James M. Lai

Dr. Lai is the Associate Chief of Clinical Affairs for Geriatrics at the Yale School of Medicine and oversees a vibrant clinical program that includes three skilled nursing facilities, three primary care sites, a home-based primary care program, an inpatient consultation service including a Geriatric Emergency Medicine Service (GEMS) and the keystone Adler Geriatric Assessment Clinic. He is also Chief of the Inpatient Cooney Firm Service at the Center for Restorative Care at the Yale New Haven Hospital St. Raphael’s Campus, and serves on numerous system wide committees dedicated to Quality Improvement and creating an Age Friendly Health System.

Having practiced primary care in the community for eight years, followed by four years exclusively as an inpatient hospitalist and floor medical director at Yale New Haven Hospital, Dr. Lai has been focused on developing geriatrics programs designed to help older adults avoid hospitalization and reduce short term nursing care facility utilization while maximizing function and quality of life.