About

The provided page text does not contain a professional biography or specific research focus, background, or key contributions of Professor Thomas M. Gill. Therefore, the JSON output is an empty string for the biography.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Physical therapy
• Gerontology
• Internal medicine
• Psychiatry
• Demography
• Surgery
• Emergency medicine
• Environmental health
• Immunology
• Neuroscience
• Biology
• Intensive care medicine
• Physical medicine and rehabilitation

Selected publications

• Low muscle mass in interstitial lung disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and clinical associations

  BMC Pulmonary Medicine · 2026-04-10

  articleOpen access

  Low muscle mass, a component of sarcopenia, is increasingly recognised as a marker of poor physiological reserve in chronic diseases. While observed in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD), its prevalence and clinical associations remain inadequately characterised. Furthermore, heterogeneous diagnostic approaches from CT-derived indices to consensus definitions complicate evidence interpretation. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of low muscle mass and/or consensus-defined sarcopenia in ILD. Six databases were searched (1988–March 2024). Eight studies comprising 829 patients (701 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis [IPF]) met inclusion criteria. The included CT-based studies defined low muscle mass using cohort-specific lowest-quartile cut-offs, which do not meet consensus diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia. The pooled prevalence of low muscle mass and/or sarcopenia was 24.3% (95% CI: 19.7–29.0) with substantial heterogeneity (I²=59.2%). A sensitivity analysis restricted to consensus-defined sarcopenia yielded a 27.5% prevalence with moderate heterogeneity (I²=62.5%); however, studies within their respective consensus frameworks (EWGSOP2 or AWGS) demonstrated zero internal heterogeneity (I²=0%). In contrast, CT-based studies using cohort-specific thresholds showed marked variability (I²=75.8%). Meta-regression confirmed diagnostic method (p = 0.044) and mean BMI (p = 0.003) as significant moderators. Low muscle mass was significantly associated with reduced pulmonary function, including lower FVC% predicted (effect size − 0.477, p < 0.001) and DLCO% predicted (effect size − 0.389, p = 0.003), as well as advancing age and lower BMI. While low muscle mass or consensus-defined sarcopenia affects approximately one in four ILD patients, this prevalence is largely representative of the IPF phenotype. Muscle mass abnormalities are significantly associated with respiratory decline, supporting muscle depletion as a clinically relevant marker with potential prognostic implication. However, substantial heterogeneity, driven by CT-based cohort-specific quartiles rather than externally validated thresholds, restricts the precision of current prevalence estimates. Future research should employ standardised consensus definitions, differentiate isolated muscle depletion from systemic wasting syndromes, use externally validated cut-offs, adopt multicentre prospective designs.

  PublisherDOI

• Days at Home After Serious Health Events Among Community‐Living Older Persons

  Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2026-03-10 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Days spent at home have been identified as a clinically meaningful patient-centered outcome, especially in older persons. Serious health events in this population have pronounced deleterious effects on functional well-being. Our objective was to determine whether and how days spent at home differ in the 6 months after specific types of serious health events. METHODS: From a prospective longitudinal study of 754 community-living persons, aged 70 years or older, we calculated the number of days at home as 180 minus the number of overnight days in a health care facility and days not alive. The occurrence of serious health events, including critical illness, major surgery (non-elective and elective), and other hospitalizations, were ascertained primarily through linkages with Medicare data. RESULTS: Days at home were diminished in the 180 days after each type of serious health event. Relative to a reference group, the adjusted rate ratios (95% CI), representing the mean number of days at home as a proportion, were 0.70 (0.64-0.77) for critical illness, 0.70 (0.64-0.76) for non-elective major surgery, 0.87 (0.84-0.91) for elective major surgery, and 0.86 (0.83-0.89) for other hospitalization. The corresponding absolute reductions (95% CI) in mean days at home were 48.6 (37.9-59.3), 50.1 (39.7-60.5), 20.7 (14.3-27.0), and 22.9 (17.9-28.0), respectively. Of the time not spent at home, days in a nursing facility were most common except for critical illness, which had the highest mortality; days in a hospice facility were least common; and days in a hospital differed relatively little across the groups. CONCLUSION: Days spent at home are considerably diminished after serious health events. These findings may help guide older persons, their families, and physicians about what to expect after hospital discharge for different types of serious health events, and they suggest potential strategies that may optimize time spent at home.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Additional file 1 of Low muscle mass in interstitial lung disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and clinical associations

  Figshare · 2026-04-10

  articleOpen access

  Supplementary Material 1.

