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Understanding Service Agreements



Many of you have been asking about ways to diversify your research and innovation portfolios. Service agreements can be wonderful mechanisms for supporting much of the scholarly work at the UW School of Nursing. A service agreement at the University of Washington is a formal contract where faculty or university resources provide specific, well-defined services to an outside entity. Unlike traditional sponsored programs (e.g., grants), which aim to generate new knowledge and contribute to academic scholarship and/or create intellectual property, service agreements are focused on delivering practical outcomes, typically in response to the needs and specifications of the requesting party. More information on the distinction between service agreements and sponsored programs can be found HERE.  

In the context of service agreements, the faculty member’s role is often to perform tasks such as data analysis, report generation, technical consulting, or other specialized services. These services are provided without the expectation of creating generalizable knowledge or publishing findings. Instead, the deliverable might be a final report containing factual data, testing results, or professional assessments tailored specifically for the external entity’s use. 

Faculty should note that when external partners request reports or services requiring faculty expertise, it is essential to distinguish whether the activity constitutes a service agreement or falls under the scope of sponsored research/sponsored program. Understanding this distinction ensures that projects are categorized correctly, enabling UW to meet compliance requirements and deliver impactful services to external partners.  

Within the School or Nursing, service agreements are generally routed through the Impact Office while sponsored research or sponsored programs are routed through the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP). If you are unsure of how to categorize an incoming project, please contact the Impact Office at son-impact@uw.edu.  

Healthy Aging Jeopardy with PhD Students

The center was happy to host PhD students for a gathering to discuss healthy aging and play healthy aging jeopardy! de Tornyay Center illustrator and PhD Student Lalipat Phianhasin illustrated the event in a drawing below:

Healthy Aging Jeopardy. A group of students sitting in front of a board with numbers on it. One says "What is music", while another says "This non-pharmacological intervention harnesses the power to elicit memories, preserve cognitive function, and foster connection." Description underneath says "The de Tornyay Center hosting a jeopardy game with the theme of healthy aging for PhD in Nursing Science students."

Governor Inslee appoints Keondra Rustan to UW Board of Regents

From press release from the Office of Washington State Governor, August 8, 2024. Links added by UW SoN staff. | Original release

Keondra Rustan

Governor Jay Inslee announced today the appointment of Keondra Rustan to student regent on the University of Washington Board of Regents.

Keondra Rustan is a second-year doctoral candidate in the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program at the University of Washington School of Nursing. Her work focuses on how health care systems can be made more accessible to underserved populations, including those with trauma and substance use disorders.

Prior to enrolling in the DNP program at UW, Rustan had already obtained her Ph.D. in nursing education and research and a master’s in nursing education. She was previously a practicing registered nurse with various hospitals in Virginia, California and in the Pacific Northwest. With a specialty in cardiac medicine, critical care, trauma medicine and emergency medicine, Rustan has also worked as an adjunct and visiting professor of nursing.

From 2020 to 2022 she served the assistant director of the simulation center at UW’s nursing school. As a member of the faculty, she was awarded the Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award and the Dr. C. June Strickland Distinguished Diversity & Transcultural Nursing Advocate Award.

In 2022, Keondra also won the Lois Spratlen Price Foundation Scholarship and was the keynote speaker for the 2023 Scholarship celebration. She helped to transition simulation and skills training into an online environment and helped to run COVID-19 vaccination training so that students and staff could vaccinate those who needed it.

“Keondra is a dedicated health care practitioner and an incredibly talented educator,” said Inslee. “I’m confident she’ll be an excellent nurse practitioner when she’s finished her studies. In the meantime, her integrity and commitment to excellence in both teaching and public service will be an asset to the Board of Regents.”

“It’s an honor to take on this role,” said Rustan. “The University of Washington has a powerful role to play in shaping the future of health care and public health across this state. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help ensure that future is one where more people have access to the care they need.”

Beyond campus, Keondra is actively involved in the community serving as President of the Mary Mahoney Professional Nurses Organization, member of the National Council of Negro Women, and also being a member and presenter for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning, and the National League for Nursing.

