Fred Chau-Yang Ko, M.D., M.S., of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in New York, will join the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine and UVM Health as director of the UVM Center on Aging and division chief of geriatric medicine in the Department of Medicine effective March 16, 2026. Dr. Ko will succeed Katharine Cheung, M.D., Ph.D., who has served as interim director of the Center on Aging since September 2023, and Amelia Gennari, M.D., who has served as interim division chief of geriatric medicine since August 2023.
The appointment was announced by Larner Dean and UVM Chief of Medical Affairs Richard L. Page, M.D., and Larner Department of Medicine Chair Anne Dixon, M.A., B.M., B.Ch., who welcomed Ko and pledged their support in his new roles; they also expressed profound gratitude to Drs. Cheung and Gennari for their dedicated service to the Larner College of Medicine and the University of Vermont.
Ko completed his M.D. at George Washington University School of Medicine, residency in internal medicine at George Washington University Hospital, and fellowship training in geriatrics and gerontology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; he also holds an M.S. in physiological science from the University of California–Los Angeles and an M.S. in clinical research from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He currently serves as associate professor in the Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and as associate director of clinical innovation at the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in New York.
Throughout his career, Ko has demonstrated a deep commitment to improving care for older adults through innovative clinical models, translational research, and interdisciplinary education. He is a nationally recognized physician-scientist whose work spans from mouse models for age-related inflammation and frailty, translational studies of inflammation and stress gene influence on pain and functional outcome after surgery in aged mice and older adults, to the development and implementation of novel clinical models to enhance care in vulnerable aging populations. His research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, and foundation grants, has been published in leading geriatrics and gerontology journals.
A skilled mentor, Ko has advised many who went on to successful medical careers. He has received honors and recognition from the New York Academy of Medicine, Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, the Institute for Medical Education at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and the American Geriatrics Society.
As Center on Aging director, Ko will advance its mission to foster collaboration among faculty, students, staff, and programs across campus and throughout the broader community. The center aims to enhance well-being and quality of life for older Vermonters through research, education, and policy in geriatrics and gerontology—critical work as Vermont ranks among the states with the highest proportion of older adults.
As geriatric medicine division chief, he will lead efforts to advance geriatric care across UVM Health, foster interdisciplinary aging research, and expand educational programs that prepare the next generation of health care professionals to meet the needs of our region’s aging population. His appointment reflects the University of Vermont’s commitment to excellence in aging care, research, and community engagement.