Eric Widera, MD

Notes in the Margin - 9 February 2026 Notes from a Family Meeting is a newsletter where I hope to join the curious conversations that hang about the intersections of health and the human condition.

I wish I could write as well as @jbriscoe.bsky.social. His take on AI and medicine was priceless. Just to quote from it:

"Are we prepared for this? I think we're prepared for it in the same way a turkey is prepared for Thanksgiving..."

familymeetingnotes.substack.com/p/notes-in-t...

Importance of Function for Alzheimer Diagnosis and Management This Viewpoint offers a reminder, amid new laboratory testing for Alzheimer disease, of the primary care practitioner’s important role in functional assessment of activities of daily living.

“…the growing enthusiasm for biomarkers risks obscuring a fundamental truth: biomarkers only reflect disease pathology. They cannot assess cognition or illuminate the functional changes that transform memory concerns into meaningful impairment.” #alz
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Great discussion with Dr. Bob Wachter about his new book on AI and Healthcare, "A Giant Leap."

We discuss using AI for diagnosis, job loss concerns, risks of direct-to-patient chatbots, ethics + more! #medsky

👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp390
😀 Hosts: @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social

Surprise: Routine perioperative #PalliativeCare may NOT improve outcomes for curative-intent cancer surgery. Lead authors of the SCOPE & PERIOP-PC trials join us to discuss these null results. #medsky

👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp389
😀 Hosts: @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social

Is the future of #PalliativeCare moving into the community? 🏡 We dive into #ValueBasedCare, the risks of "Palliative Lite," and how innovation is expanding access for patients with #SeriousIllness. 🩺 #medsky

👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp388
😀 Hosts: @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social l

The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.

Heartbreaking

Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him.

White. Hot. Rage.

Emergency Department Hallways Are Associated With Incident Delirium and Severe Agitation in Older Adults Living With Dementia Prolonged hallway care was found to be associated with an increased risk of delirium and severe agitation in patients living with dementia, but not in our entire cohort of older adults in our multiva...

Prolonged hallway care was found to be associated with an increased risk of delirium and severe agitation in patients living with dementia, but not in our entire cohort of older adults. #geriatrics agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Today we explore Uncertainty in Medicine, and the need to rethink & embrace uncertainty to better manage complexities of medicine & build confidence in the face of the unknown. #medsky

👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp387
😀 Hosts: @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social

Why we need quality improvement (QI) collaboratives, registries, and benchmarking, and the immense potential this has to enhance #PalliativeCare. Guests Steve Pantilat, David Currow, and Arif Kamal. #medsky
 
👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp386
😀 Hosts: @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social

I took up this question in the latest issue of Notes: open.substack.com/pub/familyme...

Improve your patient care in older adults by learning with @acpimphysicians.bsky.social full-day #Geriatrics and #Palliative Medicine course intensive on Wednesday, April 15 in San Francisco! Learn more here - annualmeeting.acponline.org/educational-...

Link to the JAGS article “Rehab and Death: Improving End-of-Life Care for Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Beneficiaries.” #medsky agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Rehab & Death in Skilled Nursing Facilities is a vicious cycle: Sarguni Singh, Christian Furman, & Lynn Flint explain how hope, policy gaps, & payment rules shape these transitions—and why change is needed. #medsky

👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp384
😀 Hosts: @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social

Inflammaging—chronic, low-grade inflammation that rises with age—may be a key driver behind many chronic and acute diseases. We talk with 3 experts: Brian Andonian, Sara LaHue, & Joe Hippensteel. #medsky

👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp383
😀 Hosts: @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social

Widera, Willham, and Harper Help Launch New AGS Curriculum on Alzheimer’s Diagnostics and Treatments | Geriatrics Eric Widera, MD, and Kaitlin Willham, MD, co-authored the module "Evidence Review of FDA-Approved Monoclonal Antibody Treatments," as part of the newly published AGS online curriculum, "Alzheimer's…

Drs. @ewidera.bsky.social, and Kaitlin Willham co-authored a module in the new @amergeriatrics.bsky.social Alzheimer’s curriculum, edited by Dr. Michael Harper. The curriculum covers new diagnostic tools and treatments for Alzheimer’s. geriatrics.ucsf.edu/news/widera-...

A chaplain (Betty Clark) and a doctor (Jessica Zitter) reflect on their new documentary, The Chaplain and the Doctor, and the ways personal stories and biases shape our interactions in healthcare. #medsky
 
👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp382
😀 Hosts: @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social

Hospice & Palliative Care leaders reflect on the past 50 years—and the urgent need to raise standards, ensure access, & lead with love in a profit-driven system. Ira Byock, Kristi Newport, Brynn Bowman. #medsky
 
👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp381
😀 hosts @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social

Sickle cell disease brings lifelong challenges—from severe pain to systemic inequities. Today our guests share how palliative care supports patients through compassion, trust, and whole-person care. 💜 #medsky

👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp380
😀 hosts @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social

Join us! @ewidera.bsky.social & @alexsmithmd.bsky.social are giving UCSF Geriatrics Grand Rounds on Wed., Nov 5, 4-5pm PT.

The topic is "What we've learned from nearly 400 GeriPal podcasts."

Join via zoom or in person.

Via zoom: ucsf.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

See graphic for more info. #medsky

We do use a lot of Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders in the US but when family members want their dying loved ones to be full code (do attempt resuscitation) it creates a lot of moral distress. The slow code is the result of this distress and happens more commonly than I initially thought

Are Slow Codes ever ethical? We dive into the gray area of CPR, shallow compressions, walk don't run, compassion with deceit, outcomes vs values, bioethics vs real world, trust, + more. #medsky

👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp378
😀 hosts @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social

Is faking CPR always wrong? We discuss the defense of the slow code in this weeks podcast. #medsky #bioethics

Drs. @mararosenberg.bsky.social, @kencovinsky.bsky.social, @alexsmithmd.bsky.social and @ashwinkotwalmd.bsky.social publish in @agsjournal.bsky.social: Social activity restrictions are linked to greater caregiver burden. Read more *When Missing Out Matters* doi.org/10.1111/jgs....

GeriPal Live at NPCRC Foley Retreat! We talk with Prasanna Ananth, Dio Kavalieratos, & Alexi Wright about why palliative care clinicians get fired, global care equity, and cancer treatment behind bars. #medsky
 
👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp377
😀 hosts @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social

GeriPal Live! at CAPC: Matt Gonzales on AI & #palliativecare, Kim Curseen on outpatient training gaps, Karen Bullock on equity in #hospice and palliative care. Plus a fun sing-along finale! #medsky #hpm #hapc

👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp376
😀 hosts @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social

I did the Junior Reviewer Program at @agsjournal.bsky.social and learned a lot about the publication process and how to better-review papers. And you gey to hang out with @alexsmithmd.bsky.social! It's a great experience.
#geronsky

Geriatricians Houman Javedan & Vicky Tang discuss Preoperative Assessments for Older Adults, emphasizing CGAs, frailty screening, and the Geriatric Surgery Verification program to optimize outcomes. #medsky

👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp375
😀 hosts @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social

What's a Good Death... ...apart from a good life?

A response to a thought-provoking conversation on @geripal.bsky.social familymeetingnotes.substack.com/p/whats-a-go... #medsky #hapc