Lewis A Lipsitz, MD
Non Paid Employee
Geriatric Medicine
Medicine
Contact Information
| Office: | YA-0404 |
| Phone: | 617-632-8696 |
| Fax: | 617-632-8673 |
| Email: | llipsitz@bidmc.harvard.edu |
| Address: | 330 Brookline Ave; YA-0404
Boston, MA 02215 |
Advanced Degree And Training
| Year | Institution | Area or Rank |
| 1977 | University of Pennsylvania | Medicine |
| 1977 | Beth Israel Hospital/HMS | Resident |
| 1980 | Beth Israel Hospital/HMS | Fellow in Geriatric Medic |
| 1983 | Beth Israel Hospital/HMS faculty | Professor of Medicine |
| 2000 | Beth Israel Deaconess | Chief of Gerontology Divi |
Major Research Theme
| Dr. Lipsitz’s research focuses on abnormal blood pressure regulation and its relationship to the development of falls and syncope in the elderly. His initial prospective clinical investigations led to the recognition that nearly one third of syncopal episodes in frail elderly patients are related to hypotensive responses to common daily stresses such as posture change, meals, and preload reducing medications. He was the first to identify postprandial hypotension in the elderly, demonstrate its relationship to syncope, and probe its mechanisms and management. His current work examines the relation between hypertension or other cardiovascular risk factors, cerebral hypoperfusion, microvasculature disease, and associated frontal subcortical symptoms such as executive dysfunction, slow gait, depression, and falls. Applying the principles of nonlinear dynamics to his work, he is also investigating alterations in heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory, and balance dynamics that are associated with syncope, falls, and frailty. These studies not only provide new insights into potential neural mechanisms of falls and syncope in the elderly, but also new diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies to help identify and treat elderly individuals at risk. |
Publications
External Recognition
| 1987-2009, Principal Investigator, NIA-funded Research Nursing Home Program Project Grant 2006-2010, NIA Merit Award, Nonlinear Dynamics of Frailty in Old Age, 2006-2010. 2006 Mentor of the Year, Association of Jewish Aging Services 2007 Award for Excellence in Mentoring, Harvard Medical School Geriatric Medicine Fellowship 2007-2009 Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs/Hartford Foundation Senior Leadership Scholar |
Major Collaborative Activities
| 1) Principal Investigator of the Hartford Foundation-funded Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine, which focuses on the preparation of fellows and junior faculty for academic careers in the field of aging. 2) Principal Investigator of the Reynolds Foundation-funded Advancement of Geriatric Education (AGE) at Harvard Medical School, which provides innovative training programs in geriatrics for medical students, residents in internal medicine, surgery, and emergency medicine, and practicing physicians. 3) Principal Investigator of an NIA-funded T32 training program in Translational Research in Aging, to provide the necessary skills for pre- and postdoctoral trainees to develop successful research careers focused on the translation of basic research findings into interventions to improve the quality of life and well-being of elderly people. 4) Core Leader of the MGH Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Education and Information Transfer Core, to disseminate information regarding Alzheimer's Disease to the lay and professional communities, and to train new investigators in the field. |
Investigator's Lab Web Site
| Research Lab URL | Lipsitz Research Lab |
| Harvard Catalyst Site: | Lipsitz Harvard Catalyst Web Site |
