Center for Healthcare Innovation, Implementation, and Policy
CSHIIP Leadership | Debra Saliba, MD, MPH, AGSF
Debra Saliba, MD, MPH, AGSF
Associate Director for Education, VA HSR Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Professor of Medicine, UCLA
Director, UCLA Borun Center for Gerontological Research
Core Investigator
Email: Debra.Saliba@va.gov
Dr. Debra Saliba is Director for Education for the Los Angeles VA Health Systems Research Center of Innovation, a physician scientist with the VA Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), and a Professor of Medicine and the Anna & Harry Borun Endowed Chair in Geriatrics at UCLA. She is also a senior natural scientist at RAND. An internationally recognized expert in geriatric assessment and quality, Dr. Saliba has conducted research that created tools and knowledge to improve quality of care and quality of life for vulnerable older adults and for persons with long-term care needs across the care continuum. Her research has been funded by NIH, VA HSR, CMS, ASPE, AHRQ, California DHHS and several foundations. A major research theme, including VES-13 survey development and revision of the Minimum Data Set (MDS 3.0) for nursing homes, has been giving voice to older adults and persons living with disabilities in assessing their health and healthcare. She served on NASEM’s Nursing Home Quality Committee, and her current research includes elucidating determinants of high quality care for persons with dementia, evaluating staffing and payment models in post-acute care and establishing a national consortium of interdisciplinary aging researchers to support collaborative clinical trials in nursing homes. Dr. Saliba co-chairs the VA National Geriatrics Council for the Federal Electronic Health Record transition, is a past president and past Board Chair for the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and received the 2023 AGS Henderson Award for Lifetime Contributions to Aging Research, Education and Policy. In addition to serving as Executive Editor for Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, she serves on the editorial boards for The Gerontologist and JAMDA.
Selected Publications:
Elliott MN, Beckett MK, W Cohea C, et al. Inpatient Care Experiences Differ for VA and Non-VA Hospitals, With Different Patterns by Health, Race, and Ethnicity. Med Care Res Rev. 2025;82(2):195-200. doi:10.1177/10775587241300645
Leland NE, Brown C, Shore AD, Cary MP Jr,, Reed K, Saliba D. Efforts to Support the Mental Health and Well-being of Nursing Home Staff: Insights From Leaders. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2024;25(8):105051. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2024.105051
Mukamel DB, Saliba D, Ladd H, Konetzka RT. Incorporating staffing instability in the nursing home Five-Star Staffing Composite. Health Aff Sch. 2024;2(12):qxae159. Published 2024 Dec 16. doi:10.1093/haschl/qxae159
NCBI MyBibliography: Debra Saliba, MD, MPH, AGSF*
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