A Nurse’s Eye, a Leader’s Heart: Episode 300 with Jennie Chin Hansen

There are few people who have the depth and breadth of knowledge about long-term services and supports than Jennie Chin Hansen, who we are honored to have as the 300th guest on today’s episode.

With a rich background in nursing and a penchant for solving problems, Hansen’s career spans decades of leading top healthcare organizations such as the American Geriatrics Society, AARP, and On Lok, which is the flagship/prototype for what is now known as People for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). She currently serves on the boards of the Medicare Advantage SCAN Health Plan and HelpAge USA. In 2019, she helped to craft the California Masterplan for Aging, now in implementation. 

For this week’s episode, Hansen sits down with Susan Ryan to discuss how her childhood experience as an Asian girl living in Boston shaped her career choices. She also discusses her desire to see more upstream work that focuses getting “people prepared for their own aging changes.” 

Finally, Hansen shares her vision for what she believes will help to not only “hold the line,” but also move it with regard to ensuring economic security for older Americans.

Among Hansen’s many awards are the American Academy of Nursing’s Health Care Leader Award, American Society on Aging’s Hall of Fame Award, and the National Council on Aging’s Lifetime Achievement Award. 

In 2024, she received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from Harvard University at its commencement ceremony in May of 2024. Here is video of highlights from that event: https://youtu.be/lzDYU7sNddA?si=W0hGbEWsS8osCaRq.