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Scholar Spotlight: Wenting Peng

Wenting Peng is a first-year PhD in Nursing Science student and one of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s predoctoral scholars. She is also one of the 2024-2025 UW Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences Blalock Fellows. Her mentor from her graduate program is former de Tornyay Center scholar Minhui Liu, PhD, RN. Peng’s research areas of interest include aging-related health concerns. Peng also recently presented several poster and podium presentations on healthy aging topics at the Gerontological…

Scholar Spotlight: Jessica Welsch

Jessica served as a Person-centered Care Coach on project in Washington State spearheaded by the Alzheimer’s Association. The project aimed to help long-term care facilities improve quality care for people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia by implementing the Alzheimer’s Association’s Dementia Practice Care Recommendations. Welsch was the first author on an award-winning abstract describing the program, presented at the Western Institute of Nursing’s April 2024 conference. Read more about the project in the recent Northwest PrimeTime article.  How did you…

Scholar Spotlight: Lee-Ling Chen

Lee-Ling Chen is one of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s 2023-2024 Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholars, and a UW School of Nursing Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Doctor of Nursing Practice student. Her project is on “Fall Prevention and Management for Older Adults in Assisted Living Service Programs within Retirement Communities”. Her faculty mentor is Jonathan Auld, PhD, MAT, RN. Why did you choose nursing? My interest in nursing dates back to when I was about 10 years…

Scholar Spotlight: Shao-Yun Chien

Shao-Yun Chien is a UW School of Nursing PhD in Nursing Science candidate and one of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s 2023-2024 Healthy Aging Scholars. Her dissertation is on “Developing a Culturally Sensitive Web-based Discussion Platform to Reduce Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Older Chinese Immigrants.” Her faculty mentor is Oleg Zaslavsky. Why did you choose nursing? I grew up in a family where many members were part of the healthcare industry, and they were always eager to…

Scholar Spotlight: Emilie Martel-Rousseau

Emilie Martel-Rousseau is a DNP student in the Adult-Gerontology Primary Track and the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s 2023-2024 Myrene C. McAninch Doctoral Scholar. Her mentor is Assistant Professor Maya Elias and her de Tornyay Center research project is the “Dementia Action Collaborative Provider Survey.”  What interests you about healthy aging?   I always enjoy caring for and connecting with older adults. As I was entering this program, I wanted to focus more on what I can do for healthy…

Scholar Spotlight: Hsin-Ni Lee

Hsin-Ni Lee is a UW School of Nursing BSN student and the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s 2023-2024 Myrene C. McAninch Undergraduate Scholar. Her de Tornyay Center project is on “The Relationship of Ageism, Aging, and Music on Cognitive Health: Perspectives of Mandarin-Speaking Older Adults,” and her project mentors are center director Basia Belza and center predoctoral scholar Sarah McKiddy. Why did you choose nursing? It all started with my mom because my mom is also a nurse, and…

Scholar Spotlight: Lalipat Phianhasin

Lalipat Phianhasin, MS, RN, AGPCNP-BC is a second-year Ph.D. in Nursing Science student and the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging illustrator. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Eeeseung Byun. Her area of interest centers around social factors related to stroke survivors’ quality of life. What interested you about stroke research? I have a clinical background working with stroke patients, especially in the acute phase. My research will center around stroke survivors because, based on my experience, I know that most…

Scholar Spotlight: Yanjing Liang

Yanjing Liang is a first year PhD student and one of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s predoctoral scholars. Her research areas of interest include aging-related medical issues. Why did you choose nursing? The original reason is my family members have some chronic diseases. I learned nursing so that I could take care of them and provide them with health knowledge. After I chose nursing, I think nursing chose me at the same time. I like nursing. It can…

Scholar Spotlight: Esther Mwaniki

Esther Mwaniki is a bachelor’s in nursing science student and the Tornyay Center’s 2022-2023 Germaine Krysan Undergraduate Scholar. Her project is “Examining symptoms of post-intensive care syndrome in older intensive care unit survivors with end-stage renal disease”. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Maya Elias. Why did you choose nursing? My lifelong dream was to be a nurse. This was informed by my upbringing, observing my two aunts who were nurses in Kenya and a Tanzanian Registered Nurse I worked with…

Scholar Spotlight: Jaemie Lam

Jaemie Lam is a BSN student. During winter quarter in 2023, she traveled to Japan as part of the Keio University Short-Term Nursing and Medical Care Studies Program to learn about challenges of an aging society. UW students attending the program were supported by the Center for Global Health Nursing and the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging. Why did you choose nursing? It was a long process. I believe my interest in nursing sparked from my interactions with nurses…