This appointment was effective July 1, 2024.

de Tornyay Center at WIN

Are you attending the upcoming Western Institute for Nursing annual conference? Check out the posters from UW School of Nursing students supported by the center:

  • Megumi Azekawa, PhD in Nursing Science student and travel scholar, is a co-presenter of a poster on “Music as a Social Determinant of Health: Visual Mapping and Exploration”
  • Priscilla Carmiol-Rodriguez, PhD in Nursing Science student and de Tornyay Center predoctoral scholar, is presenting the poster “Unhealthy Coping in Sleep-Deprived Individuals: A Concept Analysis” and is a co-author on the posters, “Tracing the Footsteps of the de Tornyay Center Scholars” and “Empowering Equity: Building Anti-Racist Brave Spaces”.
  • Yanjing Liang, PhD in Nursing Science student and de Tornyay Center predoctoral scholar, is presenting the poster, “Tracing the Footsteps of the de Tornyay Center Scholars”
  • Zih-Ling Wang, PhD in Nursing Science student and travel scholar, is a co-presenter of a poster on “Eating Experiences in People Living with Dementia: A Concept Analysis”
  • Hongyu Yu, PhD in Nursing Science student and travel scholar, is presenting on “Development and Validation of a Mobile Health Application Usability Scale for Older Adults with Chronic Diseases”

PhD Pathways to Healthy Aging Award

Congratulations to this year’s two de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging PhD Pathways to Healthy Aging awardees:

Wonkyung JungWonkyung Jung
Project: Social Integration and Cognitive Function Following Geriatric Traumatic Brain Injury

Faculty Mentor: Professor Hilaire Thompson

 

Award winner with two faculty members
Shih-Yin Yu (center), with Drs. Basia Belza (left) and Hilaire Thompson (right)

Shih-Yin Yu
Project: Risk Factors and Early Prevention of Skin Cancer in Rural Older Occupational Populations

Faculty Mentor: Professor Emeritus Barbara Cochrane

View Student Posters

Check out a few of the great posters put together by students receiving de Tornyay Scholarships in 2022-2023, presented at the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s 25th Anniversary Celebration, below. You can also find a set of three posters highlighting the life and legacy of Dr. Rheba de Tornyay here.

View a pdf version of Zheng’s poster.

View McKiddy’s poster.

View a pdf version of Figuracion’s poster.

View a pdf version of Carmiol Rodriguez’s poster.

View a pdf version of Adhiambo’s poster.

View a pdf version of Wu’s poster.

View a pdf version of Hamel’s poster.

View a pdf version of Ahren’s poster.

Celebrating 25 Years!

The de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging celebrated it’s 25th anniversary on May 1st! PhD student Lalipat Phianhasin created a beautifully illustrated summary of the anniversary event, pictured here.

View a pdf of the illustration

25th Anniversary Celebration

We celebrated the 25th anniversary of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging. On April 30 a leadership discussion with Dr. Sarah Shannon was held for first and second year PhD students along with dinner. A festive event was held on May 1 at the Burke Museum with students, current and emeriti faculty, alums, and community partners who enjoyed a fireside chat to learn about Rheba’s legacy, musical interludes, and scholarly posters. Check back in a couple of weeks when we post photos and video!

Scholar Spotlight: Karl Cristie Figuracion

Karl Christie Figuracion

Karl Cristie Figuracion is a PhD in Nursing Science candidate and one of the de Tornyay Center’s 2022-2023 Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholars. Her project is “Environmental enrichment and cortical changes among brain tumor survivors”. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Hilaire Thompson.

 

Why did you choose nursing?

I chose the nursing profession, as I was really moved by the care that my grandmother received when she was sick, and seeing the nurses be involved by her bedside throughout the sickness, even toward the end of life.

