Daniel L. Swagerty Jr. named professor and chair of the Department of Geriatrics at Wright State University

Daniel L. Swagerty Jr. will join Wright State as professor and chair of the Department of Geriatrics.

Daniel L. Swagerty Jr., M.D., has been named professor and chair of the Department of Geriatrics at Wright State University, effective April 1, 2017.

Swagerty currently serves as the associate chair for geriatric medicine and palliative care, Department of Family Medicine, and director of clinical geriatrics for the University of Kansas Medical Center. As the associate director for the Landon Center on Aging, he directs a wide range of geriatric medicine and palliative care education programs for medical and interprofessional learners. His clinical practice is devoted entirely in long-term care medicine and palliative care.

He is a past president of AMDA — The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine and founded its International Special Interest Group. In addition, he has served in various leadership roles focused on advancing geriatric medical education through the American Geriatrics Society, including being an active member of its International Special Interest Group.

For the past 25 years, Swagerty has been very active in national and international efforts to develop educational and clinical programs for the care of vulnerable, frail older adults and dying patients, focused on both medical and interprofessional team care. His professional focus in recent years has been on improving the systems of care for institutional and non-institutional long-term care residents, especially in regards to improving their palliative and end-of-life care. He is the author of “A Practical Guide to Palliative Care,” available in both English and Korean.

Currently, Swagerty serves as an international scholar in the Department of Family Medicine at Kyung Hee University School of Medicine in Seoul, Republic of Korea. He and Chang-Won Won, his primary collaborator, are preparing to study the current Korean system of palliative care. Their work will focus on what is desired by patients, their families, health providers and government, with the goal of providing recommendations for establishing improved systems of care to maximize the quality of life and function for vulnerable, frail older adults in Korea.

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Swagerty to the Boonshoft School of Medicine,” said Margaret Dunn, M.D., dean of the Boonshoft School of Medicine. “His work at the national and international level to advance geriatric medical education will make him an invaluable asset as we enhance our curriculum to meet the challenges of today’s complex health care environment. Under his leadership, the Department of Geriatrics is sure to expand on its already substantial support of the tripartite mission of the Boonshoft School of Medicine in primary care education, clinical research and achieving excellence in health care services in southwestern Ohio.”

Swagerty earned his M.D. degree from the University of Kansas, where he also completed his family medicine residency and geriatric medicine fellowship training. He obtained his graduate degree in public health from the University of Kansas. Swagerty is a fellow in both the American Academy of Family Practice and the American Geriatrics Society, as well as a certified long-term care medical director through AMDA — The Society for Post-Acute and Long Term Care Medicine.

The Boonshoft School of Medicine Department of Geriatrics was created in 2006 as a community collaboration that included Premier Health, the Dayton VA Medical Center and the Oscar Boonshoft family. The department works collaboratively with the school’s other departments, affiliated hospitals and many area agencies and organizations to promote comprehensive geriatric care across all settings.