  PublisherDOI

• Days Alive and at Home After Critical Illness Hospitalization Among Older Adults and Its Association With Delivery of In-Hospital Rehabilitation

  Critical Care Medicine · 2026-03-10

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVES: Older adults hospitalized to the ICU are at risk for functional decline. In-hospital rehabilitation can mitigate functional decline; however, its association with long-term outcomes is unknown. Our objective was to describe days alive and at home (DAAH) in the 100 days (DAAH 100 ) after ICU hospitalization among older adults and evaluate whether in-hospital rehabilitation is associated with improved DAAH 100 . DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: National Health and Aging Trends Study linked with Medicare claims (2011-2019). PATIENTS: Community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries 65 years old or older who survived ICU hospitalization. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The outcome DAAH 100 was calculated by subtracting all post-discharge days in any of emergency department, observation unit, inpatient medical, psychiatric, rehabilitation unit, skilled nursing or hospice facility, and post-death from 100. The exposure was units of in-hospital rehabilitation, that is, physical and/or occupational therapy. We constructed a proportional odds logistic regression model of DAAH 100 (ordinal) adjusted for demographics, pre-hospitalization frailty and functional status, and hospitalization characteristics. We identified 884 ICU hospitalizations (weighted n = 5,330,486) of older adults discharged alive (age, median [interquartile range (IQR)]: 81 yr [75-86]; 50.5% female). Median DAAH 100 was 95 (IQR: 58.4-100) with median of 4 units (~1 hr) of in-hospital rehabilitation delivered over 6 days. After adjustment, each hour of in-hospital rehabilitation was associated with 8% higher odds of experiencing any of the three highest levels of DAAH 100 after discharge (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI], 1.08 [1.04-1.08]). CONCLUSIONS: In this nationally representative study of older ICU survivors, the average patient spent 95 of the first 100 post-discharge DAAH; delivery of greater amounts of in-hospital rehabilitation was associated with increased DAAH 100 after discharge. These findings highlight the substantial heterogeneity in time spent at home by older ICU survivors and the potential for in-hospital rehabilitation to improve this important patient-centered outcome.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Reply to: From Measuring to Protecting “Days at Home”: Toward Frailty‐Informed Monitoring After Serious Health Events

  Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2026-05-12

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  In our report [1], we suggested that future studies are needed to determine whether days at home, a patient-centered outcome that meaningfully integrates days not in a health care facility and survival, are increased by six evidence-based strategies, including those that reduce preventable illnesses and injuries leading to hospitalization, decrease adverse consequences of these hospitalizations, bolster restorative therapies after hospitalization, substitute hospital-at-home for traditional inpatient care, and strengthen hospital-to-home transitional care interventions. The letter by Bignami et al. thoughtfully proposes an additional multi-modal home-based strategy that includes continuous monitoring, wearable technologies, and machine learning–enabled early detection [2]. This vision is compelling. However, it also highlights a critical gap: the need for rigorous evidence demonstrating that such strategies improve clinically meaningful outcomes, including days at home. At present, much of the support for digital monitoring rests on observational studies, feasibility work, and proof-of-concept analyses demonstrating the ability to detect physiologic or behavioral changes preceding clinical deterioration. While these findings are encouraging, they do not establish that acting on these signals—whether through clinician alerts, telemedicine interventions, or augmented home supports—actually reduces hospitalizations, delays institutionalization, or increases time spent at home. Nor do they clarify potential unintended consequences, such as alert fatigue, overdiagnosis, increased healthcare utilization, or exacerbation of disparities related to technology access and digital literacy. Randomized controlled trials are therefore essential. Such trials should evaluate not only the accuracy of digital biomarkers in predicting decline, but also whether integrated monitoring-and-response systems improve outcomes that matter to patients, including functional status, quality of life, caregiver burden, and, importantly, days at home. Equally important are pragmatic trials embedded within real-world care systems to assess scalability, cost-effectiveness, and implementation challenges across diverse populations and settings. Methodological clarity is also needed. As noted [1, 2], “days at home” itself remains heterogeneous in definition and interpretation. If it is to serve as both an outcome and a target for intervention, standardization becomes even more critical to ensure comparability across studies and to support regulatory and policy applications. Finally, the proposed shift from reactive to anticipatory care raises important questions about clinical workflow, accountability, and the balance between technological input and clinical judgment. These issues, too, warrant prospective evaluation rather than assumption. In summary, the aspiration to move from measuring to preserving days at home is both timely and important. Realizing this goal, however, will require a robust evidentiary foundation—ideally grounded in well-designed clinical trials—that demonstrates not only technological capability but tangible benefit for older persons. Dr. Gill meets the criteria for authorship stated in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. Preparation of manuscript: Gill. The author has nothing to report. The work for this report was funded by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (R01AG017560). The study was conducted at the Yale Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (P30AG021342). The organization funding this work had no role in the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript. The author declares no conflicts of interest. This publication is linked to a Letter by Bignami et al. To view this article, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.70510.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluating administrative compliance as a predictor of nursing home postdisaster outcomes in the USA

