Dr. Amy S. Kelley joined NIA as its new deputy director on September 11, 2022.
“Dr. Kelley is a visionary scientist, educator, and leader,” said NIA Director Dr. Richard J. Hodes. “She has dedicated her career to improving the lives of older people and those living with serious illness. Her contributions to the fields of geriatrics and palliative care make her extraordinarily qualified to help guide the future of NIA.”
In her new role, Kelley will work closely with Hodes, providing strategic leadership, supervising daily operations, and serving as an ambassador and spokesperson for the institute. Additionally, she will oversee NIA’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives.
"I am thrilled to be joining NIA at this critical time,” said Kelley. “The breadth of research supported by the Institute and the speed of scientific discovery offer unprecedented opportunities to advance NIA’s core mission. I am committed to supporting this work and integrating DEIA in all aspects to ensure the advances achieved will benefit all older adults."
Kelley joins NIH from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she was a professor and vice chair for health policy and faculty development, Hermann Merkin Professor in Palliative Care in the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and senior associate dean for gender equity in research affairs.
Her meritorious research — which bridged geriatrics and palliative medicine by focusing on the needs of seriously ill older adults and their families — was supported by NIA through multiple grants, including a Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award in Aging. Her research has examined factors associated with treatment intensity in people with dementia and other serious illnesses. She has also been closely involved with the NIA IMPACT Collaboratory, a national resource to improve the care and health outcomes of people living with dementia and their care partners in partnership with various health care systems.
Kelley earned her M.D. from Weill Medical College of Cornell University and a Master of Science in Health Services from the UCLA School of Public Health.
She has been recognized broadly for her exemplary work, including by the American Geriatrics Society with the 2022 Thomas and Catherine Yoshikawa Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation. She is also a two-time Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai “Palliative Care Clinician of the Year” honoree.
Kelley succeeds Dr. Marie A. Bernard, who assumed the role of NIH’s new chief officer for scientific workforce diversity in June 2021. Since then, Dr. Melinda Kelley has served as NIA’s acting deputy director. (Drs. Amy Kelley and Melinda Kelley are not related.)
“I want to recognize and thank Marie Bernard for her outstanding and many contributions to the institute, scientific community, and broader public during her tenure; and Melinda Kelley for her exceptional leadership as NIA acting deputy director over the past year,” added Hodes. “I am grateful for what we have achieved so far and am looking forward to working closely with Amy Kelley to continue our efforts to fulfill NIA’s mission in the years to come.”