Lisa Vargish, M.D., M.S.

Professional Background

Dr. Lisa Vargish joined the faculty in Division of Geriatrics and Department of Medicine after devoting five years at the Jewish Home of Rochester developing and evaluating an innovative home care program for seniors and teaching residents and fellows in internal medicine and family medicine. Prior to that Dr. Vargish was Clerkship Director for the required third-year family medicine clerkship at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine where she was co-appointed as Assistant Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Family Medicine. She also co-directed the fourth year palliative care elective and was instrumental in the Pritzker Initiative, a multi-year effort to restructure the undergraduate medical education curriculum. In addition to her work as an educator, Dr. Vargish was awarded a HRSA Geriatric Academic Career Development Award which helped to support her scholarly interests in developing geriatric palliative home care curricula for medical students.

Dr. Vargish received her undergraduate degree in political science and history from the University of Rochester. She received her MS in Education from the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester and her MD from the University of Chicago. She completed residency training in family and community medicine at the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF) and fellowship training in geriatrics at the University of Chicago. She is board-certified in family medicine, geriatrics, and palliative care. Her clinical practice has spanned a variety of settings, from federally-qualified health centers on the South Side of Chicago to sub-acute and long-term rehabilitation units here in Rochester. She has served as medical director for the Shepherd Home, a two-bed hospice home in nearby Penfield, NY. In her spare time, Dr. Vargish enjoys spending time with her children and husband, reading, cooking, running, swimming and cycling.