Debra Saliba, MD, MPH, AGSF, holds the UCLA Anna & Harry Borun Endowed Chair in Geriatrics, is a physician scientist at VA GRECC and HSR&D Center of Innovation, and RAND senior natural scientist. Her research aims to improve quality of care for older adults and adults with long-term care needs. One central approach has been directly including older adults in assessments of their health and needs. She developed the VES-13, a function-based survey that identifies at-risk older adults, that has gained widespread acceptance as both a predictor and outcome measure. As PI for the CMS MDS 3.0 Revision project and VA Validation project, she led a national consortium in mixed-methods research to identify and test revised items, including many that relied on residents’ self-report. This research showed significant gains in reliability, validity, staff satisfaction and assessment efficiency. This work is being adapted into other post-acute settings. She serves on the NASEM Committee on Nursing Quality, CMS’s 5-star Technical Expert Panel and National Quality Forum’s committees on Patient Experience and Function and Post-acute /Long-term care. She is past president of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and serves as deputy editor for the Journal of AGS.