Osawatomie Native Named To Top Doctor List
Kevin Gray
Former Osawatomie resident, Alicia Arbaje, has been chosen one of Baltimore, Maryland’s, ten best doctors by the Baltimore Sun’s Sun Magazine. In the piece by writer, Jill Rosen, titled, “Generation RX: Driven, brilliant and not even 40, these 10 doctors are the future of local medicine,” Dr. Arbaje, a geriatrician at John Hopkins Bayview, was recognized for her work with older patients.
Rosen describes Arbaje’s ability to work with the elderly. “Alicia Arbaje isn’t afraid to talk about death – and to use that word, not the sweeter euphemisms some prefer. People die. Making them and their families comfortable with it is Arbaje’s life work,” Rosen said about Arbaje.
Arbaje, Rosen wrote, cares for patients, but she also is active in research. “Arbaje spends part of her time caring for the patients, but most of it is researching ways to improve the health-care system for the elderly. When she isn’t working, Arbaje, who’s single and lives in Baltimore, goes salsa dancing and is training for the Baltimore marathon,” Rosen wrote.
When Rosen interviewed Arbaje about her work, Arbaje said, “People ask me why is a young person interested in an older person” We live in a youth-oriented society, but older people are really integral to families, and there’s going to be more and more of them.”
Viewers of ABC’s Channel 2 News in Baltimore have come to know Arbaje through her monthly appearances. And, anyone in Osawatomie with computer access can find Arbaje’s segments on YouTube or by simply searching using her name. “My work on TV came about through serendipity, but it is now something I consider critical to my job. There is a shortage of geriatricians in general and of research-trained geriatricians in particular. I am working to fill a niche that has an even greater shortage—research-trained geriatricians able to reach across healthcare settings and outside of academia—through my unique combination of skills in research, teaching, media outreach, and communication,” Arbaje said.
Earlier in the summer, Arbaje’s Channel 2 spot offered tips for staying safe in the heat. Her October and November segment, “Older adults: what to know before you go in for surgery,” offers a preparatory checklist to follow.
Easily found online, Arbaje offers suggestions on the following older adults and surgery questions: “What is the actual surgery you are recommending? Will I go home after surgery or to a rehabilitation facility? Do I need to change the arrangement of my home environment after surgery? Who is going to be in charge of paying bills? Who is going to bring in groceries and make meals?”
Staying locked up in a university research location, said Arbaje, will not help with her mission. “If I stay locked in the ivory tower of the university, I feel I cannot be effective in working to reform the health care system and to improve care for older adults. My goal with the TV work is to raise awareness around the special needs of the older adult population, and to support older adults, their families, and their caregivers to have an improved quality of life,” Arbaje said.
Several other television segments include, “Getting Enough Vitamin D,” “Tips for Older Adults Considering Visits to Retail Medical Clinics,” “Older Adults and Staying Safe,” “Tips for Taking Care of an Elderly Parent,” “Navigating Older Adults’ Care,” and “Health Care Reform Provisions Affecting Older Adults.”
Arbaje graduated from Paola High School in 1991. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas, followed by her doctorate of medicine from the Yale University School of Medicine. A master’s degree of public health was obtained from the Harvard University School of Public Health, and she received an internship and did her residency at the Yale University School of Medicine.
Yale led to John Hopkins University in Baltimore, where she received a clinical scholars fellowship in epidemiology and health services research and, then, a certificate in the Business of Medicine. Before becoming a faculty member at John Hopkins, she did a fellowship in geriatric medicine, there. She continues in her role as an Assistant Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology and is known as a speaker and educator of eldercare issues. She continues to practice inpatient and consultative geriatric and general internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
Arbaje’s mother, Maria Baez-Draiby, MD, is a psychiatrist at the Osawatomie State Hospital. Her father is Seneo M. Arbaje-Ramirez, MD.
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Posted by admin
on Dec 15 2010. Filed under News and Updates.
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