Ariel Green, MD, PhD, MPH is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her research focuses on improving communication between older adults, care partners and health care professionals about unnecessary and potentially harmful interventions, including medication use. As a member of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Clinical Practice Committee, Dr. Green co-wrote the Society’s recommendations for Choosing Wisely, a national initiative that promotes patient-physician conversations about unnecessary medical tests and procedures. Dr. Green received the AGS Choosing Wisely Champion Award for leading efforts to reduce overuse in medicine. Her research, supported by the NIA, is evaluating the impact on patient and care partner outcomes of pragmatic interventions to optimize prescribing for older adults with dementia in primary care. A former award-winning health journalist, Dr. Green has published personal essays and op-eds in Annals of Internal Medicine, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, among other publications.

LuPita Gutierrez-Parker has been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Now retired due to her diagnosis, Lupita served as a regional admissions advisor for Eastern Washington University for 9.5 years, following a 32-year career in social services. LuPita started to notice changes in her memory when she became more forgetful of names, dates, and basic information. Her job required frequent computer work, and she found herself experiencing increasing difficulty navigating new software, recalling standard imputing procedures, and comprehending written materials. “I am having memory problems and I don’t know why,” LuPita told her doctor. “Nothing is making sense to me.” LuPita’s physician performed cognitive testing before referring her to a neurologist. Following a neuropsychological evaluation and brain scans she was diagnosed with MCI. She confesses the immediate aftermath “was a blur.” Lupita believes the work of the Lived Experience Panel is important and providing feedback especially from representatives of diverse communities is much needed. She states, “No one person or family should go through this dreaded disease without information and support.”