Through a grant from the Foundation in 2001, the School launched the UCSF/John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence under the leadership of Jeanie Kayser-Jones, RN, PhD, FAAN. She has been the director of the Center for the past 5 years.

The UCSF Center is one of only five specializing in geriatric nursing in the U.S. funded by the Foundation.

The renewal award for $1,050,000 over the next five years will allow the UCSF Center to continue its mission of preparing an exceptional cadre of nurse scientists who will provide academic leadership in the teaching, research and practice of geriatric nursing.

"This new grant makes it possible for us to build on our strengths and accomplishments and to expand our reach to make use of resources throughout the Bay Area in carrying out our mission," said Margaret Wallhagen, RN, PhD, who will become director of the Center in January 2006. "As our senior population continues to grow, there is increasing demand to meet the complex needs of older adults with acute and chronic conditions across a spectrum of settings. We are working to prepare an adequate supply of gerontological nurses to meet the demand, and this means educating future leaders and practitioners in this field," she added.

To achieve this goal, the new funding will support strategic initiatives in three target areas of the UCSF Center:

--Master's and doctoral program expansion: Recruit more than 22 students each year for five years, maintain and enhance cultural diversity in the student population, and develop formal educational opportunities for students in palliative care and gero-psychiatry.

--Community and professional outreach: Collaborate with the Northern California Geriatric Education Center as well as hosp
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Contact: Corinna Kaarlela
ckaarlela@pubaff.ucsf.edu
415-476-2557
University of California - San Francisco
25-Jul-2005