Áegis Living Appoints Renowned Pulmonary and Sleep Expert Dasgupta Chief Medical Officer
March 21, 2024
BELLEVUE, WA — Áegis Living has appointed Raj “Dr. Raj” Dasgupta, MD, FACP, FCCP, FAASM, as its new chief medical officer (CMO) to further integrate wellness and longevity into the care of its residents, families, and team members.
“Dr. Raj’s clinical and research background will influence a variety of scientific and evidence-based strategies that transform how we approach health and wellness in senior living,” said founder, chairman and CEO Dwayne Clark in a press release. “We are committed to elevating our care for residents; we are designing an approach to experience better overall health and well-being as they age.”
Lifespan defines how long a person lives, and healthspan is the quality of life that Áegis Living aims to impact. This includes intervening lifestyle and behaviors to adjust and address a resident’s needs with a highly personalized approach. Initial programming will focus on sleep hygiene, cognitive behavioral therapy, heart health, and more.
“As we enter into a new generation of senior living, how we age is changing,” added Clark. “People are living longer and want to live better, longer. We believe we have an obligation to deliver innovative wellness and longevity initiatives that can positively influence the healthspan of our residents.
Dr. Raj guides Áegis in crafting, refining, and enriching its care and programming for residents, and these efforts will also extend to family members. He leads health education initiatives featuring advice to residents and their families that can be quickly put into action on subjects like sleep, dementia, and diabetes. He will host regular open office hours for residents and families to ask questions and get more personalized advice.
While the primary beneficiaries will be Áegis Living residents and families, Áegis also aims to support and influence team members. To ensure staff are well-versed on important issues impacting older adults, Dr. Raj will conduct regular training sessions that empower team members to support residents with practical advice, and also give them tools they can use to improve their own health.
Dr. Raj is an American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) quadruple board-certified physician specializing in internal medicine, pulmonology, critical care, and sleep medicine. He has received multiple accolades for his medical teachings and clinical accomplishments across multiple prestigious hospitals and academic institutions. He is currently an associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine and the associate program director of internal medicine residency at Huntington Health. Dr. Raj is also a regular on various platforms and television shows such as Chasing the Cure, The Doctors, CNN, ABC News, and Inside Edition; he also features tips on his podcast, The Dr. Raj Podcast.
“I am honored to join the leadership team at Áegis Living to advance the level of care and wellness not yet experienced in senior living,” said Dr. Raj. “From implementing healthy sleep strategies, breakthrough cognitive therapies and even stress management techniques, we can profoundly impact the health and well-being of residents, families and team members’ lives.”
Áegis Living, headquartered in this Seattle suburb, operates 37 communities in Washington, California, and Nevada, including a just-opened community in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood and another one set to open in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Seattle later this spring.