It was all related to my clinical practice. I was seeing patients with brain tumors, and after treatment, I started noticing cognitive issues. I saw people who were physically engaged or socially engaged and able to return to work. They tend to do better. When I looked at the literature, there wasn’t really much research in terms of this patient population or this question. I went back to school with this premise of learning the methodology to ask these questions and to do this research to help patients with brain tumors.

What interested you about research?

It was all related to my clinical practice. I was seeing patients with brain tumors, and after treatment, I started noticing cognitive issues. I saw people who were physically engaged or socially engaged and able to return to work. They tend to do better. When I looked at the literature, there wasn’t really much research in terms of this patient population or this question. I went back to school with this premise of learning the methodology to ask these questions and to do this research to help patients with brain tumors.

What is your project with the de Tornyay Center?

Looking at environmental factors, specifically environmental enrichment, being physically active, social engagement or social network, and return to work, and how that influences healthy aging among cancer survivors after radiation.

Why is this project important to do?

I think about my patients after cancer diagnosis, and having to already undergo that treatment and having fought so hard and then they continue to experience cognitive issues, functional decline. Yet we still are lacking research as to what helps them after their treatment.

What sort of functional decline do you see after brain tumor treatment?

So after brain tumor diagnosis, they go through surgery. After surgery, sometimes they have neurological issues, whether that’s weakness on one side over the other, or whether it’s word-finding difficulty, whether it’s balance issues related to where the tumor was in the brain.

After treatment, some of our patients continue to have these, even if it’s mild. That’s the other thing that I wanted to see, how can we prevent this progressive neurological decline? They continue to have this, despite not having the disease itself.

Has there been anything that has surprised you while working on research projects during your PhD program?

One of the things that I probably enjoyed the most, and was surprised about, was how much enthusiasm my patients have in this type of research. We probably asked 39 patients and 37 agreed. As soon as I said, we’re working on this, it was just like, yes. I hadn’t even told them about the reimbursement.

What interests you about healthy aging?

It’s the fact that it’s so broad, and it truly applies to all populations, because we all age. So whether that is going through a chronic disease, whether that’s after treatment, whether that’s after a brain injury or a traumatic event. We go on and live our life. This research is about continuing to live your life, despite all of those challenges and all of those issues.

You mentioned your work with cancer patients. What’s your clinical background?

I have been a registered nurse since 2011, and I went back to school for my masters, to be a nurse practitioner in 2013, because I wanted to expand my role so that I could better advocate for my patients. As I was completing my master’s program, I was an outpatient oncology nurse.

I still work as a practitioner at the University of Washington Alvord Brain Tumor Center. I have two days of clinic, and am very involved in the quality improvement projects.

What’s it been like balancing being a practicing nurse and a PhD student?

I see both of them together, honestly. I’m currently leading the neuro-oncology survivorship program at the Alvord Brain Tumor Center. One of the core and foundational things about our program is research, and here I am learning the methodology of this research to better help our patients. So I see it hand in hand. There’s a lot of overlaps.

I think last quarter was probably one of the challenging quarters that I had, because I was working as a 50% nurse practitioner, and I also had the opportunity to teach the NCLIN 501 and 500. So that’s 50% and 50%, and then a full time student, trying to enroll my patients. It’s definitely put into perspective what our faculty go through trying to switch hats between being a clinician, being an instructor, and then being a researcher.

 

Apply to our 2022-2023 Healthy Aging Scholarships!

Applications for the de Tornyay Center’s Healthy Aging Scholarships are open until October 20th! The center funds undergraduate and graduate nursing students at all three UW campuses. Learn more and find the applications here.

Spotlight Interview: Jeehye Jun

Jeehye Jun is a postdoctoral fellow in gerontological nursing at the University of Washington School of Nursing, starting in fall 2022. She will be working with Dean Azita Emami and her research team on the project ‘Biomarker Method for Assessing the Impact of Music on Persons with Dementia and Their Caregivers’. She comes to the University of Washington after completing her PhD in Nursing Science at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing.

Why did you choose nursing?

