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James Rudolph, MD, MPH
HSR is deeply saddened to announce the passing of James Rudolph, MD, MPH, on March 26, 2026, from cancer.
In his roles as a geriatrician, Founding and Co-Director of HSR’s Transformative Health Systems Research to Improve Veteran Equity and Independence (THRIVE) Center of Innovation, mentor, and Professor of Medicine at Brown University’s School of Medicine and School of Public Health, Jim’s influence on healthcare for Veterans and older adults in the general population, as well as the broader fields of aging, geriatrics, palliative care, and health systems research, was profound.
He was committed to improving care for older adults through better systems, tools, and teams. Across more than two decades, Jim helped build a vibrant, collaborative research community and interdisciplinary clinical and research programs to achieve those goals.
In addition, with mentorship serving as the bedrock of his leadership, Jim guided medical students, fellows, postdoctoral scholars, and junior and mid-career faculty into careers as independent investigators and academic leaders.
Brown University recently acknowledged the difference Jim made as a devoted mentor to faculty and staff by presenting him with two awards, the 2026 Dean’s Award for Faculty Research Mentoring in the Division of Biology and Medicine at Brown Medical School, and the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring in Public Health from Brown’s School of Public Health. Jim was the first person to receive both awards in the same year. He valiantly attended the award ceremony, held the week before his passing.
Also, the NIH IMPACT Collaboratory Career Development Award will now be named in his honor. The IMPACT Collaboratory works to advance the testing and adoption of evidence-based dementia care interventions.
“Even while facing serious illness, Jim remained present for colleagues and mentees, continuing to offer guidance, perspective, steadiness, and humor. In that, as in so much else, he modeled a form of leadership rooted in service, compassion, and purpose. His legacy will live on not only in his scholarship and programs, but in the many people he trained, supported, and inspired, and in the collaborative and humane culture they now carry forward.”—Gaurav Choudhary, MD, Associate Chief of Staff for Research, Providence (RI) VA Medical Center
“Jim meant a great deal to many of us—as a leader, colleague, mentor, and friend. His dedication, kindness, and the impact he had on our team and our work will not be forgotten. His servant leadership, humility, and sense of humor are among the qualities we admired most about him. Jim contributed so much to so many in the aging research community and made an immeasurable impact on the world at large.”–Jennifer Sullivan, PhD, Co-Director of THRIVE, and Stefan Gravenstein, PhD, Associate Director of THRIVE
We extend our deepest condolences to Jim’s family, and to all who had the privilege of knowing him.
