Dr. Sarah Ruiz to Serve as Deputy Director of NCOA's Self-Management Alliance

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Jun 08, 2012, 11:00 ET

WASHINGTON, June 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Council on Aging (NCOA), the leading nonprofit service and advocacy organization for older Americans, today announces Dr. Sarah Ruiz of Washington, DC, to serve as Deputy Director of NCOA's Self-Management Alliance.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100615/NCOALOGO)

NCOA's Self-Management Alliance brings together business, nonprofit, and government leaders to develop self-management tools for millions of older adults, so they can play an active role in improving their own health.

As part of NCOA's Center for Healthy Aging, Dr. Ruiz will empower and assist community-based organizations serving older adults in developing and implementing evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention programs.

Dr. Ruiz, a public health activist for older adults and people with disabilities, is a gerontologist and health research professional with ten years experience designing, implementing, and analyzing research studies on health outcomes for older adults and diverse populations.

Prior to coming to NCOA, Dr. Ruiz served as a Research Fellow in Population Studies at RAND Corporation and Research Associate in Health at IMPAQ International. She received her B.S. from the University of Delaware and Ph.D. in Gerontology from the University of Southern California.

"Dr. Ruiz's proven ability to work effectively with stakeholder groups from government, nonprofit, foundation, and corporate sectors will be a key resource for the Self-Management Alliance," said Richard Birkel, senior vice president, Healthy Aging and director, Self-Management Alliance. "We are very excited to have Dr. Ruiz join us in this key position as the Alliance moves forward in achieving its mission to make patient self-management an integral part of health care by 2020."

For more information on NCOA's Self-Management Alliance, please visit www.ncoa.org/SMA.

About NCOA
The National Council on Aging is a nonprofit service and advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC. NCOA is a national voice for millions of older adults—especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged—and the community organizations that serve them. It brings together nonprofit organizations, businesses, and government to develop creative solutions that improve the lives of all older adults. NCOA works with thousands of organizations across the country to help seniors find jobs and benefits, improve their health, live independently, and remain active in their communities. For more information, please visit: www.ncoa.org |www.facebook.com/NCOAging | www.twitter.com/NCOAging

SOURCE National Council on Aging