There are few shortcuts to gaining the wisdom and experience necessary in the challenging—and growing—field of caring for aging patients. But thanks to a $50,000 Hartford Grant, the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing will give four junior faculty a jump-start with a summer gerontological research residency and mentorship program.
The grant, which was awarded to the school's Center for Innovative Care and Aging by the National Hartford Centers of Gerontological Nursing Excellence at the Gerontological Society of America, will support two non-Hopkins junior faculty in 2013 and two in 2014.
"It's a really wonderful opportunity for faculty who don't have access to the resources we have at Johns Hopkins. This will really help gerontological nursing faculty launch their careers," says Sarah Szanton, principal investigator of the GSA grant.
During the first two weeks of the residency, the participants will shadow an experienced faculty member specializing in geriatrics research. The junior faculty will then take part in the Summer Research Institute, a program run by the Center for Innovative Care and Aging to develop behavioral interventions for older adults. The scholars will then participate in a three-month mentorship while preparing grant submissions for the National Institutes of Health.
