Professor of Medicine (Primary Care and Population Health)

Deborah Kado

Bio

Dr. Kado is a board-certified, fellowship-trained doctor specializing in geriatrics. She serves as co-director of the Stanford Longevity Center. She is a professor of medicine and chief of research for the Geriatrics Section in the Department of Medicine, Division of Primary Care and Population Health. She is also the Director of the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC) at VA Palo Alto Health Care System.For each patient, Dr. Kado prepares a personalized care plan. Her objective is to help all individuals maintain the best possible health and quality of life as they age.A special interest of Dr. Kado is bone health. She has conducted extensive research focused on osteoporosis and the related disorder hyperkyphosis.Since joining the UCLA faculty in 2000, she has received continuous funding for her research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).She has over 100 peer-reviewed publications of her research findings in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, Osteoporosis International, Journal of Gerontology and Medical Sciences, Journal of Geriatric Oncology, Nature Communications, and other peer-reviewed journals.In 2007, she defined hyperkyphosis as a new geriatric syndrome. Her discoveries in this field were first featured in the American College or Physician’s premier internal medicine journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Later, they also appeared in a dedicated chapter in UpToDate, the electronic resource providing evidence-based clinical decision support for doctors worldwide.Prior to coming to Stanford, Dr. Kado practiced at UC San Diego where she started a dedicated osteoporosis clinic for patient care and research. She later broadened her research interests beyond musculoskeletal aging to study other aging-related topics such as the gut microbiome in older men and the effects of cancer treatments on aging in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.Dr. Kado is a California native. She trained at UCSF and UCLA. She also earned a Master of Science degree in epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health, sponsored by the John Hartford Foundation.She is a member of the American Geriatrics Society, American Society of Bone and Mineral Research, Gerontological Society of America, The Endocrine Society, and other professional organizations. She co-chairs the NIH National Institute on Aging Workshop for the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research. She also participates in the Bone Health Working Group of the Society for Women’s Health Research.

Clinical Focus

  • Bone Health Specialist
  • Internal Medicine

Academic Appointments

Administrative Appointments

  • Director of the Geriatric Research Education Clinical Center (GRECC), GRECC, Veterans Health Administration, Palo Alto, CA (2023 - Present)
  • Chief of Geriatrics Research, Stanford University School of Medicine (2021 - Present)
  • Co-Director, Stanford Longevity Center (2021 - 2024)
  • Director, Advanced Training in Geriatrics Fellowship, GRECC, Veterans Health Administration, Palo Alto, CA (2021 - Present)

Honors & Awards

  • Fellow, American Society of Bone and Mineral Research, American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (2020)

Professional Education

  • Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine (2020)
  • Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine (2000)
  • Fellowship: University of California, Los Angeles; UCLA Division of Geriatrics (2000) CA
  • Residency: Harbor UCLA Internal Medicine Residency (1995) CA
  • Medical Education: Weill Cornell Medical College (1991) NY