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For Immediate Release |
Contact: Todd Kluss |
Kolanowski Earns GSA’s 2012 Doris Schwartz Gerontological Nursing Research Award
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — has chosen Ann Kolanowski, PhD, RN, FAAN, of The Pennsylvania State University as the 2012 recipient of the Doris Schwartz Gerontological Nursing Research Award.
This distinguished honor, presented by GSA’s Health Sciences Section in collaboration with the John A. Hartford Foundation’s Institute for Geriatric Nursing, is given to a member of the Society in recognition of outstanding and sustained contribution to geriatric nursing research.
The award presentation will take place at GSA’s 65th Annual Scientific Meeting, which will be held from November 14 to 18 in San Diego. This conference is organized to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, educators, and practitioners who specialize in the study of the aging process. Visit www.geron.org/annualmeeting for further details.
Kolanowski is the Elouise Ross Eberly Professor of Nursing in the School of Nursing at the Pennsylvania State University, where she is also a professor of psychiatry in the College of Medicine and director of the Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence. She additionally is an adjunct professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania.
Over the course of her career, Kolanowski has been devoted to improving the quality of life of older adults with dementia. She has developed and disseminated research that focuses on building a strong body of scientific evidence that supports the use of theory-based, non-pharmacological interventions for behavioral symptoms in persons with dementia and delirium.
Because of her efforts, those adults experiencing the devastating effects of dementing illnesses now can benefit from innovative approaches to activity treatment that promote personal identity and dignity throughout the progressive spiral of losses associated with these conditions. In turn, these strategies help decrease the distressing behavioral issues faced by informal and formal caregivers.
Kolanowski’s practice initiatives have been incorporated into national practice guidelines for the care of persons with dementia. Most recently, as part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care, she convened a group of academicians, clinicians, and researchers to review current evidence for non-pharmacological interventions in nursing home residents with dementia.
Kolanowski is a GSA fellow, which represents the Society’s highest class of membership.
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The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society — and its 5,400+ members — is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public. GSA’s structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society, and an educational branch, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education.
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Mildred M. Seltzer Distinguished Service Recognition
Presented to C. Joanne Grabinski, PhD, Eastern Michigan University, and Mary Alice Wolf, PhD, Saint Joseph University.
This award honors colleagues who are near retirement or recently retired. Recipients are individuals who have been actively involved in AGHE through service on committees, as elected officers, and/or have provided leadership in one of AGHE’s grant-funded projects.
Administrative Leadership Award
Presented to Tammy M. Bray, PhD, Oregon State University
This award honors administrators on AGHE member campuses who have made exceptional efforts in support of gerontology or geriatrics education.
David A. Peterson Gerontology & Geriatrics Education Best Paper of the Volume Award
Presented to Nina M. Silverstein, PhD, University of Massachusetts Boston; Elizabeth Johns, MS, University of Massachusetts Boston; and Judith A. Griffin, MA, MS, University of Massachusetts Boston, for the article “Students Explore Livable Communities.” Honorable mention is given to Emily J. Robbins, MS, Miami University; Jennifer M. Kinney, PhD, Miami University; and Cary S. Kart, PhD, Miami University, for the article “Promoting Active Engagement in Health Research: Lessons Learned from an Undergraduate Gerontology Capstone Course.”
The purpose of this award is to recognize excellence in scholarship in academic gerontology in AGHE’s official journal, Gerontology & Geriatrics Education.
Graduate Student Paper Award
Presented to Deborah Gray, MBA, University of Massachusetts Boston, for the paper “Weight and Wealth: The Relationship between Obesity and Net Worth for Pre-Retirement Age Men and Women.”
This award acknowledges excellence in scholarly work conducted by an AGHE Annual Meeting student attendee.
Book Award for Best Children’s Literature on Aging
Presented to Caitlin Dale Nicholson and Leona Morinn-Nelson for “Niwechihaw/I help” in the primary reader (pre-K to 2nd grade) category, and Ann Grifalconi and Jerry Pickney for “Ain’t Nobody A Stranger to Me” in the elementary reader (3rd to 5th grade) category.
This award recognizes portrayals of meaningful aging in children’s literature.
