The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — has chosen Eileen M. Sullivan-Marx, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the New York University College of Nursing, as the 2013 recipient of the Doris Schwartz Gerontological Nursing Research Award.
This distinguished honor, presented by GSA's Health Sciences Section in collaboration with the John A. Hartford Foundation's Institute for Geriatric Nursing, is given to a member of the Society in recognition of outstanding and sustained contribution to geriatric nursing research.
The award presentation will take place at GSA's 65th Annual Scientific Meeting, which will be held from November 20 to 24 in New Orleans. This conference is organized to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, educators, and practitioners who specialize in the study of the aging process. Visit http://www.geron.org/annualmeeting for further details.
Sullivan-Marx joined the New York University College of Nursing in 2012 as the dean and the Erline Perkins McGriff Professor. She is a nationally recognized leader in the care of older adults, advanced practice nursing payment, sustaining models of care using advanced practice nurses locally and globally, and developing health policy in community-based, long- term care settings. Her distinguished body of research has focused on improving functional outcomes of older adults, studying factors that promote and prevent exercise in the community for frail older adults, and advancing nursing roles in interprofessional teams.
For much of her career, she was affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, where she served as a professor of scholarly practice, the associate dean for practice & community affairs, and Shearer Endowed Term Chair for Healthy Community Practices. There Sullivan-Marx led and integrated the award-winning practice and community mission that included the school's Program of All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE), its Living Independently For Elders (LIFE) program, the Healthy in Philadelphia Initiative, Penn Nursing Consultation Service, the Penn Council of Nurses, and the Center for Professional Development. She is a Distinguished Alumni of the University of Rochester School of Nursing. In 2008, she chaired the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Commission on Senior Care Services, and was also a Health and Aging Policy Fellow and senior advisor to the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, from 2010 to 2012.
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society — and its 5,400+ members — is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public. GSA's structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society, and an educational branch, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education.