Hodgson Selected for Induction to the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame
Penn Nursing’s Nancy A. Hodgson, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Claire M. Fagin Leadership Professor in Nursing and Chair of the Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences will be honored by Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) for her contributions to the nursing profession during the organization’s 33rd International Nursing Research Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, in July.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to join a world-renowned group of researchers who work diligently to generate evidence for nursing practice that ultimately transforms health care,” said Hodgson. “I am especially grateful to my study team members, my students, and mostly the individuals and families who have participated in our studies to improve dementia care.”
“Nan Hodgson’s induction into the Hall of Fame is a well-deserved recognition of her work and impact to preserve the dignity of persons with dementia care while providing support to caregivers,” said Penn Nursing Dean Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN. “She is an internationally recognized nurse scientist and a Penn Nursing alumna–and we are all very proud of her accomplishments and to count her among our faculty.”
Hodgson is a leading gerontologist with a strong program of research focused on incorporating evidence-based findings into geriatric nursing practice to conquer challenges in palliative care such as promoting dignity, minimizing symptoms, and honoring peoples’ preferences for care at the end of life and advancing palliative dementia care. Her research has been published in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals, and she is co-author of “Better Living with Dementia: Implications for Individuals, Families, Communities and Societies” (Elsevier Academic Press), based on a MOOC with over 80,000 participants worldwide. For more than 20 years, she has received continuous research and training grants from both federal agencies and private foundations, including the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institutes of Health. Hodgson has served as Director of the Penn’s Hillman Scholars Program in Nursing Innovation. She is an Academic Research Representative on the Pennsylvania Long-Term Care Council, a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the Gerontological Society of America and was recently appointed to the thirteenth cohort of the Penn Fellows Program for 2021.