YSPH alumna Dr. Sharon Inouye pioneering research in delirium and aging

What is your current job?

I am a physician, teacher, and researcher. I am Director of the Aging Brain Center, Marcus Institute for Aging Research Hebrew SeniorLife, the Milton and Shirley F. Levy Family Chair, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and on July 1, I became Editor in Chief of JAMA Internal Medicine.

Describe your work and why you find it rewarding/challenging.

My work encompasses so many areas and varied activities from day to day. The challenges are that I am way too busy, and there is far more to do than I can manage. Yet, the rewards have been immense – I am never bored! I have been able to influence public health and public policy in ways I never imagined. My research studies have changed the way we take care of older adults in the hospital worldwide. I have been able to put the area of delirium research on the map – and it has gone from a nonexistent area to a booming one with hundreds of researchers around the world. Mentoring young investigators has been one of the greatest rewards of my career.

How did YSPH prepare you for your current work?

YSPH gave me the tools I needed to conduct rigorous research studies – from nuts to bolts – including how to run large-scale studies, how to minimize bias, how to analyze data and conduct statistical analyses, and how to disseminate the findings.

Do you have a favorite YSPH experience you can share?

I have two memories that really resonate to this day. The first was my Chronic Disease Epidemiology class with Dr. Doug Thompson. I remember having a difficult time understanding all the nuances of case-control studies – their biases and how to control for confounding. He sat with me one day and he explained things very patiently and thoroughly, and I had a true “light bulb” moment. Another favorite memory was doing my master’s thesis with Dr. Lisa Berkman. I worked so hard on it, but felt out of my territory. Dr. Berkman returned my first draft covered in comments, and I thought I had not done a good job. However, she said to me it was one of the best theses she had seen. A memory I will never forget!

On a side note, being named to the Yale School of Public Health Winslow Centennial Honor Roll for Excellence and Service in 2015 meant so much!

What advice do you have for current/future students?

Work hard, ask questions, probe topics, and let your passion be your guide. When you are choosing your area to work on, choose it based on what matters to you. That is the ONLY barometer that counts. Don’t worry about whether it’s publishable or interesting to others – it only needs to be important to you. You need to be willing to put in the hours of blood, sweat, and (maybe) tears to bring your study to fruition – and the most important thing is that answering the research question matters (very much) to you.

Were there any faculty/staff mentors who influenced your YSPH experience?

Yes. My faculty mentor (MPH thesis advisor), Dr. Lisa Berkman, had an enormous influence on my YSPH experience and my entire career. Through her example and her words, she taught me to LOVE the epidemiology of aging, and in particular, studying social supports and social determinants of health. I continue in explorations related to these areas to this day.