June 25, 2025.

2024-25 NC Schweitzer Fellows and Duke School of Medicine students Kate Kutzer and Eden Singh developed an abstract about social needs screening in older adults that was accepted by the American College of Surgeons to be included in a dedicated Scientific Forum session at Clinical Congress 2025 in Chicago, IL. The abstract was based on their work on POSH Pals, a student-led initiative at the Durham VA Medical Center, that they launched as Schweitzer Fellows. POSH Pals was designed to bridge the gap in care for high-risk veterans over the age of 65 undergoing elective surgery. Each patient was paired with 2 medical students trained to provide personalized support and resource connection. Goals included: (1) screen for and address social determinants of health using a validated tool (ACORN) in the pre-operative setting; (2) follow up post-surgery; and (3) create an interprofessional and educational experience for medical students centered on geriatric surgical care; and (4) contribute to research evaluating social needs and resource connection outcomes in older adults. The Fellows found that although patients were worried about their medical conditions, they were most concerned about social needs and their ability to recover in the setting of their social environment.