Cheves Smythe Distinguished Lecture – Laura Mosqueda, University of Southern California

The Office of Research Affairs at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston welcomes Laura Mosqueda, MD, professor of family medicine, geriatrics, and gerontology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine to present the 2026 Cheves Smythe Distinguished Lecture at 1 p.m. April 16 in MSB 3.001.

Mosqueda will present “Elder Abuse: From Recognition to Response in Clinical Practice.”

Mosqueda is a widely-respected authority on elder abuse and care of the elderly and underserved. She is also an expert on medical education curriculum design, development, and implementation. Since joining the Keck School of Medicine, she has served as chair of the Department of Family Medicine, associate dean of primary care, and dean of the school.

She serves as the director for the National Center on Elder Abuse and is a fellow of the Health Aging Policy Fellowship Program. Mosqueda won the 2019 Vanguard Award for Distinguished Service in Elder Abuse Prevention, the 2019 American Geriatrics Society Edward Henderson Award, and the 2018 National Elder Abuse Prevention Coalition Rosalie S. Wolf Memorial Elder Abuse Prevention Award.

The Cheves Smythe Distinguished Lecture was established in 2006 to honor Dr. Cheves Smythe, the first dean of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, who served from 1970-75. Smythe skillfully guided the medical school through its early years with his long-standing commitment to the fields of geriatrics and education and his exemplary standards of leadership.