de Tornyay Center Spotlight Interviews Archives

Scholar Spotlight: Sera Madsen

Sera Madsen is a UW School of Nursing DNP student and one of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s 2024-2025 Scholars. Her research project is on “Expanding Dementia Awareness through Faith-Based Organizations in Rural or Underserved Washington Communities”, and her faculty mentor is Kori Dewing.

Why did you choose nursing?

I was looking for a job when I arrived in the U.S. in 2009. When I went to the Everett Clinic as a patient, I was shy and spoke broken English. The nurses and the doctors were warm and kind, and they patiently asked how I was doing and how they could help.

My passion for nursing also stems from my experience back home in China, where my father lost an eye in an accident. I felt so powerless, and that experience stayed with me.

Those two encounters— seeing compassionate care firsthand and remembering my frustration with my father’s vision loss- inspired me to become a nurse to help others.

Nursing felt like the perfect fit because it allows me to work side by side with my patients. I began my journey at Everett Community College. I have been an RN for 10 years. Today, I’m on a new path toward becoming a nurse practitioner, and I can’t imagine doing anything else.

What interests you about healthy aging?

The aging population is growing, and they have my most profound respect. They have made incredible contributions to our communities and societies. I am always eager to learn from them and help whenever possible.

However, many older adults are often overlooked or neglected because of limited mobility or social determinants of health. Many also face complex health challenges. I’m passionate about supporting them, helping them navigate complex chronic conditions, and promoting healthy aging so they can continue to live meaningful, fulfilling lives.

Could you briefly describe the project you did with the de Tornyay Center?

My project focused on expanding dementia awareness through faith-based organizations in rural Washington. The overall goal was to support the Dementia Friends of Washington’s outreach efforts in reaching more rural communities.

Dementia Friends of Washington organizes outreach programs by training volunteers to lead information sessions and provide resources and support. They currently serve 25 counties and are working to expand into the remaining 14.

Because I’m involved in a church supporting community initiatives, I recognized an opportunity to engage faith-based networks as a bridge to rural communities. As part of my project, I conducted surveys and interviews with stakeholders, including volunteers, regional leaders, and Dementia Friends Champions, to better understand barriers and identify outreach opportunities.

Based on their feedback, I created an outreach flyer and a dementia awareness video that can be shared with churches, charities, and nonprofit faith organizations. Although direct workshops with three rural churches are still in the early stages, I’ve transferred those partnerships to Dementia Friends Washington for ongoing collaboration.

What did you learn during your interviews?

Building trust in rural communities takes time. One of the biggest takeaways was the value of utilizing existing networks, such as churches or personal connections, to reach rural communities. Starting with existing relationships allows us to spend more time on meaningful implementation rather than on building rapport from scratch.

Another important insight was the strong preference for face-to-face workshops and Q&A sessions. Many community members felt they learned best through in-person interactions. I also learned that many churches juggle multiple priorities, including offering English classes and running support programs for incarcerated individuals.

Expanding the volunteer network will be essential for future outreach efforts, especially to meet the demand for more personalized, in-person sessions.

What is the potential impact of your project?

My project offers a model that Dementia Friends Washington can use to partner with faith-based organizations or other community groups.

It also addresses the stigma and misconceptions surrounding dementia, which remain common in rural areas.

During my engagements with stakeholders, I learned that stigma could have a powerful impact — some individuals choose not to disclose their diagnosis, especially in the early stages, out of fear of losing friendships or even their jobs.

By expanding dementia awareness through trusted community networks, we can help reduce stigma, promote understanding, and better support individuals living with dementia and their caregivers.

While doing this project was there anything that surprised you?

One thing that surprised me was how many rural communities had never heard of Dementia Friends Washington.

For example, one volunteer—a caregiver—was unaware of the program. After learning about it, he was inspired to organize new supportive programs for other caregivers in his community.

It was powerful to see how even one introduction to Dementia Friends Washington could have such a meaningful impact on individuals and local communities during my interviews.

