Julia Hiner, MD

Biography

“Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.” -Unknown

Dr. Julia Hiner has loved taking care of older adults since her medical school years. Subsequently, that love has grown into her career’s passion. She believes patient care should not just be about disease management, but rather comprehensive care for the whole person, with an emphasis on building meaningful relationships between healthcare professionals, patients, and their families. She enjoys getting to know her patients as individuals through their life stories and experiences. She especially enjoys taking care of vulnerable populations, dedicating her time to adults who have been abused, neglected, or exploited.

Dr. Hiner’s administrative roles at UTHealth Houston include serving as the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program Director since 2022 and course director for the Geriatric Medicine fellows’ Elder Capacity Assessment and Mistreatment rotation since 2019. As course director, she also authored and created a 170+ page textbook curriculum and associated virtual modules on adult mistreatment and capacity assessment to completely revamp the rotation into a resounding fellow favorite. Her clinical work through UTHealth Houston includes conducting capacity assessments, elder mistreatment record reviews, and expert witness testimonies as a consultant for the Texas Forensic Assessment Center Network (FACN), and as the physician medical director for the Harris County’s Senior Justice Assessment Center (SJAC). Academically, she works with medical students, residents, and fellows in various settings. Dr. Hiner has extensive experience working and leading in interdisciplinary settings and teams.

She is involved in numerous professional societies and committees including: the American Geriatrics Society (including serving as co-chair of the Elder Mistreatment Special Interest Group), the Texas Geriatrics Society (including serving as the President-elect, on the Board of Directors, and on the Conference Planning Committee), the Texas Guardianship Society (including serving on the Board of Directors), the Institute on Aging, the Texas Elder Abuse and Mistreatment (TEAM) Institute, the Elder Abuse Fatality Review Team (EFFORT) Committee, and as the director of both the Geriatric Medicine Professional Education Committee and the Clinical Competency Committee. Additionally, Dr. Hiner completed a three-year appointment to the ten member Texas Managed Correctional Health Care Committee after being selected by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

She is passionate about Geriatric Medicine education, regularly presenting about, participating in, and leading scholarly and research activities related to adult mistreatment, decisional and executive capacity assessment, incapacity, cognitive disability, and guardianship topics. She completed both the UTHealth Houston’s Health Educator Fellowship Program and the Community of Medical Education Scholars program to further her knowledge and skills as a medical educator.

When she is not at work, Dr. Hiner likes spending time with her husband, two daughters, dogs, extended family, and friends. She also enjoys reading fiction books, writing narrative reflections about her experiences in medicine and as a physician, and cheering on the Green Bay Packers.