Linda P. Fried is a distinguished leader in public health and geriatrics who has profoundly shaped the understanding of aging and health across medical and societal domains. As Dean of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health from 2008 to 2025, she became the first woman to lead one of the nation's original public health schools, guiding it through its Centennial celebration with visionary leadership. Born in New York City in 1949, she received her bachelor's degree in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1970 before pursuing her medical degree at Rush Medical College, which she completed in 1979. She further specialized with a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in 1984 and completed her medical training in internal medicine at Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, later expanding her focus to geriatrics through fellowship training at Johns Hopkins.
Dr. Fried pioneered the conceptualization of frailty as a medical syndrome rather than an inevitable consequence of aging, fundamentally transforming clinical approaches to elderly care through evidence-based interventions. Her groundbreaking research established objective criteria for identifying frailty and demonstrated its potential for prevention, leading to widespread adoption in clinical practice worldwide and reshaping how healthcare systems approach aging populations. She created the Experience Corps program, a community-based intervention that connects older adults with elementary schools, which has been implemented in 23 U.S. cities and multiple countries with documented benefits for both volunteers and students. Under her leadership, the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at Johns Hopkins became ranked number one in the United States by U.S. News and World Report, and she secured the NIA Pepper Center Grant that continues to fund aging research today, transforming Johns Hopkins into what is colloquially known as the 'Silicon Valley of Aging' in the United States.
Beyond her direct research contributions, Dr. Fried has significantly shaped national and global policy discussions around aging populations and public health infrastructure through influential leadership roles. She founded the Mailman School's Climate and Health Program, which now includes over 30 faculty members investigating the complex relationships between climate change and public health outcomes, successfully circumventing early climate change apathy to establish this critical field of study. As a member of the National Academy of Medicine since 2000 and current co-chair of the Commission to Create a Global Roadmap for Healthy Longevity, she continues to influence international health priorities while serving on New York City's Age-Friendly Commission and chairing the International Loneliness and Isolation Research Network. Dr. Fried's vision for a future where aging represents an opportunity rather than a challenge continues to inspire researchers, policymakers, and communities worldwide to reimagine the possibilities of longer lives through science and societal transformation.