When I was a high school student, I was interested in health and human services. Nursing science was exactly what I wanted to learn about because nursing is a caring science. I love studying nursing and conducting health-related research in order to achieve goals aimed at maintaining and/or improving quality of life and healthy living.

How did you get involved in research?

In South Korea, I worked as a bedside nurse in a medical intensive care unit (MICU) for eight years. While working in the hospital, I observed that many patients who were discharged from the MICU had difficulties recovering from their illness due to the lack of educational resources or medical assistance. I thought post-intensive care services were needed but there was a lack of evidence to support them. Consequently, I conducted research on post-intensive care syndrome in the hope that my findings would contribute to development of facilities and services that would benefit patients after their discharge from the ICU. I believe that research is a strong tool to change policies and guidelines, so I’m excited to conduct research to identify untapped knowledge that will be very helpful for nursing practice.

What interests you about healthy aging?

As life expectancy has been increasing over time, there has been growing interest in healthy aging. South Korea has the fastest growing aging population, so I have a natural interest in the aging population and healthy aging. During my master’s program at Seoul National University, I took courses on care for the elderly and obtained my degree in adult gerontology nursing. I observed that older adults encountered many physical and psychological barriers to recovery from their illness. I want to develop effective interventions to relieve their symptom burden using innovative technologies.

What are your main areas of research?

My current research focuses on the symptom cluster in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A symptom cluster refers to a group of symptoms that are related and that occur simultaneously, exerting a stronger effect on health outcomes than one symptom alone. Specifically, people with COPD have breathing problems that lead to insomnia, fatigue, and anxiety. These multiple symptoms have a negative effect on health-related outcomes, such as quality of life and cognitive function.

What interested you about that area?

I want to identify symptom clusters in people with dementia and examine associated factors and health outcomes.

What are you looking forward to with this postdoctoral position and the research that you’re going to be starting this coming year?

The University of Washington has one of the top nursing schools that exemplifies both diversity and partnerships with other organizations and communities. I believe that the training and resources of the de Tornyay Center will provide an excellent opportunity to advance my knowledge and skills in assisting people with dementia and their family caregivers.

I am very excited to be involved in the home music intervention project, as I will be studying symptom management for people with dementia and their family caregivers, and learning about the use of innovative technologies such as virtual reality.

What was your PhD dissertation?

For my doctoral dissertation, I evaluated the effects of two behavioral interventions on a symptom cluster in groups of people with COPD. The symptom cluster included the most frequently reported five symptoms in people with COPD—that is, anxiety, depression, insomnia, fatigue, and dyspnea. The main finding of my study was that cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) was effective in reducing the symptom cluster’s severity in COPD patients who are at high risk of symptom burdens. My study is the first to identify longitudinal patterns of a symptom cluster in people with COPD and insomnia. This study has many implications in that its findings can facilitate future identification of underlying mechanisms of a symptom cluster as well as mediators and moderators of the effects of the symptom cluster.

Was there anything that surprised you in your dissertation research?

In studying people with COPD and insomnia, I was surprised that sleep-related cognition was the factor most strongly associated with the severity of multiple symptoms within a cluster. In a future study, I want to further investigate the association between cognition and healthy behaviors in people with dementia.

Is there anything else that you want to share?

This will be my first living in Seattle. I have always heard that Seattle is a beautiful place, and I’m excited to experience the mountains and hills that I never saw in Chicago. I’m also looking forward to meeting and working with students, faculty, and fellow researchers at the University of Washington.

The Age of Ageism

by Sarah McKiddy, UW School of Nursing de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging Predoctoral Scholar

This article is a part of a series on ageism, completed by de Tornyay Center predoctoral scholar, Sarah McKiddy. Find accompanying interviews on ageism here. 

According to the World Health Organization, ageism decreases an individual’s lifespan by 7.5 years. Ageism involves stereotypes, prejudices, or discrimination based on age. Ageism can occur at different levels: self-directed (internalized), interpersonal (between individuals), and institutional (policies, laws, and protocols). From an early age, we pick up cues from those around us about stereotypes, which are reaffirmed through our culture’s norms.

Negative expectations of aging can cause individuals to not participate in exercise classes or do social activities because they think they are too old and might hurt themselves, or because they do not see examples of other older adults doing those activities. This can lead to worsened physical and mental health.

Ageism also happens between people, in comments, conversation, or actions. Telling a 70-year-old, “You look young for your age,” suggests that you should look a certain way at 70. “Let me help you with that, dear,” employs “Elderspeak”, a patronizing form of speaking, that can involve talking louder or slower, using pet names, or speaking to adults like they are a child. It might seem nice or helpful, but it is based on stereotypes. It assumes the older adult needs help or is not capable. Other times ageism is blunt: “Boomers are out of touch with my generation,”, or “They are just like every other millennial: entitled and coddled.” This mentality is also seen in narratives of increased healthcare use and associated burden.

Workplace ageism is one of many other forms of ageism. It is assuming someone is too old or young to fulfill their job duties and is very common. A recent 2022 AARP study revealed that approximately one-third of older adults in the labor force reported hearing negative comments in the workplace related to a co-worker’s age in the last two years. In a 2022 AARP interview, Jennifer Schramm, senior policy advisor at the AARP Public Policy Institute, said that age discrimination continues to be one of the leading drivers of long-term unemployment for individuals 50 years and greater.

Ageism can also affect the health of individuals because it determines age as the leading factor in someone’s choices. When clinicians neglect to ask about an older adult’s sexual life or substance use due to ageist notions, it can result in delayed care, missed treatment opportunities, and missed diagnoses. Focusing only on age can also cause people to overlook other crucial factors like stress and one’s environment that might better explain health issues.

Age discrimination can compound other barriers related to things like race/ethnicity, income, health status, sexual orientation, gender, and disability. An individual’s ability to age and maintain a high quality of life relies on access to healthcare, social support, housing, and financial security. A 2021 study published in the Lancet pointed to evidence that older adults from racial/ethnic minority groups frequently had a worse quality of life due to chronic conditions and stress from adapting to a new culture.

Ageism is complex, and it can be overwhelming to think about how to solve it. Here are three practical ways to address ageism: First, self-reflect on what words you choose. Are you selecting terms that feed into stereotypes? Next, when someone uses a word like “elderly” or a phrase like “past one’s prime,” ask why they chose to describe someone this way and discuss what the implications are. Lastly, seek opportunities to socialize and interact with people of different ages from your own. Aging is a collective and shared journey that can connect us all. We all have a stake in how we contribute to the messaging surrounding aging. It is time to outgrow ageism.

Now Open: Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Gerontological Nursing

The University of Washington School of Nursing is thrilled to announce two Postdoctoral Fellowships in Gerontological Nursing to start Fall 2022.  We invite applicants with a passion for and commitment to improving the lives of older adults to apply. You will be joining an innovative, multidisciplinary research team and developing skills to prepare for a research career as a nurse scientist.

Learn more and apply at apply.interfolio.com/102133.

Scholar Spotlight: Tao Zheng

Tao Zheng is a PhD in Nursing Science student, studying sleep and cognition in individuals with advanced heart failure after receiving a left ventricular assist device. In 2020, he published an editorial in the Journal of Gerontological Nursing, titled “Who Cares? An Existential Perspective of Caregiving for Individuals with a Left Ventricular Assist Device.” His faculty mentor is Cynthia Dougherty.

How did you first get involved in nursing?

I started my nursing education by becoming a nursing assistant. At the time, I wanted to try it out to see if I enjoyed health care because I was making the transition from a business major to nursing. I fell in love with being with people. I enjoy that aspect of nursing. I started with an associate degree in nursing program at North Seattle College: I became a licensed practical nurse then a registered nurse. I progressed to a bachelor’s degree while working as a registered nurse, then got my master’s degree in nursing education, and now I’m doing my PhD.

What made you decide you wanted to move from clinical work into research?

