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The de Tornyay Center

For the past two decades, our center has served as a catalyst for healthy aging through our support of research, education and clinical practice.

By 2030, 20% of the US population is expected to be over 65, and 80% of older adults have at least one chronic condition. There is a growing need for geriatric focused healthcare treatment and approaches, and yet only 5% of nurses in Washington state identify gerontology as their specialty.

The de Tornyay Center is dedicated to addressing and embracing the changing needs of our population, building robust pathways to healthy aging that are supported by innovative nursing research and a nursing workforce knowledgeable about older adults.

We support and mentor early-career nursing researchers interested in gerontological nursing and nursing research, through our student awards and scholarships and our quarterly journal clubs.

We provide internal pilot grants for researchers at the UW School of Nursing to get their healthy aging research projects off the ground, and host numerous outreach events at the UW and in the community, including our popular Ignite Aging Symposium, which brings the latest nursing aging research to the public.

To date, we have supported over 140 students, and awarded over $150,000 in pilot research funds.

Rheba de Tornyay and Her Vision

Named for Rheba de Tornyay, Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Washington from 1975 to 1986, our center continues on her legacy of excellence in nursing and gerontology.