The Idaho Business Review named Sarah Toevs, professor in the Department of Public Health and Population Science, and the director of the Center for the Study of Aging, as a leader in the Idaho health care sector.
Toevs earned her spot on the Idaho Business Review’s health care Power List because of her research and work in the study of aging. Note: links may lead to stories behind a news organization’s paywall.
Toevs earned her doctorate in health education and health promotion at the University of Utah and has been a faculty member with Boise State University’s College of Health Sciences since 2000.
For Toevs, the recognition of her work by the Idaho Business Review represents an understanding that health care doesn’t only include clinicians and hospital administrators — it includes those working to connect patients with resources and services in the community.
The Idaho Business Review’s recognition of Toevs referenced her many partnerships with local organizations, and her work in building organizations for the aging community and caregivers throughout Idaho.
Judy B. Taylor, the director of the Idaho Commission on Aging, has worked with Toevs in efforts to fund programming for the aging community and caregiving communities in Idaho.
“Sarah has a heart for improving the lives of those most at risk. She does this with creative thinking, networking, building and strengthening systems, and unlimited passion for the work,” Taylor said.
A Lifetime of Interest
Toevs love working with older individuals stems from her strong relationship with her elders.
“They were my role models, my mentors, my support system,” Toevs said. “That has infused my world view with the value and importance of our elders and how much we can learn from and with them.”
When the opportunity to lead the Center for the Study of Aging became available, Toevs said the work came naturally to her and she hopes her work with engages students, faculty and community members of all ages.
“Aging doesn’t just happen at age 65 or 70 — it happens across our lifespans,” Toevs said. “I’d love to use this recognition as a platform for us to continue sharing that vision of the lifetime nature of health and wellbeing in the aging process.”
Caregiving as a Lifespan Perspective
As a faculty member within the Department of Public Health and Population Science, Toevs said she sees public health services as a bridge between the delivery of health care and communities.
While many of the students Toevs works with are learning about health care in their studies, she said it is also important to learn about the role of family members in providing care. This is where the Family Caregiver Navigator can play a role, Toevs said.
The Family Caregiver Navigator project supports more than 300,000 family caregivers in Idaho with informational resources developed in conjunction with the Center for the Study of Aging.
“As long as we’re connected with other human beings, it is likely that we’re all going to be caregivers at some point,” she said.