I did not know at the beginning that I wanted to move out of clinical work because my passion has always been at the bedside, and with teaching and education. I appreciate learning about the most updated evidence and incorporate that into my teaching. I wanted to be able to generate that knowledge. I consider myself a lifetime learner, and I’m always trying to figure out what my next step will be. For me, research would keep me on the path where I can always ask new research questions.

What research projects are you currently working on?

I’m working on multiple different projects. I participate in a biweekly cardiovascular nursing research group led by my dissertation chair Dr. Cynthia Dougherty. I’m involved with writing papers and publishing a secondary data analysis based on her data set. In addition to that, I’m working with Dr. Jonathan Auld. We’re looking at using a new technology to enable better symptom reporting in people with cardiovascular disease. I am also working as a research assistant for Dr. Elizabeth Bridges in her pressure injury prevention project. Lastly, I am preparing my dissertation research, which will be looking at sleep and cognition in individuals with advanced heart failure after they receive a left ventricle assist device.

What are you looking at for cognition?

Cognitive performance in terms of their memory, executive functions, and verbal fluency. Cognitive decline may be related to aging. However, there are multiple different components that contribute to cognitive changes.

What interested you about that topic for your dissertation?

My clinical background is in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, so I have been taking care of critically ill patients for over a decade now. Most of my time was in critical care, particularly in people with heart failure. I have seen people with heart failure coming in and out of the hospital due to their chronic conditions. I’m really interested in promoting better patient outcomes. I’m focusing on people who receive mechanical circulatory support devices because this is a high-risk procedure that has a huge impact on both patients and their family. It’s important to look into the factors that help an individual have a better outcome.

I did quite a bit of literature review when I started the program here because I knew the patient population that I wanted to focus on, but I did not know what areas I wanted to focus on. I recognized that there’s quite a knowledge gap in this patient population in terms of sleep. I feel like sleep is an understudied study area and it’s very understudied in people with heart failure, particularly in people living with a left ventricular assist device.

Why is this work important to do?

Receiving a left ventricular assist device is a high-risk procedure, and it is really important to understand the underlying mechanisms for why some patients do well and some do not. While innovative technology can prolong individuals’ life, we also need to understand how a device implant might influence other aspects of the patients’ life. We need to assess if a device implant is the right thing for patients, and are there other strategies that we can implement to better patient outcomes.

You wrote an editorial for the Journal of Gerontological Nursing. Can you talk a little bit about that?

During my first year, I wrote the editorial to talk about the caregiver aspect of this patient population (Zheng, 2020). I can see my future research program including caregivers. Patients that receive a left ventricle assist device oftentimes require long-term unofficial family caregivers, particularly in immediate recovery. However, caregivers are an unstudied area. In the United States, we have family caregivers caring for individuals with dementia and other conditions, but we are not really looking at those caregiver outcomes – the literature is quite limited. Those caregivers oftentimes are not paying attention to their own health because they’re focusing on caregiving.

My editorial tried to shed some light on what we’re really asking of the caregiver, particularly when the individuals are significantly ill. Sometimes we ask caregivers and/or family members to make critical decisions at the bedside. We need to think about when we ask them to make decisions and perhaps we need some advanced care planning for this patient population.

How did you get involved in cardiology?

The heart is a fascinating organ, and I was interested in how the heart may impact in the rest of the body. In nursing school, I always had a special interest in cardiovascular disease and since then, my clinical practice has been focused on cardiology. So, it’s a very natural transition from practice to my research, I was interested in the patients’ stories and experiences, and I want to know what motivated them and what made them have better outcomes. And that’s why I wanted to get involved, I want to see more of my patients do well.

Is there anything else that you want to share?

I published another paper during my second year as the PhD programs (Zheng, 2021). My second paper was a concept analysis paper that focused on sleep in individuals with heart failure. It dipped into that area that I’m interested in and looked into that knowledge gap. I’m hoping to fill that gap with my dissertation.