Another surprising aspect was the growing number of volunteers from diverse backgrounds dedicated to working with Dementia Friends Washington to support people in need.

Their passion further inspired me to reflect on what we, as a society, can do to better support individuals living with dementia.

Scholar Spotlight: Jessica Japra

Jessica Japra is a UW School of Nursing BSN student and one of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s 2024-2025 Undergraduate Research Scholars. Her research project is on “The Roles of Chronotype and Cognitive Function on Feasibility of Cognitive Training for Older Intensive Care Unit Survivors”, and her faculty mentor is Maya Elias.

Why did you choose nursing?

I chose nursing at a very young age. I started my pre-nursing prerequisites at 16 because I did running start. I wanted to do something in healthcare, but I was unsure what kind of profession I wanted to do. When I researched a little bit about nursing, it was everything I wanted. I get to advocate for patients, and see interventions work right in front of me.

I have a cousin who was a LVN [Licensed Vocational Nurse] or LPN [Licensed Practical Nurse] in California, and she told me about working in assisted living. It sounded like something I wanted to do.

The logistics were also a factor. I knew I needed to do running start. My parents are older and as the oldest daughter of our immigrant family, I needed to start earning because my parents are about to retire.

What about healthy aging in particular interests you?

I got into nursing school, and I joined the honors program. At the same time, there was also the opportunity for a long-term care nursing externship.

This last May, I became a nursing technician at neuroscience, acute care specialty at Harborview. The population of patients we see is older adults that get strokes, and patients having spinal surgery, epilepsy patients or traumatic brain injuries. I would see how patients’ recovery process isn’t as advanced as it could have been. They face a lot of delirium continued from the ICU. It affects how they do their OT [occupational therapy] and their PT [physical therapy].

That’s how I was inspired to pick my BSN honors project in delirium and its relationship to other cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s or related dementias. I started talking to my mentor, and she helped me connect these points.

As I’m doing the externship and the honors program together, I see how older adults can end up in rehab facilities or transitional care facilities because of their continuum of hospital stay to the facility. Someone gets a stroke, or a TBI, and then they end up in the ICU. Then they’re there for so long they start getting delirium from the constant care they’re getting, which needs to happen, but it affects their sleep.

Then, they are medically stable enough to discharge, but their cognitive abilities are still not there. There needs to be interventions to make the process easier for them.

Could you briefly talk about your project with the de Tornyay Center Scholarship?

We are studying how people’s natural sleep cycles, or circadian rhythms, are disturbed. We take their own reports of their thinking skills, and assess how well they can accept and work with a computerized computerized cognitive training [CTT].

The criteria is ICU survivors who are 60 years old or older, were independent before hospitalization, and are within 48 hours of moving from intensive care to acute care. We do this brain training program for around 30 min for seven days. We give them a tablet, and they play mind games designed to help them cognitively. It can be games with blocks, racing, or pianos.

They also fill out a questionnaire to find out their sleep pattern, or what we call their chronotype. Basically, we’re trying to find out if they’re a morning person, evening person, or afternoon person, to see when they are most likely to perform well in these interventions with the CTT. After the training, when they have completed all the 30 min sessions, or until they leave, we use surveys and questions to see how their sleep patterns and thinking patterns connect to how well they have accepted the program.

In the future, we want to develop personalized treatments that consider sleep patterns and thinking skills to reduce delirium and cognitive decline.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I would take this section to say how grateful I am to receive the scholarship. Getting the scholarship really gives me an opportunity to further my education and is motivating me to keep going with my interest in healthy aging.

Jessica Japra

Scholar Spotlight: Ashley Gougouehi

Ashley Gougouehi is a UW School of Nursing DNP student and one of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s 2023-2024 Healthy Aging Doctoral Research Scholar. Gougouehi will present work from her project at the Washington State Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research Network March 14, 2025 meeting.

Why did you first choose nursing?

