GAPNA Foundation Presents Awards for Research and Scholarship
by Nancy Wilens
The GAPNA Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors would like to recognize and thank members and chapters that accepted the challenge to make a donation to the Foundation. We appreciate your support and enthusiasm for our mission of promoting research, scholarship, and education for advanced practice nurses who serve older adults.
Each year the Foundation organizes fundraising events to support our research and scholarship awards. This year there was a golf outing, a fun run/walk, and a Hoedown event in which our members could learn line dancing. Lastly, we had our third annual, ever so popular, raffle. Individual GAPNA member donations and support of our events are the mainstay of our fundraising.
A special thank you is due to the chapters and the GAPNA Board of Directors for the gift baskets that were raffled this year. Arizona, Chicago, Northern California, Southern California, Delaware Valley, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan-Great Lakes, New England, Ohio, Pennsylvania-Liberty, Tennesee-Mid, Texas-Golf Coast, along with the GAPNA Board of Directors provided gift baskets that ranged from vacations to special gifts.
These fundraising events allowed the GAPNA Foundation to provide $12,600 in research, education, and project awards this year! Congratulations to the award recipients.
- Karen Wickersham, PhD, RN, was awarded $5,000 through an award supported by The Center for Nursing Advancement for Nursing Science for her study entitled “Targeted Therapy Use in Adults with Cancer, Under 85 years of Age.”
- Valerie Gruss, PhD, RN, CNP-BC, was awarded the GAPNA Foundation Research/Project grant award of $2,000 for her study “Nursing Home Staff Attitudes Toward Resident Sexuality, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression.”
- Christine Robbins, CRNP, was also awarded $2,000 through the GAPNA Foundation Research/Project grant award for her study “Screening for Geriatric Depression: Current Practices of Primary Care Nurse Practitioners in Northeast Georgia.”
- Michelle Pirc, CNP, was awarded a $2,000 GAPNA Foundation scholarship to attend the 2015 AMDA Conference in Louisville, KY. She participated in the AMDA Futures Program to represent nurse practitioner practice.
- Trudy Keltz, GNP, was the 2015 Dave Butler Spirit Awardee. She received $1,000 for being an outstanding advocate and supporter of the GAPNA organization, mission, and goals.
The Foundation board will now turn its efforts toward 2016 and Phoenix, AZ, the site of next year’s annual conference. GAPNA members should look for an announcement early next year regarding the 2016 GAPNA Foundation awards. If you are developing a project or research and need funding, think about applying.
Eligibility Requirements
- Applicants must be a current GAPNA member. If you are not a current member, join GAPNA online first.
- Members may apply for more than one grant.
- Each award is limited to one per person per year.
Grant Requirements
- Each grant is time limited and must be used during the 12 months following award.
- Grant funds must be used strictly for expenses related to the proposed research. No indirect expenses will be covered.
Proposal Requirements
- The proposal must be relevant to the nursing care of older adults.
- Evidence based: examines and/or provides support for decision making in clinical practice.
- Outcomes based: designed to measure and improve health outcomes for older adults.
Review Criteria
- Overall impact
- Significance
- Investigator
- Innovation
- Approach
- Environment
2015 Awards Photo Gallery
Valerie Gruss, PhD, RN, CNP-BC, was awarded the GAPNA Foundation Research/Project grant award of $2,000 for her study “Nursing Home Staff Attitudes Toward Resident Sexuality, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression.”
Trudy Keltz, GNP, was the 2015 Dave Butler Spirit Awardee. She received $1,000 for being an outstanding advocate and supporter of the GAPNA organization, mission, and goals.
The Foundation is looking forward to competitive applications for next year’s awards! Start by spreading the word and/or working on your application now!
