Sarah D. Berry, M.D., M.P.H.

Research Assistant Scientist II

Contact Information 

Institute for Aging Research
1200 Centre Street
Boston, MA 02131

Phone: 617-971-5355
Fax: 617-971-5339
Email: SarahBerry@hsl.harvard.edu

Education

Research Interests and Teaching Activities

Dr. Berry is a geriatrician and clinical researcher. Her primary research focus has been on outcomes following hip fractures, both in the community and nursing home settings. Given the low adherence with osteoporosis medications and the strong link between falls and fracture, she is also interested in studying novel and modifiable risk factors for falls. She has experience with clinical trials: as the PI of a nonrandomized feasibility study and the co-site investigator of two, large international phase III trials. Her current funding is through a Career Development Award from the NIA, which will examine medication changes as an acute risk factor for falls in the nursing home setting. This award is likely to lead to future studies that examine other acute risk factors for falls, as well as to the development and testing of fall intervention programs in the nursing home.

Keywords 

osteoporosis, fall, hip fracture, outcomes, nursing home

Selected Publications

1. Berry SD, Samelson EJ, Hannan MT, McLean RR, Lu M, Cupples LA, Shaffer ML, Beiser AL, Kelly-Hayes M, Kiel DP. Second Hip Fracture in Older Men and Women: the Framingham Study. Arch Intern Med. 2007;167 (18):1971-76.
2. Berry SD, Samelson EJ, Ngo L, Bordes M, Broe KE, Kiel DP. Subsequent Fracture in Nursing Home Residents with Hip Fracture: a competing risks approach. J Amer Ger Soc. 2008; 56(10):1887-1892.
3. Berry SD, Misra D, Hannan MT, Kiel DP. (2010) Low Acceptance of Treatment in the Elderly for the Secondary Prevention of Osteoporotic Fracture in the Acute Rehabilitation Setting. Aging: Clin Exp Res.; 22(3): 231-7.
4. Berry SD, Kiel DP, Donaldson MG, Cummings SR, Kanis JA, Johansson H, Samelson EJ.  Application of   the National Osteoporosis Foundation Guidelines to Postmenopausal Women and Men: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study. Ost Int. 2010 Jan;21(1):53-60.
5. Berry SD, Ngo L, Samelson EJ, Kiel DP. Competing Risk of Death: an important consideration in studies of older adults. (2010). J Amer Ger Soc. J Am Geriatr Soc.; 58(4):783-7.
6. Berry SD, Quach L, Procter-Gray E, Kiel DP, Li W, Samelson EJ, Lipsitz LA, Kelsey JA. (2010) Poor Adherence to Medications May Be Associated with Falls. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci.; 65(5):553-8.