To many health economists, the growing aging population is the greatest public health challenge facing America. The current fragmented and costly healthcare system is simply incapable of dealing with the complex medical and socioeconomic needs of this population, especially in an equitable way.

Our guest on this episode, Linda Fried, MD, MPH, has dedicated her life to rethinking how we can create better health futures for older adults. Her pioneering research has expanded our notions of aging and longevity in the 21st century. Dr. Fried, a geriatrician and epidemiologist, is Dean of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Senior Vice President of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and former Founding Director of the Center on Aging and Health at Johns Hopkins University. 

Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Fried shares how her early experiences as a caseworker drove her to study medicine, surprising lessons from the martial arts aikido, what frailty means in the context of caring for older adults, why America is one of the most age segregated societies in the world, the flaws of over medicalizing health issues, redefining the roles of older adults in society, the importance of meaning and community in sustaining happiness in life, and more.

In this episode, you’ll hear about: 

2:30 - What Dr. Fried’s early experiences in social work taught her about justice, social inequity, and taking care of another person

11:47 - How an awareness of the social determinants of health shaped Dr. Fried as a clinician 

16:46 - Why physicians need to stop “medicalizing” all aspects of a patient’s life

25:00 - How Dr. Fried came to be interested in geriatrics 

28:19 - Dr. Fried’s dedication to extending “healthspan” as well as “lifespan” in our society 

31:08 - The clinical definition of “frailty”

34:15 - The value that an older population could bring to our society

38:49 - The United States’ unique culture of age segregation and how it contributes to poor health outcomes for the elderly

45:38 - What the healthcare system and society at large can do to better serve elderly populations 

50:55 - Dr. Fried’s advice for keeping true to your purpose as a medical professional 

Dr. Linda Fried can be found on LinkedIn.

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