New York (April 17, 2025) —The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) will honor Marie A. Bernard, MD, AGSF, former Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity at the National Institutes of Health with the prestigious Nascher/Manning Award, given at the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting (#AGS25 will be held May 8 – 10 in Chicago, IL (pre-conference day: Wednesday, May 7).
The Nascher/Manning Award was named in honor of Ignatz Leo Nascher, MD who was the first clinician to advocate for establishing a specialty focused on the care of older adults. Through the generosity of the Manning family, Dr. Nascher’s namesake award is one of several honors conferred by the AGS at its Annual Scientific Meeting.
Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Bernard has played a pivotal role in advancing research on aging and Alzheimer’s disease, fostering multiple perspectives in the biomedical workforce, and shaping national health initiatives that impact older adults.
“Dr. Bernard’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping the future of geriatrics and ensuring that research and healthcare reflect the populations we serve,” said AGS President Mark A. Supiano, MD, AGSF. “Her work at the National Institutes of Health has driven systemic change, promoting a broad range of perspectives in clinical research and workforce development. She embodies the dedication and impact that the Nascher/Manning Award recognition seeks to honor.”
Dr. Bernard, who retired from federal service in late 2024, leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of leadership, advocacy, and scientific advancement that will continue to shape the field of geriatrics for generations to come. As the Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD) at NIH, Dr. Bernard spearheaded efforts to ensure that numerous viewpoints were represented in biomedical research. Prior to this, she served as Deputy Director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), working closely with the NIA Director to oversee approximately $3.1 billion in research focused on aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Key among her accomplishments as COSWD includes her establishing systematic outreach to institutions that had not received much in NIH funding, including rural institutions, to foster enhanced awareness and communication about NIH opportunities. As NIA Deputy, she co-led the NIH Inclusion Governance Committee, assuring that there was appropriate inclusion of populations representative of the U. S. in clinical trials. Under her leadership, NIH developed the Inclusion Across the Lifespan Policy that mandates that children and older adults be included in clinical trials.
Dr. Bernard has been a tireless advocate working within NIH and beyond. When she was NIA Deputy, she co-chaired two of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ “Healthy People 2020” objectives: “Older Adults” and “Dementias, including Alzheimer’s Disease”.
Before joining NIH in 2008, Dr. Bernard was the Donald W. Reynolds Chair in Geriatric Medicine and founding chairperson of the Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. She also served as Associate Chief of Staff for Geriatrics and Extended Care at the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Her University of Oklahoma efforts led to a $32 million endowment from the State and the Reynolds Foundation for geriatrics and aging research and training.
Dr. Bernard graduated from Bryn Mawr College and University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She did internal medicine residency training at Temple University Hospital where she also served as chief resident. She received additional training from the Geriatric Education Center of Pennsylvania, the AAMC Health Services Research Institute, and the Wharton Executive Development program.
To learn more about our 2025 award recipients, all of whom are champions for better care for us all as we age, visit Meeting.AmericanGeriatrics.org.
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About the American Geriatrics Society
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics healthcare professionals dedicated to improving the health, independence, and quality of life of older people. Our 6,000+ members include geriatricians, geriatrics nurse practitioners, social workers, family practitioners, physician associates, pharmacists, and internists who are pioneers in serious illness care for older individuals, with a focus on championing interprofessional teams, eliciting personal care goals, and treating older people as whole persons. AGS is an anti-discriminatory organization. We believe in a society where we all are supported by and able to contribute to communities where ageism, ableism, classism, homophobia, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and other forms of bias and discrimination no longer impact healthcare access, quality, and outcomes for older adults and their caregivers. AGS advocates for policies and programs that support the health, independence, and quality of life of all of us as we age.
About the Health in Aging Foundation
The Health in Aging Foundation is a national non-profit established in 1999 by the American Geriatrics Society to bring the knowledge and expertise of geriatrics healthcare professionals to the public. We are committed to ensuring that people are empowered to advocate for high-quality care by providing them with trustworthy information and reliable resources. Last year, we reached nearly 1 million people with our resources through HealthinAging.org. We also help nurture current and future geriatrics leaders by supporting opportunities to attend educational events and increase exposure to principles of excellence on caring for older adults. For more information or to support the Foundation's work, visit HealthinAgingFoundation.org.
About the Nascher/Manning Award
Ignatz Leo Nascher, MD, argued that medical care for older adults should be considered a separate specialty, for which he coined the term “geriatrics” in 1909. Through the generosity of the Manning family, the intent of the Nascher/Manning Award is to honor Dr. Nascher’s pioneering work in the field by recognizing an individual with distinguished, life-long achievement in clinical geriatrics.
About the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting
The AGS Annual Scientific Meeting is the premier educational event in geriatrics, providing the latest information on clinical care, research on aging, and innovative models of care delivery. More than 2,600 nurses, pharmacists, physicians, physician assistants, social workers, long-term care and managed care providers, healthcare administrators, and others will convene May 8 – 10 (pre-conference day: Wednesday, May 7) in Chicago, IL to advance geriatrics knowledge and skills through state-of-the-art educational sessions and research presentations. For more information, visit https://meeting.americangeriatrics.org/.