In Memory of Dr. Georgia Hall

It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that our esteemed friend and colleague, Dr. Georgia Hall, passed away over the weekend.

Georgia Hall, PhD, MPH, shared her passion for healthy aging with the entire University of Arizona community. As Associate Professor in the Department of Family, Community and Preventive Medicine and director of Gerontology and Geriatrics at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, she directed education, outreach and program planning for aging-related activities.

Dr. Hall devoted her life to educating people that social and behavioral aspects of aging were just as important as the physical aspects of becoming an older adult.

She led with her heart in her day-to-day dealings with students, faculty and staff.

“Everyone has a back story,” she would say, while encouraging medical students to spend time with patients to find out more about them than just their illness.

Dr. Hall loved to find out about people’s personal stories, and she herself loved to tell stories about her own life. Often her narratives had twists and turns, but she always delivered them with a smile and a twinkle in her eye.

She often spoke about the importance of having a positive attitude, citing studies that showed how optimism, generosity, kindness and a willingness to listen contributed to well-being.

“Be kind, smile more, be grateful, and say ‘thank you.’ Those who demonstrate positivity in the later years are more likely to experience a good old age,” she wrote for a column published earlier this year in The Arizona Republic.

Dr. Hall led the Geriatric Interest Group and arranged for medical students to volunteer at the SunTree Adult Center and the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona. In her Gerontology and Geriatrics course, she helped students comprehend the trials of growing old by having them complete an empathetic aging exercise where students walked on bean bags, wore gloves and special glasses so they could experience how an older adult copes with daily life.

A graduate of Columbia University, Dr. Hall received a Master’s in Public Health in Chronic Disease, Adult Health and Aging from the University of Michigan where she also earned a PhD in Educational Gerontology with a focus on medical education.

She was named Gerontologist of the Year by the Arizona Geriatrics Society in 2007 and was honored by the Navajo Tribe and the Phoenix Area Indian Health Service for her work with elderly Native American groups. In 2012, she was a finalist for the Phoenix Business Journal’s Healthcare Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Hall’s presence will be missed tremendously, but her passion and love will remain on this campus for years to come.

We invite you to leave a note for Dr. Hall’s family on our Facebook page. We will send out additional announcements regarding arrangements as they become available to us.

We ask that you hold her family in your prayers.

Sincerely,

Kenneth S. Ramos, MD, PhD
Interim Dean, College of Medicine – Phoenix
Associate Vice President for Precision Health Sciences

Cheryl O'Malley, MD
Interim Vice Dean of Academic Affairs
College of Medicine – Phoenix