Elevating Elder Care: Surgical Principles, Practice, and Collaboration

Elevating Elder Care: Perioperative Interprofessional Care of the Geriatric Surgery Patient is a multidisciplinary symposium designed to foster collaboration in the care of medically complex older surgical patients. This program brings together clinicians, researchers, and care-team professionals from a broad range of specialties to promote shared learning and dissemination of the core principles of the Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) Program. This CME-accredited symposium focuses on embedding geriatrics-informed best practices throughout the perioperative continuum. Through a blend of high-yield didactic presentations—each featuring expert discussants—and interactive small-group sessions, participants will explore essential topics including functional assessment and optimization, nutritional considerations, cognitive evaluation and postoperative delirium prevention, goals-of-care communication, and the influence of social determinants of health on surgical outcomes.

Attendees will gain practical strategies for improving the care of complex older adults, strengthening cross-disciplinary collaboration, and operationalizing GSV-aligned approaches in their own clinical environments. The symposium aims to equip participants with the knowledge and tools necessary to advance age-friendly surgical care across institutions, specialties, and systems.

Sandhya A. Lagoo-Deenadayalan, MD, PhD, is Professor of Surgery at Duke University School of Medicine and Director of the Duke Center for Geriatric Surgery. She also serves as Associate Chief of Staff, Surgical Services at the Durham VA HCS. She is a nationally recognized leader in geriatric surgery, perioperative optimization, and age-friendly surgical care. Dr. Lagoo-Deenadayalan has dedicated her career to improving outcomes for older adults through innovative, multidisciplinary models of care. She was instrumental in the development and dissemination of the Perioperative Optimization of Senior Health (POSH) program, one of the nation's pioneering geriatric surgery initiatives that integrates surgery, geriatrics, anesthesia, nursing, rehabilitation, pharmacy, nutrition, and social support services to enhance surgical outcomes for older adults. Her research focuses on frailty assessment, perioperative care, implementation science, surgical outcomes, and technology-enabled interventions designed to improve recovery and quality of life for older patients. She has also played a leadership role in advancing the American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) Program and age-friendly health system initiatives at both Duke and the Durham VA. A committed educator, mentor, and healthcare leader, Dr. Lagoo-Deenadayalan is passionate about advancing evidence-based, patient-centered care for older adults and developing the next generation of surgeons and healthcare professionals. Through her clinical, research, and administrative leadership, she continues to help shape the evolving field of geriatric surgery and improve surgical care for aging populations nationwide.

Learning Objectives

After attending this program, participants should be able to:

1. Describe key geriatrics principles—function, cognition, nutrition, and frailty—to perioperative assessment and management of older adults.

2. Understand Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) standards to be able to incorporate them into clinical workflows to enhance safety and quality of surgical care for medically complex older patients.

3. Outline effective goals of care and shared decision-making conversations to align surgical plans with patient values and expected outcomes.

4. Describe interdisciplinary care strategies that address medical complexity, social determinants of health, and postoperative risks such as delirium and functional decline.

Duke University Health System Department of Clinical Education and Professional Development designates this live activity for a maximum of 9 credits for AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s), ANCC, Attendance, and JA Credit-AH. Attendees should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

The designation was based upon the quality of the educational activity and its compliance with the standards and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

Learners and early career faculty are invited to participate in a virtual poster session during Elevating Elder Care: Perioperative Interprofessional Care of the Geriatric Surgery Patient, to be held on February 26, 2027. Research and quality improvement projects submitted must be relevant to the interprofessional care of geriatric patients.

To participate in the virtual poster session, follow these steps:

1. Submit an abstract by December 11, 2026. Submit your abstract here. In the abstract submission confirmation, you will receive a coupon code for $50 off the regular admission fee.

2. Register for the conference using the coupon received in the abstract submission confirmation. (This offer is limited and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. ) You may register here.

3. Posters are due by February 5, 2027. Late submissions cannot be accepted. Submit your poster here.