School of Nursing Researcher Honored for Excellence in Geriatric Nursing
A nationally known University of Rochester School of Nursing researcher recently received a 2008 Excellence in Gerontological Nursing Education award from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), in collaboration with The John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing and New York University.
Nancy Watson, R.N., Ph.D., founding director of the Elaine C. Hubbard Center for Nursing Research on Aging at the School of Nursing received the Geriatric Nursing Faculty Champion Award. The honor recognizes her expertise in geriatric nursing practice, her ability to lead curricular innovation, and her long-time efforts to encourage students to pursue careers working with the elderly.
“AACN is committed to advancing geriatric nursing education and improving the quality of health care,” said C. Fay Raines, Ph.D., R.N., AACN president. “Together with the Hartford Institute and NYU, we proudly honor the educators who are making strides in preparing nurses to provide the best patient care possible for our country’s aging population.”
Margaret Lash, R.N., M.S., A.N.P., an instructor in clinical nursing at the School of Nursing who has worked with Watson for many years, nominated her for the honor. “She is widely respected for her work and recognized as one of our leading experts in geriatric care. Yet she is humble and approachable,” wrote Lash in her nomination letter. “She has an instant rapport with the elderly as well as her students, and both have benefited from her wisdom, guidance and patience. The yardstick with which she measures her career is the question she often asks, ‘Do you think we are making a difference?’”
Watson, a graduate of the University for Rochester School of Nursing, has a background in health services research and epidemiology. Her research focuses on the care of nursing home residents. Most recently, she conducted a multi-site study of end-of-life care of nursing home residents with dementia during the last year of life.
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