, Wang MQ, Boyd IM, Flora SM, Campbell OK, Hoth KF, Witt LJ, Kotwal AA, Suen AO, Buhr RG, Iyer AS. Subjective Cognitive Decline in COPD - A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. 2025. PMID: 40064819


  10. Holt-Lunstad J, Proctor AS, Perissinotto C, Cheng A, Cudjoe TKM, Kotwal AA, Morley T. Healthcare providers' perceived importance and barriers to addressing social connection in medical settings. 2025. PMID: 40016928


  11. Suen AO, Iyer AS, Cenzer I, Singer JP, Smith A, Sudore RL, Kotwal A. Social Isolation and Mortality in Adults With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. 2025. PMID: 39495506


  14. Duchowny KA, Smith AK, Cenzer I, Brown C, Noppert G, Yaffe K, Byers AL, Perissinotto C, Kotwal AA. The prevalence of lifetime trauma and association with physical and psychosocial health among adults at the end of life. 2024. PMID: 39353852


  15. Hough KA, Tha SH, Perissinotto CM, Burnes P, Kotwal AA. A proactive phone intervention for older adults to address loneliness identified by a health plan. 2024. PMID: 39315941


  16. Iyer AS, Wells RD, Bechthold AC, Armstrong M, O'Beirne R, Byun JY, Coffee-Dunning J, Odom JN, Buhr RG, Suen AO, Kotwal AA, Witt LJ, Brown CJ, Dransfield MT, Bakitas MA. Identifying priority challenges of older adults with COPD: A multiphase intervention refinement study. 2024. PMID: 39215557


  17. Suen AO, Bischoff K, Iyer AS, Radhakrishnan K, Fenton C, Singer JP, Sudore RL, Kotwal A, Farrand E. Differences in Health Care and Palliative Care Use at the End of Life: A Comparison Study Among Lung Cancer, COPD, and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. 2024. PMID: 39186972


  18. Kotwal AA, Cenzer I, Hunt LJ, Ankuda C, Torres JM, Smith AK, Aldridge M, Harrison KL. Psychosocial distress among spouses of persons with dementia before and after their partner's death. 2024. PMID: 38822746


  19. Li L, Kang J, Nguyen B, Ho M, Li AT, Shih JJ, Kotwal A, Yeh J, Karliner L, Jeung R, Smith A. "Hate has chipped away at my sense of security": A survey study of the impacts of anti-Asian hate on the health of older Asians. 2024. PMID: 38801317


  21. Kotwal AA, Allison TA, Halim M, Garrett SB, Perissinotto CM, Ritchie CS, Smith AK, Harrison KL. "Relationships, Very Quickly, Turn to Nothing": Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Adaptation to Changing Social Lives Among Persons Living With Dementia and Care Partners. 2024. PMID: 38499400


  24. Cenzer I, Boscardin J, Kotwal AA, Miller MJ. Comparison of health and retirement study participants with and without linkage to Medicare claims. 2024. PMID: 38206864


  25. Torres JM, Flores Romero KR, Kotwal AA, Chen R, Hill-Jarrett T, Mitchell UA, Glymour MM. Spouses of individuals living with mild cognitive impairment or dementia in the United States: A descriptive, population-based study. 2023. PMID: 38041823


  27. Tang VL, Cenzer I, Keny C, John Boscardin W, Covinsky K, Finlayson E, Kotwal A. Social Strain is associated with Functional Decline in Older Adults after Surgery. 2023. PMID: 37946019


  28. Hough K, Kotwal AA, Boyd C, Tha SH, Perissinotto C. What Are "Social Prescriptions" and How Should They Be Integrated Into Care Plans? 2023. PMID: 38085581


  29. Calton BA, Nouri S, Davila C, Kotwal A, Zapata C, Bischoff KE. Strategies to Make Telemedicine a Friend, Not a Foe, in the Provision of Accessible and Equitable Cancer Care. 2023. PMID: 37958296


  30. Pomeroy ML, Cudjoe TKM, Cuellar AE, Ihara ES, Ornstein KA, Bollens-Lund E, Kotwal AA, Gimm GW. Association of Social Isolation With Hospitalization and Nursing Home Entry Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults. 2023. PMID: 37486647


