Phillips to Join AAHSA as Senior Vice President, Advocacy

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cheryl Phillips, M.D., will join the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) – soon to become LeadingAge – as its new senior vice president for advocacy, AAHSA President & CEO Larry Minnix announced today.

In her new role, she will oversee the organization's public policy development, government relations and advocacy efforts to benefit AAHSA/LeadingAge's not-for-profit members and the people they serve. Phillips will officially start on May 1.

Dr. Phillips currently serves as chief medical officer for On Lok Lifeways, the country's first Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) program. In this role, she provides medical leadership for On Lok's five corporations and is responsible for medical policy and overseeing all medical affairs and clinical functions for both employed and contracted medical providers. Previously, she served as the chief medical officer for Sutter Select and Medical Director, Chronic Disease Management, for the Sutter Health System. Sutter Health System is a network of doctors, hospitals and other health providers who serve more than 100 communities in Northern California.

"As AAHSA becomes LeadingAge, we recognize that we need leadership to help our members understand the transdisciplinary perspective of serving the needs of the senior population and helping our members develop broader community-wide approaches for long-term services and supports. Cheryl Phillips is the perfect leader to join us on this journey of expanding the world of possibilities for aging," Minnix said. "She is ideally talented, experienced and motivated to help us advance that mission."

Dr. Phillips is currently the chair of the board of directors and immediate past –president of the American Geriatrics Society. She is also past president of the American Medical Directors Association, the physician organization for long-term care. She has served on the California Commission on Aging, as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging, and a Primary Care Public Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Phillips' post-graduate training includes a family practice residency and geriatrics fellowship at the University of California, Davis Medical Center. She was awarded her doctorate from Loma Linda School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California, and her bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Dr. Phillips' certifications include American Board of Family Practice, Certificate of Added Qualifications in Geriatrics and Diplomat and National Board of Medical Examiners.

"Throughout my career in geriatrics and aging services, AAHSA has been to me a beacon of leadership, a leading voice of advocacy and a source of education, tools and resources," Phillips said. "To join this remarkable organization is humbling. With the amazing network of not-for-profit organizations offering the range of aging services and the leaders and staff of AAHSA as it becomes LeadingAge, we are well on our way to changing the story of aging in America."

"Dr. Phillips has been a very strong contributor to our senior team at On Lok, and we will surely miss her," said Robert Edmondson, CEO of On Lok, which was the originator of the PACE model of care for frail seniors. "However, her new role will certainly benefit PACE nationally, and she will continue her mission as a champion for all seniors who will benefit from her visionary leadership."

About AAHSA (Becoming LeadingAge)

The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (www.aahsa.org) is an association of 5,500 not-for-profit organizations dedicated to expanding the world of possibilities for aging. We advance policies, promote practices and conduct research that supports, enables and empowers people to live fully as they age. Follow us on Twitter @AAHSA.

SOURCE American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging