Category: Spotlights

Sarah McKiddy is a first year PhD in Nursing Science student and the de Tornyay Center’s 2021 pre-doctoral scholar. Her faculty mentor is Basia Belza. Her research interests include neurocognitive disorders, healthy equity, and building the evidence to support music as a therapeutic intervention. Why did you choose nursing? Through a culmination of my mom’s cancer treatment years ago and the quest for more engagement with my community, I viewed nursing as a field with opportunities to continually self-reflect and…

Shumenghui Zhai is a third-year PhD in Nursing Science Student. She was awarded the 2021 Western Institute of Nursing Carol A. Lindeman Award for a New Researcher for her work, the first UW student or faculty to win the award since 2008. Her dissertation is about tech-enabled solutions for sleep research in children with chronic conditions and their caregivers. Hui’s dissertation faculty mentor is Teresa Ward. What made you choose nursing? Most of my family members are healthcare professionals. My…

Olga Yudich was one of the recipients of the de Tornyay Center’s 2021 Pathways to Healthy Aging Award and one of the de Tornyay Center’s Healthy Aging Scholars. A recent DNP graduate, her project was ‘ Improving Coordination of Care of Highly Complex Geriatric Patients in Primary Care’. Her faculty mentor was Hilaire Thompson. Why did you choose nursing? My mom was a nurse in Ukraine. Back in high school, I was going between business and the medical field, and she…

Claire Han was the de Tornyay Center’s 2020-2021 Germaine Krysan Doctoral Scholar. A recent DNP graduate, Han’s project was ‘Tailoring Chronic Disease Management Care Pathways to Older Adults and their Caregivers in Adults Family Homes’ and faculty mentors were Hilaire Thompson and Kristen Childress. Why did you choose nursing? When I was between five and eight years old, my mom had severe anemia, and went to the hospital multiples times in a year. Most of the time I followed her…

Susie Cho was the de Tornyay Center’s 2020 Myrene C. McAninch Doctoral Scholar. A PhD student, Cho’s project was ‘A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of the Facilitators and Barriers to Self-care Practices in Care Partners of People Living with Dementia’ and faculty mentor was Tatiana Sadak. Why did you choose nursing? I was fond of what my grandfather did as a physician and so I would always go into his clinic whenever I had a chance. I think my admiration for what…

Liam Malpass was one of the recipients of the de Tornyay Center’s 2021 Pathways to Healthy Aging Award. A recent DNP graduate, his project was ‘ Improving Utilization of Telehealth among Clinicians Caring for Older Adults’. His faculty mentor was Gail Johnson. Why did you choose nursing? Nursing was a natural career path for me. I’ve always loved helping people and have been interested in science and health. My mother works in a hospital as an educator and so I grew…

Wendy Wilson is one of the 2020-2021 de Tornyay Center Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholars. A PhD in Nursing Science student, Wilson’s mentor is Donna Berry, and research areas of interest include personalized end of life care focused on patient dignity and health disparities in access to specialized end of life care. Why did you choose nursing? My mom is a cancer survivor. She had a bone marrow transplant when I was very young, and I adored her nurses, so I went to nursing school….

Wonkyung Jung is one of the 2020-2021 de Tornyay Center Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholars. A PhD in Nursing Science student, Jung’s research is in social integration and traumatic brain injury in older adults. Jung’s faculty mentor is Hilaire Thompson. Why did you choose nursing? My grandfather was a medical student, but because of the Korean war he couldn’t complete his dream. He always told me that the medical profession could be valuable, and I wanted to follow his dream. I thought being…

Lisa Neisinger is one of the 2020-2021 de Tornyay Center Healthy Aging Doctoral Scholars. An Adult Gerontology Acute Care DNP student, Neisinger’s areas of interest are adult acute and intensive care. Neisinger’s faculty mentor is Hilarie Thompson. Why did you choose nursing? I had a long road to becoming a nurse. Initially, I thought that I wanted to pursue business. I finished three years towards my business degree and then decided it wasn’t for me. I ended up managing a gym…

Derick Welsh is the de Tornyay Center’s Germaine Krysan Undergraduate Scholar. An ABSN student, his project is ‘Learning about the Engaging with Aging (EWA) Experience among Older Adults’. His faculty mentor is Basia Belza. All interviews have been edited for length and clarity.  Find more scholar spotlight interviews here.  Why did you choose nursing? My first interest has always been health and wellness. I received my first undergraduate degree in sports medicine. I worked in a hospital with a Tier II trauma center…