  32. Hsu KY, Cenzer I, Harrison KL, Ritchie CS, Waite L, Kotwal A. In sickness and in health: Loneliness, depression, and the role of marital quality among spouses of persons with dementia. 2023. PMID: 37539784


  34. Ritchie CS, Kotwal AA. Loneliness and Social Isolation in Palliative Care: A Call to Action. 2023. PMID: 37579234


  35. Portacolone E, Nguyen TT, Bowers BJ, Johnson JK, Kotwal AA, Stone RI, Keiser S, Tran T, Rivera E, Martinez P, Yang Y, Torres JM, Covinsky KE. Perceptions of the Role of Living Alone in Providing Services to Patients With Cognitive Impairment. 2023. PMID: 37594759


  36. Mindo-Panusis D, Sudore RL, Cenzer I, Smith AK, Kotwal AA. Disparities in advance care planning among older US immigrants. 2023. PMID: 37431769


  37. Kuang K, Huisingh-Scheetz M, Miller MJ, Waite L, Kotwal AA. The association of gait speed and self-reported difficulty walking with social isolation: A nationally-representative study. 2023. PMID: 37000466


  38. Aronson L, Kotwal A. Understanding Pandemic Experiences Among America's Elders. 2022. PMID: 36469814


  39. Kotwal AA, Cenzer IS, Yaffe K, Perissinotto C, Smith AK. End-of-life health care use among socially isolated and cognitively impaired older adults. 2022. PMID: 36420540


  40. Rudy ET, McNamara KC, Parker A, Kotwal AA, Perissinotto CM. Loneliness Among Older Adults. 2022. PMID: 36190881


  42. Kotwal AA, Batio S, Wolf MS, Covinsky KE, Yoshino Benavente J, Perissinotto CM, O'Conor RM. Persistent loneliness due to COVID-19 over 18?months of the pandemic: a prospective cohort study. 2022. PMID: 36054661


  45. Ankuda CK, Kotwal A, Reckrey J, Harrison KL, Ornstein KA. The Experience of Homebound Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic. 2022. PMID: 35167063


  46. Kotwal AA, Cenzer IS, Waite LJ, Smith AK, Perissinotto CM, Hawkley LC. A single question assessment of loneliness in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A nationally-representative study. 2022. PMID: 35141875


  47. Waite LJ, Hawkley L, Kotwal AA, O'Muircheartaigh C, Schumm LP, Wroblewski K. Analyzing Birth Cohorts With the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. 2021. PMID: 34918157


  48. Waite LJ, Duvoisin R, Kotwal AA. Social Health in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. 2021. PMID: 34918156


  51. Kotwal AA, Fuller SM, Myers JJ, Hill D, Tha SH, Smith AK, Perissinotto C. A Peer Intervention Reduces Loneliness and Improves Social Well-Being in Low-Income Older Adults: A Mixed-Methods Study. 2021. PMID: 34449870


  52. Hawkley LC, Finch LE, Kotwal AA, Waite LJ. Can remote social contact replace in-person contact to protect mental health among older adults? 2021. PMID: 34337740


  53. Kotwal AA, Cenzer IS, Waite LJ, Covinsky KE, Perissinotto CM, Boscardin WJ, Hawkley LC, Dale W, Smith AK. The epidemiology of social isolation and loneliness among older adults during the last years of life. 2021. PMID: 34247388


  54. Yang EZ, Kotwal AA, Lisha NE, Wong JS, Huang AJ. Formal and informal social participation and elder mistreatment in a national sample of older adults. 2021. PMID: 34105769


  55. Aliberti MJR, Kotwal AA, Smith AK, Lee SJ, Banda S, Boscardin WJ. Pre-estimating subsets: A new approach for unavailable predictors in prognostic modeling. 2021. PMID: 34002370