Engaging with Aging Blog Reaches 200 Posts

Doris Carnevali, UW School of Nursing faculty emerita, recently hit 200 posts on her blog, Engaging with Aging, where she talks about her experience of aging as a nurse and elder. Carnevali has been featured for her work on King5 news, and her ideas have provided the basis for research on an Engaging with Aging framework. This framework has been written about in the Journal of Gerontological Nursing, including featured in an Engaging with Aging special issue of the journal. The Engaging with Aging framework is currently being studied by UW School of Nursing researchers.

Want to learn more about the Engaging with Aging blog? You can read the EWA blog here.

 

Apply to our 2021-2022 Healthy Aging Scholarships

Applications for the de Tornyay Center’s Healthy Aging Scholarships are open until October 20th! The center funds undergraduate and graduate nursing students at all three UW campuses. Learn more and find the applications here.

World Alzheimer’s Day

In honor of World Alzheimer’s Day, the de Tornyay Center would like to share a selection of the innovative Alzheimer’s research spearheaded by faculty at the UW School of Nursing:

  • Drs. Azita Emami, Gabriella Engstrom, and Hyejin Kim are working on a multidisciplinary music intervention project to develop an innovative, reliable method to assess stress collecting salivary cortisol and DHEA-S among persons with dementia and their family caregivers living at home in Sweden.
  • Dr. Sue McCurry is collaborating with colleagues at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego examining relationships between brain aging, dementia, and device-measured physical activity and sleep over the 24-hour day. The study is part of the newly funded Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) longitudinal study which has been collecting data continuously since 1994.
  • Drs. Linda Teri and Sue McCurry are collaborating with colleagues at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute on a pragmatic trial testing the impact of a virtual training program for care partners of persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (STAR-VTF).
  • Dr. Tatiana Sadak is leading local, national and international initiatives in developing a dementia capable healthcare workforce
  • Drs. Oleg Zaslavsky and Annie Chen from Biomedical Informatics are working on evaluating web-based intervention to support caregivers of people with Lewy body dementia. Oleg Zaslavsky is also working on developing a mobile intervention to support healthy eating among people with early dementia.
  • Dr. Basia Belza and Boeun Kim, PhD and MPH student, are collaborating with the Alzheimer’s Association on evaluating the feasibility of a coaching model to implement Dementia Care Practice Recommendations in assisted living communities in Washington and Montana.

de Tornyay Healthy Aging Scholars’ Virtual Symposium

On Thursday, May 20th, our 2020-2021 de Tornyay Healthy Aging Scholars presented their projects at the center’s Virtual Symposium. Thank you to everyone who joined us! Topics ranged from dementia caregivers’ self-care to social integration after injury and preparing for age-related changes. Dr. Grethe Cammermeyer provided a musical interlude preforming a song she wrote, “Know me”, inspired by Doris Carnevali.

PhD Scholars
Susie Cho, Myrene C. McAninch Doctoral Scholar
Wonkyung Jung, Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholar
Wendy Wilson, Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholar
Kuan-Ching Wu, Healthy Aging Pre-doctoral Scholar

DNP Scholars
Claire Han, Germaine Krysan Doctoral Scholar
Lisa Neisinger, Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholar
Olga Yudich, Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholar

Undergraduate Scholars
Hillary Frey, Myrene C. McAninch Undergraduate Scholar
Derick Welsh, Germaine Krysan Undergraduate Scholar

View the recording of the event for a limited time here.

2021 Pathways to Healthy Aging Awardees

Olga Yudich (DNP) – Improving Coordination of Care of Highly Complex Geriatric Patients in Primary Care

How does your DNP project advance healthy aging? Healthy aging is the ability to age well and to age in place within one’s community. To do so, older adults will often require social services. My research has found that older adults with unmet social needs have a higher risk of morbidity and mortality. My project focuses on integrating social services into healthcare delivery, as primary care is well situated to be the hub of care coordination.