My dad had a back injury when I was younger, and I helped to take care of him. From this experience I realized that I really like taking care of people, so I volunteered at a hospital that was across the street from my high school. From this volunteer experience, I realized how nurses were the go-to people in hospitals to give care, and I love that. So that’s how I found myself in nursing. I just love caring for people.

What interests you about healthy aging in particular?

I think because I’m an only child, I’ve been terrified at the idea of my parents aging and me being the only one to take care of them. It took a while for me to realize that you can age healthy. You don’t have to get older and expect to develop health issues. I think that’s why I got really interested in caring for older adults: it’s an opportunity to support older adults age in a healthy way, while also emphasizing preventative care so that people can live long, happy and healthy lives and not dread aging.

Could you briefly describe the project that you’re doing for the scholarship?

I’m working with Washington Healthcare Authority and the Dementia Action Collaborative to do a needs assessment on age-friendly health systems in Washington. Essentially, we’re trying to get a sense of what health systems in Washington are recognized as being age-friendly, then get a sense of what kind of initiatives they have and what barriers they’re facing, so we can see how we can further support age-friendly health systems and hopefully expand these systems in the future.

What’s your role in the project?

My role is to identify age-friendly health systems, contact clinical leadership, and then do interviews with clinical leadership to see what initiatives they have in place, and what is needed to support the initiatives that they have.

I also added another component, which is to contact a health system that’s not recognized as being age-friendly to get a sense of what they know about age-friendly health systems, and what barriers they can identify to age-friendly care. I added this component to get more data on what barriers there are to age-friendly health initiatives.

Why is this project important to do?

I think it’s important to identify what age-friendly health systems are out there and recognize the systems that have made an effort to be age-friendly. It is also important to get a sense of what initiatives are out there that support our older adults, and see how we can support these health systems, because we need more of them. Not every person is going to Google which health system is recognized as age friendly. They’re just going to go to whatever system is closest to them. So, it’s really important for us to see what is needed to expand the age-friendly health systems and initiatives.

Is there anything surprising or interesting that you found while working on this project?

I think one thing that was surprising is that it’s hard to get in contact with clinical leadership. Which has been a little surprising but has made me even more appreciative of the time clinical leaders take to help me with this project. I’ve had one interview so far, and learning how some health systems have been able to incorporate age-friendly initiatives into their electronic medical system has been really, really cool and inspiring.

How did they incorporate age-friendly aspects into an electronic health system?

So for this health system that I talked to, in EPIC they created a smart phrase/ templet, which helps guide clinicians to do comprehensive geriatric assessments by asking geriatric centered questions like about medications, fall risk, nutrition, and things related to the 4Ms of age-friendly care (what matters most, mentation, mobility, medication). So it’s essentially a smart phrase that prompts clinicians on how to assess an older adult and identify crucial needs for older adults. That was pretty cool to learn about.

What previous experience before this do you have working with older adults?

I have been a nurse for almost six years. I worked in acute care, and in acute care you work with a lot of older adults who are coming in for exacerbated chronic diseases. That’s where I interacted with more older adults and realized there’s a huge need to support older adults and manage chronic diseases and encourage preventative care and promote healthy aging.

Have you done primary care before, or is this program your switch into primary care?

This is the switch. My only experience with primary care has just been with my clinical rotation. I had one clinical rotation last quarter in primary care, and I absolutely loved it!

What are you looking forward to with primary care?

I think the continuity of care is what I’m really looking forward to, and then also promoting preventative care. I’m hoping to specialize in the care of older adult, specifically chronic disease management and preventative care.

Spotlight Interview: Eriska Fajriyati

Eriska Fajriyati is a UW School of Nursing BSN student and one of the de Tornyay center for Healthy Aging’s 2024-2025 Healthy Aging Undergraduate Research Scholars. Her project is on “Exploring Perceptions of Aging and Menopause in Somali and Indonesian Older Adults: A Qualitative Study” and her faculty mentor is Eeeseung Byun. Sarah McKiddy, a PhD in Nursing Science Candidate and former de Tornyay Center scholar is also serving as Fajriyati’s mentor.