  56. Harrison KL, Kotwal AA, Smith AK. Palliative Care for Patients With Noncancer Illnesses. 2020. PMID: 33048142


  57. Kotwal AA, Holt-Lunstad J, Newmark RL, Cenzer I, Smith AK, Covinsky KE, Escueta DP, Lee JM, Perissinotto CM. Social Isolation and Loneliness Among San Francisco Bay Area Older Adults During the COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place Orders. 2020. PMID: 32965024


  59. Nouri SS, Ritchie C, Volow A, Li B, McSpadden S, Dearman K, Kotwal A, Sudore RL. A Toolkit for Community-Based, Medicaid-Funded Case Managers to Introduce Advance Care Planning to Frail, Older Adults: A Pilot Study. 2020. PMID: 32865472


  63. Kotwal AA, Lee SJ, Dale W, Boscardin WJ, Waite LJ, Smith AK. Integration of an Objective Cognitive Assessment Into a Prognostic Index for 5-Year Mortality Prediction. 2020. PMID: 32356919


  66. Kotwal AA, Abdoler E, Diaz-Ramirez LG, Kelley AS, Ornstein KA, Boscardin WJ, Smith AK. 'Til Death Do Us Part: End-of-Life Experiences of Married Couples in a Nationally Representative Survey. 2018. PMID: 30251423


  67. Dale W, Kotwal AA, Shega JW, Schumm LP, Kern DW, Pinto JM, Pudelek KM, Waite LJ, McClintock MK. Cognitive Function and its Risk Factors Among Older US Adults Living at Home. Volume 32 of Issue 3. 2018. PMID: 29334499


  68. Kotwal AA, Schonberg MA. Cancer Screening in the Elderly: A Review of Breast, Colorectal, Lung, and Prostate Cancer Screening. Volume 23 of Issue 4. 2017. PMID: 28731949


  69. Kotwal AA, Kim J, Waite L, Dale W. Social Function and Cognitive Status: Results from a US Nationally Representative Survey of Older Adults. Volume 31 of Issue 8. 2016. PMID: 27130624


  70. Kotwal AA, Lauderdale DS, Waite LJ, Dale W. Differences between husbands and wives in colonoscopy use: Results from a national sample of married couples. Volume 88. 2016. PMID: 27009632


  71. Sajid S, Dale W, Mustian K, Kotwal A, Heckler C, Porto M, Fung C, Mohile SG. Novel physical activity interventions for older patients with prostate cancer on hormone therapy: A pilot randomized study. 2016. PMID: 26916611


  72. Kotwal AA, Schumm P, Kern DW, McClintock MK, Waite LJ, Shega JW, Huisingh-Scheetz MJ, Dale W. Evaluation of a Brief Survey Instrument for Assessing Subtle Differences in Cognitive Function Among Older Adults. Volume 29 of Issue 4. 2015. PMID: 25390883


  73. Vasilopoulos T, Kotwal A, Huisingh-Scheetz MJ, Waite LJ, McClintock MK, Dale W. Comorbidity and chronic conditions in the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP), Wave 2. 2014. PMID: 25360017


  74. Shega JW, Sunkara PD, Kotwal A, Kern DW, Henning SL, McClintock MK, Schumm P, Waite LJ, Dale W. Measuring cognition: the Chicago Cognitive Function Measure in the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project, Wave 2. 2014. PMID: 25360018


  75. Shega JW, Andrew M, Kotwal A, Lau DT, Herr K, Ersek M, Weiner DK, Chin MH, Dale W. Relationship between persistent pain and 5-year mortality: a population-based prospective cohort study. 2013. PMID: 24320761


  76. Kotwal AA, Schumm P, Mohile SG, Dale W. The influence of stress, depression, and anxiety on PSA screening rates in a nationally representative sample. Volume 50 of Issue 12. 2012. PMID: 22955835


  78. Kotwal AA, Mohile SG, Dale W. Remaining Life Expectancy Measurement and PSA Screening of Older Men. Volume 3 of Issue 3. 2012. PMID: 22773938


  80. Tendulkar RD, Chellman-Jeffers M, Rybicki LA, Rim A, Kotwal A, Macklis R, Obi BB. Preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging in early breast cancer: implications for partial breast irradiation. 2009. PMID: 19224552