On October 15, 2025, the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research (FNINR) awarded the 2025 Faye Glenn Abdellah Leadership Award to the UW School of Nursing’s de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging. The award was presented at the FNINR annual gala in Washington D.C.
As described by FNINR, “the Faye Glenn Abdellah Leadership Award is named for the renowned nurse researcher whose vision has resulted in inestimable value created by nurse scientists over the years. The recipient will be an organization or individual with a sustained or lasting impact on nursing science through advocacy, institutional leadership, or an individual program of research that has led to public awareness of the value of nursing science in improving health at the individual and/or population levels.”
The de Tornyay Center is the first center to receive the Faye Glenn Abdellah Leadership Award since its inception in 2018. The center joins a cohort of remarkable recipients, including former UW School of Nursing Dean, Dr. Nancy Woods.
The award recognizes the center’s more than 25 years of supporting nursing science. In that time, the center has mentored over 165 scholars, awarded more than $750,000 in research funding to students and $200,000 to faculty for pilot studies. Center grants have created new partnerships and led to further funding and scientific publications. Many of the center’s alumni attribute their career success and passion for research to its mentorship, underscoring its impact on shaping the next generation of nurse scientists and leaders in healthy aging.
“I participated as a de Tornyay Undergraduate Research Scholar when I was getting my BSN… I did a project about spirituality and aging and presented it at a de Tornyay Center event. It was a small project, but it allowed me to see the whole research process. That experience was transformative for me and inspired my interest in research. After graduation I joined the US Navy Nurse Corps and didn’t immediately pursue graduate education or research. Eventually, I found my way back and I want to say thank you for the part the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging played in my development as a nurse scholar.” – Katie A. Haerling, BSN ’03 and 2025 AAN fellow inductee
The center bridges nursing, medicine, social work, public health, informatics and other health sciences to develop, evaluate and implement innovative interventions for older adults. Center affiliates lead pioneering research on frailty, dementia care, physical activity, digital health solutions, and more. de Tornyay Center alumni and international collaborators play a central role in innovative, aging-focused research and educational initiatives in Thailand, China, Taiwan, Germany and beyond.
“I think the center does miracles. I have vivid memories of years ago, gerontological nursing was looked down upon as an area of study and nursing science. The center has elevated it to its important focus!” – Fran Lewis, UW School of Nursing faculty
The de Tornyay Center is named for Dr. Rheba de Tornyay, a leader and pioneer in gerontological nursing who also recognized the importance of training the next generation of nurse scientists. In 1998, she and her husband Rudy endowed the center with a vision that it would play an integral role in healthy aging by leading innovative research, training nurse scientists across their career trajectories, advancing clinical practice, fostering local, national and international collaborations, and influencing policy to improve the lives of all older adults. The center is proud to carry on Dr. de Tornyay’s legacy of excellence in gerontological nursing education, research, and practice today.
“I am grateful to Rheba and Rudy de Tornyay and all our donors for their belief in the mission of the center. Thank you to our Dean, Hilaire Thompson for her unwavering support of the center, to our innovative community partners who are improving care for older adults, to our former Center directors who have led with the vision for advancing nursing science, to our center staff who are integral members of our team, to our faculty who research cutting-edge topics, and to our students who ask the tough questions, represent the future of nursing science, and carry forward Dr. de Tornyay’s vision,” Dr. Belza, de Tornyay Center director, on receipt of the award.
As the world faces an aging population and increasing demands for aging-centric healthcare solutions, the de Tornyay Center remains at the forefront, driving discoveries that influence clinical practice, inform public policy, and empower communities. The de Tornyay Center’s ongoing efforts to mentor emerging nurse scientists, foster research collaborations, and pioneer solutions to pressing gerontological health challenges ensure that its impact will endure for generations to come.