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Shelley Lyford, president and CEO of West Health and the Gary and Mary West Foundation, has spent more than a decade creating and fueling healthcare delivery and community-based models that enable seniors to successfully age in place, with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence. Since 2006, under Shelley’s leadership, the Gary and Mary West Foundation, has awarded more than 400 grants totaling over $181 million for applied medical research and community support and social services for seniors and their caregivers. The not-for-profit foundation is one of only five in America focused exclusively on seniors and aging. Currently, less than 2 percent of all philanthropic dollars are spent on aging in America. Beyond her philanthropic work, Shelley leads the West Health Institute as it conducts applied medical research on a wide range of issues affecting seniors and their families. The research generated is used to provide the evidence needed for healthcare providers, policymakers and communities to make more informed decisions about healthcare delivery models and support services that enable successful aging in America. At West Health headquarters in San Diego, Shelley has spearheaded the development of innovative healthcare delivery systems that serve as national care models of excellence, including the Gary and Mary Senior Wellness Center; the city’s first Geriatric Emergency Unit; and the new Gary and Mary West Senior Dental Center, which provides high-quality, affordable dental care for lower-income seniors. These and other care models are supported by various research initiatives with collaborators that include the American Geriatrics Society, University of California at San Diego, Mount Sinai in New York and the Geisinger Health System. Outside of West Health, Lyford is vice-chair of the board of directors for Grantmakers in Aging (GIA) and sits on the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation’s Board of Directors focused on promoting San Diego as an epicenter for successful aging research. Lyford holds a master’s degree from the University of San Diego. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking and horseback riding and visiting the family farm she grew up on in Central Vermont.