  BMJ Public Health · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Introduction: Determining whether compliance with the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) emergency preparedness standards for nursing homes is a protective factor that improves residents' postdisaster outcomes is vital to informed regulatory oversight. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 294 CMS-certified nursing homes exposed to Hurricane Michael (October 2018). The exposure was non-compliance with emergency preparedness (E-tag) and/or building code (K-tag) standards from the CMS Life Safety Code survey; we operationalised over 200 unique deficiencies as separate dichotomous indicator variables. We fit generalised linear models and applied elastic net regularisation to identify which regulatory deficiencies were most predictive of adverse postdisaster outcomes (30-day mortality (primary), 30-day hospitalisation and functional decline within 120 days). We selected the best fitting model for each outcome based on the lowest Bayesian Information Criterion and reported incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for retained variables. We performed 10-fold cross-validation and evaluated the predictive accuracy of the best-fitting models using root mean squared error (RMSE), compared with a null (intercept-only) model. Results: Across 294 nursing homes with 21 945 residents with an average age of 81 years, there were 697 deaths, 1316 hospitalisations and 1274 instances of functional decline in the postdisaster period. No emergency preparedness deficiency predicted adverse postdisaster outcomes. In contrast, two building code deficiencies predicted postdisaster functional decline (IRRs 1.21 and 1.51). The best-fitting models demonstrated modest improvements in predictive accuracy compared with the null model for postdisaster mortality (RMSE 1.76 vs 1.79) and functional decline (RMSE 3.35 vs 3.44), although these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Measures of compliance with federal emergency-preparedness standards did not predict postdisaster mortality, hospitalisation or functional decline. These findings indicate a need to better align the measurement and oversight of nursing home emergency preparedness with the complexities of real-world disaster response.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Neighborhood Disadvantage and Recruitment and Retention of Participants in <scp>STRIDE</scp> , a Multi‐Center Clinical Trial of Community‐Living Older Persons

  Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2026-02-20

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods disproportionately include minority and poor populations that are often underrepresented in clinical trials. Our objective was to determine whether recruitment and retention of participants differ based on neighborhood disadvantage. METHODS: In a multi-center clinical trial that included 86 primary care practices within 10 US health care systems in 9 states, outreach to 140,850 patients led to enrollment of 5451 persons, 70 or older, at high risk for serious fall injuries. Multiple indicators of recruitment and retention were evaluated. Neighborhood disadvantage was defined as the highest quintile of scores on the state area deprivation index. RESULTS: Patients who lived in a disadvantaged neighborhood were less likely to return a screening postcard (risk ratio [RR] [95% CI]: 0.88 [0.85-0.91]) than their non-disadvantaged counterparts, but they were more likely to have a positive screen (RR [95% CI]: 1.05 [1.00-1.09], p = 0.047). The likelihood of study enrollment (RR [95% CI]: 0.79 [0.70-0.90]) was substantially lower among patients living in a disadvantaged neighborhood. Among enrolled participants, a significantly higher percentage of those living in a disadvantaged neighborhood, relative to their non-disadvantaged counterparts, were Black (10.6 vs. 4.8), had a high school education or less (36.7 vs. 21.6), and were less affluent (21.8 vs. 13.8). After study enrollment, participants who lived in a disadvantaged neighborhood had a higher likelihood of death (adjusted RR [95% CI]: 2.64 [1.76-3.98]) and refused interviews (adjusted RR [95% CI]: 2.15 [1.20-3.85]), but not study withdrawal (adjusted RR [95% CI]: 0.94 [0.63-1.39]) or loss to follow-up (adjusted RR [95% CI]: 1.18 [0.84-1.65]). CONCLUSION: In this large multi-center clinical trial of older persons, living in a socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhood was associated with diminished yields in both recruitment and retention. Assessing neighborhood disadvantage and implementing targeted strategies may improve recruitment and retention of diverse populations of older persons in clinical trials.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Performance of an electroencephalography-measuring headband or actigraphy compared with polysomnography in older adults with sleep disturbances

