October 10, 2017

de Tornyay Center leadership update

Azita Emami

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Barbara Cochrane has been reappointed the de Tornyay Endowed Professor for Healthy Aging. Her new term runs through March 31, 2022.

I would also like to notify you of a leadership change within the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging. Barbara, who has also served as the center’s director since 2005, will step away from her administrative leadership role at the center to focus on her research and teaching. She will continue to serve as a professor in our Family and Child Nursing department.

We will begin an internal search for Barbara’s replacement this Fall. We hope to have the new director in place at the beginning of Winter quarter. Barbara has graciously agreed to continue as director during this process, and all activities slated for fiscal year 2018 will continue as planned. More details about the search will be provided as soon as they are available.

Barbara is a world renowned expert in older women’s health and healthy aging. She has co-directed the center with Dr. Nancy Fugate Woods since 2013. Together, they have worked to honor and advance Dean Emerita Rheba de Tornyay’s vision for the center to serve as a catalyst for promoting healthy aging through its support of research and education in the field of gerontology.

Since taking the leadership role with the center, Barbara has enhanced research support for both students and faculty; established conference travel scholarship funds for students to disseminate their work at professional meetings regionally to internationally; engaged strong collaborative networks of university, community, and national colleagues in promoting aging research and services; and positioned the center as a lead provider of the highly-successful Elder Friendly Futures annual conference.

Barbara will continue to advance the center’s work through her numerous research partnerships within the school, the university, regionally, and beyond, as well as through her mentorship of students and early-career faculty.

Barbara has my deepest appreciation for the years of hard work and leadership she has invested in the de Tornyay Center. I look forward to her new research initiatives, including the launch of an exciting pilot project, the Washington Wellness Network.

In the meantime, please join me in thanking Barbara for her leadership at the de Tornyay Center.