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Breakout Session 202: A Taste of the Csomay Center: The Long-Term Care Version

The Barbara and Richard Csomay Center for Gerontological Excellence was established in 2000 as one of the five original Hartford Centers in the country. Receipt of John A. Hartford Foundation funding, followed by the generosity of Barbara Csomay, helped launch the Csomay Center as a leader in geriatric research, education, and practice. The Csomay Center’s mission and vision, aligns with many long-term care providers throughout the state, including promoting optimal aging and quality of life for all older adults and their caregivers and ensuring that every older adult receives the care they want. This session will provide participants with an overview of the Barbara and Richard Csomay Center for Gerontological Excellence at the University of Iowa and highlight Center programs, resources, research, and opportunities for partnership in long-term care.

  • Describe the mission and vision of the Csomay Center and how it aligns with the aging services provider goals of promoting optimal aging and quality of life in all older adults.
  • Identify ways to engage with the Csomay Center and access Center resources.

Harleah G. Buck, PhD, RN, FPCN, FAHA, FGSA, FAAN, Director of the Csomay Center for Gerontological Excellence, University of Iowa College of Nursing, Iowa City
Dr. Buck, Sally Mathis Hartwig Professor in Gerontological Nursing in the University of Iowa College of Nursing, is also Director of the interprofessional Barbara and Richard Csomay Center of Gerontological Excellence at UI. The mission of the Center is to advance innovations in research, education, and practice to promote optimal aging and quality of life in all older adults and their caregivers. Her strong track record of funded research focuses on developing non-pharmacological solutions for the “wicked problems” older adults face in the community. Her substantive contributions have been acknowledged by national and international organizations by awarding her a Fellow of Palliative Care Nursing in palliative care, a Fellow of the American Heart Association in the cardiovascular science, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in nursing.

Jennifer Jones, MPH, Program Coordinator, JD and Jill Thoreson Optimal Aging Initiative, The University of Iowa, Iowa City
Jennifer Jones is the program coordinator for the JD and Jill Thoreson Optimal Aging Initiative which seeks to help all Iowans age optimally. Prior to joining the Csomay Center, she was Director of Development for the Memorial Hospital Foundation in West Central Illinois. She has experience in rural health workforce promotion having served as program coordinator for the West Central Illinois Area Health Education Center that provided rural health experiences to students through job shadowing, internships, and practicum experiences. Jen thrives in community engagement, networking, and relationship building, key factors to the success of all programs and initiatives.

Shalome Tonelli, PhD, RN, Director of the Certification Center, University of Iowa College of Nursing, Iowa City
Shalome Tonelli joined the University of Iowa College of Nursing as an Instructional Track Lecturer in August 2018 after teaching at the community college level for five years. Shalome is the current Director of the Certification Center which oversees curriculum development and testing for direct care workers in Iowa. Shalome has a wide variety of research, clinical, and teaching interests and currently teaches gerontology to undergraduate nursing students. She has practiced in both hospital and community settings. Her teaching focuses on incorporating innovative active learning strategies in a variety of courses and settings.

Wen Liu, PhD, RN, FGSA, Associate Professor, University of Iowa College of Nursing, Iowa City
Dr. Wen Liu is an Associate Professor at the University of Iowa College of Nursing. Her primary research focuses on optimizing mealtime care quality and behaviors, food intake, function, nutrition, hydration, and quality of life in older adults, especially those living with dementia, through dissemination of person-centered mealtime care among formal and informal caregivers in varied care settings. Her research has been funded by NIH, American Nurses Foundation, and Alzheimer’s Association. Dr. Liu has published more than 50 peer-reviewed high-quality papers and has given more than 70 presentations at international, national, and regional conferences. Her impact to gerontological science and education is acknowledged through multiple awards, including the 2022 Midwest Nursing Research Society Harriet H. Werley New Investigator Award and the 2022 National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing. Dr. Liu is recognized as a Fellow in the Gerontological Society of America in 2023.


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