Two U of M Faculty Selected by the John A. Hartford Foundation as 2008-2010 Fellows and Scholars

Contact
Laura Stroup, Academic Health Center, 612-624-5680, stro0481@umn.edu                    
Melissa Ritter, Academic Health Center, 612-626-7027, ritt0114@umn.edu

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (May 28, 2008) - Mary Dierich, M.S., R.N., G.N.P.-B.C., and Kristine Talley, Ph.D., M.S., R.N., A.P.R.N.-B.C., School of Nursing, were selected as 2008-10 John A. Hartford Foundation academic geriatric nursing scholar and fellow, respectively.           

The awards were given by the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity program as part of an initiative to increase the number of experts in geriatric nursing. The program aims to ease the projected health care worker shortage that will care for aging baby-boomers.              

"These awards show the excellence of our faculty and their ability to train future nurses," said Jean Wyman, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., F.G.S.A, director of the Harford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at the University of Minnesota. "This will expose them to a national network of nursing specialists and resources to forward their research."         

Dierich, a teaching specialist in the School of Nursing, was one of 15 recipients of the predoctoral scholar award, which finances up to two years of tuition to support her doctoral training. Dierich’s research, which studies medication use among community-dwelling elders, is consistent with the program’s goal to advance geriatric care. "This award allows me the opportunity to be mentored by some of the best minds in geriatrics while I complete my dissertation," Dierich said. "At the same time, being a Hartford scholar will grant me the flexibility to work with lower-income populations which are among the most underserved, in order to understand the issues that most affect their quality of life."         

Talley, a graduate instructor in the School of Nursing, was one of 10 recipients of the Claire M. Fagin postdoctoral fellow award.  She was the previous winner of the John A. Hartford predoctoral scholar award. This award provides funding to support research training, mentorship, leadership, and career development in geriatric care. Talley is researching methods to improve the health and functioning of older adults in nursing homes. "I am excited about this award because it facilitated collaborative efforts with nurse researchers from around the country,” Talley said. “That includes the National Center for Health Statistics, Duke University, and the University of Maryland."        

Founded in 1929, the John A. Hartford Foundation is a committed champion of training, research and service system innovations that promote the health and independence of America's older adults. Through its grantmaking, the Foundation seeks to strengthen the nation's capacity to provide effective, affordable care to this rapidly increasing older population by educating "aging-prepared" health professionals (physicians, nurses, social workers), and developing innovations that improve and better integrate health and supportive services. The Foundation was established by John A. Hartford. Mr. Hartford and his brother, George L. Hartford, both former chief executives of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, left the bulk of their estates to the Foundation upon their deaths in the 1950's. Additional information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.jhartfound.org. 

The University of Minnesota School of Nursing is ranked among the nation’s top nursing schools. It is a leader in nursing research and has a combined undergraduate and graduate enrollment of approximately 850 students. The school produces 55 percent of the faculty in Minnesota’s public and private nursing schools, advanced practice nurses and nurses who can assume leadership positions. It is the oldest continuously-operated, university-based school of nursing. The School of Nursing is one of six schools and colleges in the Academic Health Center, one of the most comprehensive facilities for health professionals in the nation, fostering interdisciplinary study, research and education. For more information, visit www.nursing.umn.edu.