Scholars, Fellows & Alumni in the News

At the core of the BAGNC program are the Scholars and Fellows. These women and men choose to apply and are selected because of their outstanding commitment to geriatric nursing and recognized potential for future leadership. Below are some examples of the important achievements of scholars, fellows, and alumni.

Scholars, Fellows, and Alumni in the News

Pao-Feng Tsai (2003-2005 Claire M. Fagin Fellow) was invested with the Alice An-Loh Sun Endowed Professorship in Geriatric Nursing at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Nursing. Tsai’s research focuses on pain assessment and management in elders with dementia.

Lazelle Benefield (2003-2005 Claire M. Fagin Fellow) has been named dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Nursing. Benefield, the Professor and Parry Chair in Gerontological Nursing and director of the Donald W. Reynolds Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence, has served as interim dean since Nov. 1, 2009.

Elena Siegel (2007-2009 Claire M. Fagin Fellow and 2004-2006 BAGNC Scholar) has been appointed assistant professor at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. Her research examines organizational and workforce capacity to support the care of older adults, focusing on organizational infrastructure systems and processes, and management and leadership competencies of the health-care workforce.

Elizabeth Galik (2003–2005 Scholar) received a three-year, $350,000 Nurse Faculty Scholar Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The program is designed to honor junior faculty who show promise as leaders in academic nursing. The grant will help Galik research a social, ecological model to test individuals' functionality and their relationships with assisted living facility staff.

Ashley Leak (2009–2011 Scholar) was first author on a poster (Drug Store Accessibility and Usability Project for Older Adults: Interdisciplinary Certificate in Aging, Fall 2008 ) which received the 2009 Interdisciplinary Center for Aging Research: Uniting Scientists (ICARUS) Award from University of North Carolina's Institute on Aging.

G. Adriana Perez (2009–2011 Fellow and 2007-2009 Scholar) received the Nursing Forces of Change Award from the Global Caring Nurses Foundation, Inc. for her research in promoting the health of older Hispanic women.

Therese DeVries Narzikul (2003-2005 MBA Scholar) has been appointed by Dr. Patrick Gallagher, Deputy Director of the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to the 2009 Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.  The Award, created by public law in 1987, is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive.

Adriana Perez (2007-2009 Scholar) was featured on NBC Nightly News for her exercise program for Latinas. To view the interview, please click HERE.

Kristine Williams (2001-2003 Fellow) and colleagues at the University of Kansas School of Nursing explored the relationship between how nursing home staff communicates with those with dementia and subsequent behaviors that disrupt care, or resistiveness to care (RTC). Specifically, the study found that "elderspeak" affected RTC behaviors. Findings from her research were reported at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Care (press release), and Kristine was interviewed on Good Morning America (video clip).

Jimmy Reyes (2008-2010 Scholar) Congratulations to Jimmy Reyes on being a recipient of the Avanzamos con Ayuda de United Health Scholarship. For more information click HERE.

Is The Program Working?
A recent independent evaluation of this program is available on-line at http://www.geriatricnursing.info/