Why did you choose nursing?

I’ve always been drawn to healthcare because I truly want to make a difference in people’s lives. When I was younger, I was part of a club called “Little Healthcare Helper,” and that’s when I first started thinking about healthcare as my path. At the time, I wasn’t sure exactly where I’d end up, but I knew I wanted to help people. Eventually, I became a CNA and worked with residents, many of whom had Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, and that’s when I really discovered my love for nursing. I enjoy hands-on work, being able to interact with people, earn their trust, and offer them comfort. Nursing also gives me so many opportunities to grow and take on new challenges, which is exciting. It’s just such a rewarding field to be in, and it feels like the perfect fit for me. Nursing also offers incredible opportunities for growth, whether it’s exploring other specializations or advancing to a nurse practitioner. The diversity of options is really exciting!

What made you want to do a research project?

A big part of why I decided to do this research project is because of my mom and her friends. They’re at the age of either starting or experiencing menopause and started asking me a lot of questions about it. I realized that I didn’t know enough to give them the answers they were looking for, and that really sparked my curiosity. As a nursing student, I felt like it was the perfect opportunity to dive deeper into understanding menopause—not just for my mom and her friends, but also to raise awareness in my community. My goal is to help people understand menopause better, particularly within the Indonesian community, and ensure they have access to the right resources. Through this research, I hope to improve how menopause is discussed and managed, both in my community and in healthcare overall.

Could you share a little more about your research project?

My project is focused on exploring the perception of aging and menopause in both Somali and Indonesian communities. I’m working closely with my mentors Professor Eeeseung Byun and Sarah McKiddy, as well as my co-partner, Sumaya. Together, Sumaya and I are interviewing people from our respective communities to understand their experiences with menopause. We want to learn about the symptoms, beliefs, and cultural factors that influence how they manage this stage of life. For our interviews, we’ve created questions in English, then translated them into Bahasa Indonesia and Somali to make sure we’re truly capturing authentic perspectives. I’m excited because this project is not just about learning for myself, but also about providing valuable insights that can lead to more culturally sensitive healthcare in the future.

Has there any been anything that surprised you so far while working on the project?

I’ve discovered something quite interesting about the people I’m interviewing within my Indonesian community. I initially thought menopause would be a more taboo or stigmatized topic in my community, but it turns out it’s not as hidden as I expected. People are open to discussing it, but they tend to do so only within their close circles or when the topic arises naturally in conversation. What’s also surprising is that many individuals rely on traditional remedies—such as drinking a traditional Indonesian drink called Jamu or practicing meditation/praying—to manage their symptoms. Another common piece of advice I frequently hear is to maintain a positive outlook and not to dwell too much on the discomforts associated with menopause. This perspective differs from what I anticipated based on the literature I reviewed, and it has been fascinating to see how cultural beliefs influence the experience and management of menopause.

What interests you about healthy aging in general? What is your experience like working with older adults?

Healthy aging is something I’m really passionate about because it’s such a crucial part of everyone’s life. We’re all going to grow older, and it’s not just about taking care of our bodies—it’s also about looking after our emotional and mental well-being. For me, understanding how culture influences aging is really important, and how we can best support people in that process. I’ve seen firsthand how cultural beliefs shape health practices, like how in my community, people drink Jamu to manage menopausal symptoms. These experiences really made me see how vital cultural competence is in healthcare.

I’ve been working with older adults for over four years now, mostly in senior living and Alzheimer’s dementia units. Working with them has been such a rewarding experience. It’s shown me that aging is about so much more than just physical health—it’s about emotional, mental, and social well-being too. One of the most fulfilling parts of my job is helping create spaces where older adults feel supported and connected. It’s inspired me to focus on improving their quality of life and making sure they can age with dignity, joy, and comfort.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be doing this research, especially with the support of the scholarship. It allows me to focus more on my studies and my interests. It’s exciting to learn not only for my own understanding but also for the benefit of my community. Through this research, I hope to raise awareness about menopause in both the Somali and Indonesian communities and improve how healthcare providers approach it.

