• Hartford Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Scholar
  
  We are pleased to announce Jimmy Reyes as the first Hartford GNP Scholar. The American Academy of Colleges of Nursing and the John A. Hartford Foundation have developed a scholars program to increase the number of minorities in Geritric Nurse Practitioner roles. The University of Iowa College of Nursing is the recipient of a three-year grant to train minority Geriatric Nurse Practitioners. Jimmy’s training as a Hartford GNP Scholar includes opportunities to develop clinical excellence and leadership potential.

• W. Morris Lectureship was made possible by a gift from Woodrow W. & Mary Anders Morris. Through their generosity, many attendees at the 16th annual Long Term Care Conference were able to experience the wonderful play "The Quiet Moment", by Michael Finn and listen to the Woodrow Morris keynote address presented by Dr. William H Thomas, founder of the Eden Alternative. Click here for more about the Eden Alternative.

• The John A. Hartford Center and the Adult and Gerontological Nursing Area of Study at the College of Nursing would like to thank the following for their contributions to the 16th Annual Long Term Care Conference, November 10-11, 2005:
  - Alma Miller Ware Endowment Fund for Nursing
  - AoA Alzheimer Demonstration Grant # 90AZ2744-2
  - Iowa City Hospice
  - Mercy Iowa City
  - Hills Bank & Trust Company
  - Lensing Funeral and Cremation Services
  - The University of Iowa Center on Aging
  - Oaknoll Retirement Residence
  - The University of Iowa International Writers Program (IWP)
  - The University of Iowa School of Social Work
  - UI Gerontological Nursing Interventions Research Center
  - West Music Company, Inc.

• Dr. Herr and Dr. Titler Receive $2.8 million dollar grant

  Keela Herr, Professor of Nursing at The University of Iowa College of Nursing and Principal Investigator, and Marita Titler, Director of Research, Quality and Outcomes Management in the Department of Nursing and Patient Care Services at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and Co-Principal Investigator, are recipients of a 2.8 million dollar National Cancer Institute grant to study ways to improve cancer pain management in older adults. Click here for more details.

• AARP Taps Marianne Smith As Next Generation Thought Leade

  AARP, a membership association for people 50+, recently named Marianne Smith, a graduate fellow at The University of Iowa College of Nursing, as one of its 30 AARP Scholars for the 2005-2006 academic year. Smith was selected from a pool of 170 applicants - students from across the country studying gerontology, aging, or public policy. Click here for more details.

• GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON PUBLIC HEALTH: July 28-29

  The Governor's Conference on Public Health - Barn Raising V will be held at Drake University in Des Moines July 28-29. The conference offers nearly 50 breakout and training sessions with respected leaders in the public health field, and CEUs for attendees. A conference brochure, including a list of breakout sessions and CEUs available, lodging information, and more is available on the Iowa Department of Public Health web site under "conferences."

Registration fee for the two-day event is $50 before July 1. Late registration fee is $95. For more information about registration, contact Training Resources or 515-309-3315. For more information about the conference, contact Mary Weaver (515-360-8046).

The 2005 Iowa Health Fact Book, in CD ROM format, will be among the new publications distributed to Barn Raising V conference participants. A collaborative publication effort by the College of Public Health and the Iowa Department of Public Health, the fact book covers the latest data on disease incidence and mortality, health and social behaviors, health resources, and environmental factors.

CPH faculty members Linda Snetselaar, associate professor of epidemiology, and Brian Kaskie, assistant professor of health management and policy and Associate Director for Public Policy for the UI Center on Aging, are among those scheduled to lead breakout sessions. Chris Atchison, associate dean and professor of health management and policy, served on the Barn Raising Steering Committee, while Dawn Gentsch, of the CPH Institute for Public Health Practice, was a member of the Barn Raising Workgroup.

• White Paper From the Consumer's Perspective on Iowa's Assisted Living Regulations

The Hartford Center was a sponsor of this paper, initiated and co-sponsored by the Johnson Country Task Force on Aging, and contracted to the Consumer Consortium on Assisted Living . Rev. Robert Welsh, chair of the Johnson County Task Force on Aging, sought Dr. Kathleen Buckwalter's involvement as a member of the IDEA Commission on Elder Affairs. Dr. Meridean Maas and Dr. Janet Specht were also editors of the paper.

- Iowa White Paper
- Key to importance of recommendations

• Hartford Center director honored at MNRS

  Meridean Maas, PhD, RN, FAAN, director of the John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at the University of Iowa College of Nursing, received the 2005 Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing/MNRS Award for Leadership in Geriatric Nursing Research at the annual conference of the Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) in Cincinnati April 1-3, 2005.

  The purpose of the award is to recognize an MNRS member who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in geriatric nursing science, and who has impacted quality of care for older adults in the MNRS region through their scholarship and mentorship.

  According to the nominating letter submitted by Dr. Keela Herr, chair of the Adult and Gerontological Nursing Area of Study at UI College of Nursing, "Dr. Maas' impact in geriatric nursing research is enormous. Her infectious passion influences students and faculty at the University of Iowa and other schools, the public and health-care providers. Through her scholarship, Dr. Maas has made major contributions to aging research and nursing languages. Her sustained research concerning elders in long-term care settings serves as a model for her students and other investigators. Beyond her own gerontological nursing research, Dr. Maas has mentored countless novice and seasoned researchers at Iowa, nationally and internationally. Dr. Maas' career reflects her dedication to excellence in advancing the science of geriatric nursing."

• Young Gero Scientist recognized at MNRS

Kathryn Lothamer, an undergraduate student at the University of Iowa College of Nursing and a participant in the UI's Young Scientist Program, received first place for the undergraduate student poster session at the annual conference of the Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) in Cincinnati April 1-3, 2005. Lothamer was honored for her poster, "Variations in the Saitohin and APOE Genes and Phenotypic Variability in Alzheimer's disease." Co-authors of the poster were Elizabeth Forest, Debra Schutte, Susan DeCrane, Kathryn Flanders and Anne Letocha.

The University of Iowa College of Nursing Young Scientist Program provides year-long mentored research experiences for undergraduate nursing students. Support for Lothamer's participation in this innovative program was made possible through the John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence.