Dr. Tracey Gendron serves as Chair for the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Gerontology, as Director for the Virginia Center on Aging and is the author of the book Ageism Unmasked: Exploring Age Bias and How to End It. With over 25 years of experience as a grant- funded researcher and nationally recognized speaker, Tracey is dedicated to raising awareness and ending ageism through education. Tracey has a Master’s degree in Gerontology, a Master’s degree in Psychology, and a Ph.D….
Category: Spotlights
The Age of Ageism
by Sarah McKiddy, UW School of Nursing de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging Predoctoral Scholar This article is a part of a series on ageism, completed by de Tornyay Center predoctoral scholar, Sarah McKiddy. Find accompanying interviews on ageism here. According to the World Health Organization, ageism decreases an individual’s lifespan by 7.5 years. Ageism involves stereotypes, prejudices, or discrimination based on age. Ageism can occur at different levels: self-directed (internalized), interpersonal (between individuals), and institutional (policies, laws, and protocols)….
Spotlight Interview: Emily Hilderman
Dr. Emily Hilderman is a UW School of Nursing DNP alumni and previously worked as a graduate staff associate at the de Tornyay Center. Dr. Hilderman is a primary care nurse practitioner at UW Medicine and Era Living retirement communities. A clinical preceptor, she works with nurse practitioner students from the adult geriatric program as part of her work in the UW Medicine clinic. Why did you choose nursing? After finishing my BA, I was working in an adult day…
Scholar Spotlight: Michael Drake
Michael Drake is a 4th year BSN student, and the recipient of the 2021 Queen Silvia Nursing Award, hosted by the Queen of Sweden. Drake’s idea for the award is a platform that allows patients and their caregivers to easily share information with medical providers. His areas of interest include acute care, palliative care, end of life care Why did you choose nursing? Years ago, my mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness. I quit my job and school to…
Scholar Spotlight: Meaghan Oakes
Meaghan Oakes is one of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s 2021-2022 Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholars. Oakes’ de Tornyay Center project is “Improving Advance Care Planning within the Geriatrics Department at Confluence Health”, and her faculty mentor is Dr. Katie Kemble. What are your areas of interest? My areas of interest are family practice and health across the lifespan. I like the idea of watching patients grow, whether they’re elderly and grow into old age or they’re young and…
Scholar Spotlight: Lia Kaluna
Lia Kaluna is the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s 2021-2022 Germaine Krysan Undergraduate Scholar. A fourth year BSN student, her project is Identifying Key Landmarks of Central District’s Historically Black Neighborhoods. The project is a part of the Seattle SHARP study. SHARP Portland was originally developed by Raina Croff, PhD, an anthropologist at Oregon Health State University. A local team is now developing SHARP Seattle based on the findings from Dr. Croff and her team. Kaluna’s faculty mentor is…
Scholar Spotlight: Claire Kane
Claire Kane is the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s 2021-2022 Myrene C. McAninch Undergraduate Scholar. Kane’s areas of interest are nurse-midwifery, women veterans, perinatal substance use disorder. Her de Tornyay Center project is, “Exploring Women Veteran’s Experiences of Substance Use Disorder Treatment in the Puget Sound Veterans Affairs Healthcare System: A Mixed Methods Approach”, and her faculty mentor is Dr. Ira Kantrowitz-Gordon. Why did you choose nursing? My background is in perinatal substance use disorder treatment, so the treatment…
Scholar Spotlight: Frances Chu
France Chu is one of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging’s 2021-2022 Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholars. A PhD in Nursing Science Student, Chu’s areas of interest are technology for older adults and implementation science, as well as health literacy and information management. Her de Tornyay Center project is “Implementing Task Sharing of Tele-mental Interventions in Primary Care”, and her mentors are Drs. Oleg Zaslavsky, Erin Abu-Rish Blakeney, and Brenna Renn (University of Nevada). Why did you choose to go…
Scholar Spotlight: Tao Zheng
Tao Zheng is a PhD in Nursing Science student, studying sleep and cognition in individuals with advanced heart failure after receiving a left ventricular assist device. In 2020, he published an editorial in the Journal of Gerontological Nursing, titled “Who Cares? An Existential Perspective of Caregiving for Individuals with a Left Ventricular Assist Device.” His faculty mentor is Cynthia Dougherty. How did you first get involved in nursing? I started my nursing education by becoming a nursing assistant. At the…
Scholar Spotlight: Hyejin Kim
Dr. Hyejin Kim is a post-doctoral scholar with the School of Nursing. She is working with Dr. Azita Emami and researchers at the Karolinska Insitute in Sweden to study stress and music therapy in people with dementia and their caregivers. Why did you choose nursing? There was no question. I always wanted to make a difference as a nurse. I worked as a nurse in South Korea in the neurology and organ transplantation units. I was responsible for making the…