Spotlight Interview: Antonia Cai

Antonia Cai is a UW School of Nursing BSN student and one of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s 2024-2025 Healthy Aging Undergraduate Research Scholars. Her research project is on “The influence of physical activity and diet quality on the symptom experience of older adults with HIV”, and her faculty mentor is Vitor Oliveira.

What made you choose nursing?

I chose nursing because I always wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. I appreciate how nursing offers a wide range of opportunities, flexibility, and room for professional growth within a single career. Beyond bedside nursing, I can become a nurse practitioner and provide advanced care, engage in research to expand the field, work in clinical settings serving diverse populations, or even pursue a career in nursing education.

Moving to the U.S. as a teenager, I witnessed firsthand how healthcare operates and saw my parents struggle at times to navigate the system. That experience inspired me to become someone who understands the system and can provide support in meaningful ways.

What interests you about healthy aging?

My grandmother, who played a significant role in my upbringing, has been living alone since I moved to the U.S. with my parents. I spent a lot of time with her during my childhood, and not being able to be physically present as she experiences aging has weighed on my mind. This personal connection fuels my interest in healthy aging—I want to help not only her but also others who are aging alone. She is just one of many facing similar challenges, and I want to contribute to improving their quality of life.

Have you had past experience working with older adults?

Yes, my first job as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) was at Evergreen Hospital on the orthopedic floor, where I cared for many elderly patients. I saw how quickly their health status could change in the hospital setting, and I realized how aging and chronic illnesses significantly impact their recovery. While younger patients might heal quickly from a fracture, the same injury could be far more debilitating for an older adult.

I also noticed that many elderly patients had limited resources for recovery and, at times, did not seek help due to mental health struggles or a lack of support. One of the most important things I learned from working with older adults is how deeply mental and physical health are interconnected.

Could you briefly talk about the project that you’re doing for the de Tornyay Center scholarship?

My project examines how physical activity and diet quality impact symptom management in older adults living with HIV. This research is connected to the ongoing projects at the Webel Lab, where I work under my mentor, Dr. Oliveira. While the lab has been studying this topic for years, I am conducting a more focused analysis on how diet and exercise influence the experiences of individuals with this chronic condition.

How did you first get involved with this research?

Before pursuing nursing, I earned my first degree in nutrition, where I gained extensive training in how the food system—from production to consumption—affects public health.

When I had the opportunity to apply for the BSN honors program and receive support for research, I expressed my interest in the connection between nutrition and aging. This led me to Dr. Oliveira and the Webel Lab, where their research aligned closely with my interests in nutrition and exercise. That’s how I became involved in this project.

How do you feel like your background in nutrition influences your work as a nurse?

I firmly believe that we are what we eat—nutrition and lifestyle choices play a crucial role in overall health. My background in public health and nutrition helped me develop a systematic way of thinking about how different factors—biological, social, and environmental—interact to shape health outcomes.

In nursing, I see how many illnesses stem from a complex web of influences, including socioeconomic factors and social determinants of health. Many chronic conditions are passed down through generations due to these systemic influences. That’s why I believe in taking a holistic approach to patient care, considering multiple perspectives beyond just medical treatment. My nutrition background has strengthened my ability to assess patients’ health through a broader lens.

With the project that you’re working on, has there been anything that’s surprised you that you’ve learned or seen?

The level of rigor required at every step! From the initial proposal stage to data collection, everything must follow strict protocols. Even minor deviations from the approved methodology require resubmission and reevaluation before moving forward.

This experience has reinforced the importance of precision and attention to detail—not just in research but also in clinical practice. I’ve learned to approach every step with intention, knowing that careful execution is critical in both research and patient care.