  SLEEP · 2026-02-25

  article

  STUDY OBJECTIVES: We assessed the performance of an electroencephalography-measuring headband (HB) or actigraphy (ACT) compared with polysomnography (PSG) in older adults with sleep disturbances. METHODS: Sixty-one older adults reporting insomnia and/or daytime sleepiness wore the HB for up to 7 nights, ACT for 7 days and nights, and completed an in-home PSG. We compared total sleep time (TST), wake after sleep onset (WASO), sleep onset latency (SOL), and sleep efficiency (SE) from all devices on the PSG night. For HB-PSG, we compared time in light, deep, and rapid eye movement sleep. For all comparisons, we calculated absolute differences and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). We also evaluated the performance of the HB among the poorest sleepers (e.g. severe sleep apnea or insomnia). RESULTS: Average age was 72.6 [SD = 6.5] years, 62.3 per cent were female, and 77.1 per cent were non-Hispanic white. For HB-PSG, we found good agreement for TST, WASO, and SE (ICCs ranging 0.82-0.91), while SOL and sleep stages were lower (ICCs 0.44-0.66). For ACT-PSG, we found moderate agreement for TST (ICC 0.73) and poor agreement for WASO, SOL, and SE (ICCs < 0.50). For the poorest sleepers, HB-PSG showed good to excellent agreement for TST and WASO (ICCs 0.56-0.91), while ACT-PSG showed lower levels of agreement (ICCs 0.55-0.80 for TST and <0.59 for WASO). On average, participants wore the HB for 6.5 [0.8] nights and usability was rated highly. CONCLUSIONS: The HB outperformed ACT, including among the poorest sleepers. Devices like the HB are accurate, feasible, and could advance sleep health in older adults.

  PublisherDOI

• Additional file 1 of Low muscle mass in interstitial lung disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and clinical associations

  Figshare · 2026-04-10

  articleOpen access

  Supplementary Material 1.

  PublisherDOI

• Benchmarking weighted estimates of social determinants of Health in the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS)

  The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2026-02-11 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant K07AG043587

  NIH · $645k · 2020

• Randomized Trial of a Multifactorial Fall Injury Prevention Strategy

  NIH · $34.8M · 2014–2022

• Yale Training Program in Geriatric Clinical Epidemiology and Aging-related Research

  NIH · $7.5M · 2001–2031

• Distressing Symptoms and Disability Before and After Sentinel Health Events among Community-living Older Persons

  NIH · $7.0M · 2000–2026

• CORE-001 - OPERATIONS CORE

  NIH · $6.1M · 2002–2028

Frequent coauthors

• Marco Pahor

  University of Florida

  397 shared

• Jack M. Guralnik

  University of Maryland, Baltimore

  351 shared

• Anthony P. Marsh

  Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System

  235 shared

• Timothy S. Church

  Pennington Biomedical Research Center

  230 shared

• ­Abby C. King

  Stanford University

  216 shared

• Roger A. Fielding

  Tufts University

  199 shared

• Heather Allore

  Yale University

  190 shared

• Stephanie A. Studenski

  University of Pittsburgh

  169 shared

Education

• M.D., Pritzker School of Medicine

  University of Chicago

  1987

Awards & honors

• Paul Beeson Physician Faculty Scholars in Aging Research Awa…
• RWJ Generalist Physician Faculty Scholar Award
• Outstanding Scientific Achievement for Clinical Investigatio…
• Ewald W. Busse Research Award in the Biomedical Sciences
• Joseph T. Freeman Award from the Gerontological Society of A…