Dr. Margaret Brubaker joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine and Geriatrics as an Assistant Professor in July 2024. She grew up near St. Paul, Minnesota. Her close relationships with her grandparents growing up and her experiences volunteering at the nursing home in her neighborhood as a high school student instilled within her a deep sense of joy when spending time with older adults. She went to college at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in Biology and minors in Gerontology and Psychology. She spent one year after college working as a certified nursing assistant on the respiratory care unit at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, and volunteering her time as a research intern with the Minnesota Memory Project at Regions Hospital.
She then went on to Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, where she achieved academic honors in many of her preclinical and clinical courses and clerkships. Dr. Brubaker spent much of her free time in medical school volunteering at the Magis Clinic, a student-run free healthcare clinic for those experiencing homelessness in Omaha. She was inducted into the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society as well as the Gold Humanism Honor Society during medical school for her dedication to serving the underserved. Dr. Brubaker completed her Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center during the COVID-19 pandemic; her experiences caring for older adults during residency solidified her desire to pursue a career as a geriatrician.
At the end of residency, Dr. Brubaker was awarded the Herbert C. Flessa Physician’s Physician Award, which is awarded to the graduating senior resident who best exemplifies the highest ethical standards, demonstrates compassion in all patient encounters, and a comprehensive understanding of the field of Internal Medicine. Dr. Brubaker completed her Geriatrics Fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis, where she developed expertise managing geriatric syndromes including dementia, delirium, polypharmacy, falls, frailty, malnutrition, and end-of-life care. She loves caring for older adults, particularly in the primary care and long-term care settings, and enjoys partnering with her patients and their families to help her patients maintain their independence, preserve their dignity, and optimize their quality of life. Her key interests are geriatric primary care, long-term care, dementia, delirium, polypharmacy, deprescribing, advance care planning and capacity assessments.