Scholar Spotlight: Wenchi Lai

Wenchi Lai is a UW School of Nursing BSN student and one of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s 2024-2025 Undergraduate Research Scholars. Her research project is on “The effects of exercise training on symptoms experienced by older adults with HIV”, and her faculty mentor is Vitor Oliveira, PhD.

Why did you choose nursing?

I always knew I wanted to go into some health-related field because I enjoy taking care of people, I just didn’t know which one I wanted to go into until the COVID-19 pandemic. When I figured it out, I was a CNA in PACU [post-anesthesia care unit]. I started volunteering there and getting to see the nurses during that time was kind of crazy. I found that nurses were the front-line workers and the ones really interacting with the patients. Seeing how much compassion and empathy they show for the people they care for as well as their self-sacrifices in having to be at work regardless of what was happening really inspired me. And after getting to follow them around more, I realized, oh, this is what I want to do.

What made you realize you want to do a research project?

Currently, I’m working at the ICU as a nurse tech where a lot of patients have complications beyond medical control. Seeing these complex conditions made me realize I wanted to see what exactly we can do as nurses to change what is making them end up in hospitals in the first place. Research helps me learn more about why certain diseases develop the way they do or what habits people have that can contribute to their health outcomes.

Could you briefly describe the project you’re doing for the de Tornyay Center scholarship?

For my research project, I’m working with primarily older adults with HIV with the end goal to help them lessen some of their symptom severities. Ultimately, we’re trying to see if high intensity exercise will be beneficial and worth it to recommend for a healthier lifestyle. The primary symptom I’m looking at is fatigue, as it is one of the most severe aging symptoms the geriatric population may experience.

What made you interested in healthy aging research?

I think I have always worked in older populations. This year I’m also involved in UW’s Long-Term Care Externship program, which allows me to really interact with the elderly and get to know them on a deeper level. Getting to understand what they’re going through on the day-to-day basis really helped me see that I want to work with this population and try to help them as much as I can. I feel like they are a demographic that can get neglected or left behind in research or nursing care in general.

Why is this research that you’re doing important to do?

I personally think it’s very important, because there may be other people with HIV that are struggling with some of these symptoms, and then they realize there’s a study with evidence and proof that you should be doing this exercise, or why you should be following this routine, especially because high intensity exercise is an activity that takes a lot of commitment.

If I’m personally searching stuff up, but nobody has research proof that says, “I should be doing this,” I think I would never even initiate it. But if I find out, there’s studies of people that tried it and it worked for them, I would be more inclined to take their recommendations. This is a big purpose into why our research study should be conducted and released.

While you’ve been working on this project has there been anything that surprised you?

While I was shadowing the researchers, something that really surprised me was how involved the participants are in wanting to make a change, because they might not know if their results are going to come out positively. However, they’re still trying to work and cooperate with the team everyday as well as following everything we’re expecting of them. I think that’s pretty impressive.

What past experiences have you had working with older adults?

In the PACU, most of the population I work with are older adults who might need hip replacement, knee replacement, or other common surgeries. Especially in my nursing home, I was able to see more specific age-centered problems such as dementia and chronic health conditions. One thing I see that I love about aging care is how it includes the whole family. Beyond the individual, they have so many people that they influenced through their lifespan that want to give back and help their loved ones go through the aging process. In my clinical in Med-surg [medical-surgical] I also mainly worked with the geriatric med-surg unit. Getting that hands-on experience about the geriatric population and seeing all the different parts of their care made me want to lean towards seeing what aging does to the body and getting more hands-on experience with it.

What about those experiences help make you think, this is where I want to be?

It was working with them, and honestly, just seeing their challenges being in the hospital. They’ll share their stories about how they’ve been impacted with me. It’s such a big transition from when you’re young and you can move around easily to not being able to move as they once were able. It’s reasonably frustrating for them, because they used to be able to do all these things. Getting to hear about that made me think there must be something we can help as a nurse and even in nursing research to help that transition be easier as their care team.