Liam Malpass (DNP) – Improving Utilization of Telehealth among Clinicians Caring for Older Adults

How does your DNP project advance healthy aging? This project supports healthy aging by facilitating increased care access for older adults by improving clinician use of telehealth. It examines experiences of geriatric care providers and harnesses evidence-based practice to develop guidance to overcome barriers. This project provides a foundation for strategic development of telehealth to enhance geriatric care.

 Boeun Kim (PhD)

How does  your PhD project or dissertation advance healthy aging? As of 2021, 6.2 million older adults are estimated to have Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) in the United States. In the absence of available pharmacologic treatments for stopping the progression of AD/ADRD, it is important to identify factors that prevent and delay cognitive decline. My dissertation evaluated if neighborhood attributes can provide a favorable environment for cognitive health among older adults. The study findings would provide foundational evidence of developing strategies to improve cognitive function through modifying neighborhood environments in older adults.

Congratulations to the 2020-2021 dTC Scholars

The de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging is pleased to announce the 2020-2021 Healthy Aging Scholarship recipients.

We extend our thanks and high regard to all who applied. Scholarship recipients receive funds and support for research projects related to healthy aging and older adults.

Please join us in congratulating these exceptional scholars and their faculty mentors!

The 2020-2021 doctoral scholars and their mentors

PhD RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIPS:

Susie Cho, Myrene C. McAninch Doctoral Scholar

Topic:  A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of the Facilitators and Barriers to Self-care Practices in Care Partners of People Living with Dementia

Faculty Mentor:  Tatiana Sadak PhD, PMHNP, RN, FAAN

 

Wonkyung Jung, Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholar

Topic:  Social Integration after Traumatic Brain Injury in Older Adults

Faculty Mentor:  Hilaire Thompson, PhD, RN, CNRN, ACNP-BC, FAAN

 

Wendy Wilson, Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholar

Topic:  Significance of Dignity in End-of-Life

Faculty Mentor:  Donna Berry, PhD, RN, AOCN, FAAN-DF/HCC

 

DNP RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIPS:

Claire Han, Germaine Krysan Doctoral Scholar

Topic:  Tailoring Chronic Disease Management Care Pathways to Older Adults and their Caregivers in Adults Family Homes

Faculty Mentor:  Hilaire Thompson, PhD, RN, CNRN, ACNP-BC, FAAN

 

Lisa Neisinger, Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholar

Topic:  Home ZIP Code Outcomes in Older Burn and Trauma Patients

Faculty Mentor:  Hilaire Thompson, PhD, RN, CNRN, ACNP-BC, FAAN

 

Olga Yudich, Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholarship

Topic:  Improving Coordination of Care of Highly Complex Geriatric Patients

Faculty Mentor:  Hilaire Thompson, PhD, RN, CNRN, ACNP-BC, FAAN

 

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIP:

Hillary Frey, Myrene C. McAninch Undergraduate Scholar

Topic:  Identification of Triggers that Alert Older Adults to Prepare for Age-related Changes

Faculty Mentor:  Shaoqing Ge PhD, MPH

 

Derick Welsh, Germaine Krysan Undergraduate Scholar

Topic:  Learning about the Engaging with Aging (EWA) Experience among Older Adults

Faculty Mentor:  Basia Belza PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA

Apply to our Healthy Aging Scholarships Today!

The de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging is pleased to provide scholarships to both undergraduate and graduate nursing students to pursue research or investigative projects related to healthy aging or gerontology. Funds are unrestricted and are intended to support students while doing their research. Faculty mentors offer individual guidance and serve as valuable resources for beginning researchers. Learn more here

de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging Student Open House

When: Monday, October 5, 2:30-3:30pm

Zoom session link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/97451314236

UW School of Nursing students are invited to come learn about the de Tornyay Center’s Healthy Aging Research Scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students, travel awards for graduate students, and other UW resources. Hear from other School of Nursing students engaged in healthy aging research and clinical work.

Join us for Ignite Aging 2020

Join us for a symposium, featuring UW School of Nursing students, faculty and alumni on healthy aging research. The program will include talks on music and memory, accelerated aging in cancer, health care for released inmates and more.

Learn more here