Graduate Education - Healthy Aging for All

John A. Hartford Foundation

"These are exceptional students who are highly regarded by the faculty. They're high energy, creative thinkers who are showing strong evidence that they will be outstanding nurse scientists."

- Juliana Cartwright, Ph.D., RN
Students working and talking
Students collaborate at Vollum writing workshop

The John A. Hartford Foundation has created a strong tradition of building academic geriatric nursing capacity through mentorship. This helps prepare the next generations of gerontological nursing leaders. The OHSU Hartford Center of Gerontological Excellence faculty continue that tradition. Through mentoring, faculty commit to providing a firm foundation for academic careers. Our faculty work closely with Ph.D. students, advance practice nursing students, and undergraduate students. Together, they advance competence in the care of older adults.

We provide learners with opportunities to solve the most difficult questions in health and science

The OHSU School of Nursing is nationally recognized for excellence in gerontological nursing education, research, and clinical practice.  Research studies include dementia care, family caregiving, and end-of-life care.

School of Nursing faculty are pioneers in developing innovative educational programs that enhance the capacity to serve older adults and promote healthy aging for all.  Through the School of Nursing, the Hartford Center of Gerontological Excellence offers the following education programs with a geriatric focus.

Master's in Nursing Education and Student Scholarship Opportunity

Smiling nurse with a patient
Advanced nursing practice and caring for older adults

The OHSU Master of Nursing Education (M.N.E.) program began in 2007. This program is designed for the bachelor-prepared nurse interested in pursuing a career in teaching nursing. The program offers a clinical, population-focused option in geriatric nursing.  Becoming a school of nursing faculty member or a professional nurse staffing specialist are career options from completing the M.N.E degree. M.N.E. coursework applies to the Ph.D. in nursing degree for those interested.

Learn more about the Master of Nursing Education.

Doctoral Degrees and Student Scholarship Opportunity

The School of Nursing offers two state-of-the-art doctoral programs:

  • Ph.D. research doctorate
  • D.N.P. practice doctorate

Doctoral program candidates committed to improving care for older adults by promoting healthy aging have diverse research and clinical interests, including:

  • Preventive health care of older adults in community-based settings focused upon the underserved.
  • Quality of Life
  • Pain assessment in dementia patients
  • End-of-life care and decision-making
  • Interprofessional research focused on improving clinical practice for community benefit

School of Nursing faculty mentor Ph.D. students, encouraging their leadership role in advancing nursing science to meet the needs of future generations.

Learn more about our Nursing Ph.D. and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs.

Why Healthy Aging?

Graph showing number of persons 65 and older in the US
The population of persons 65+ in the U.S. is expected to nearly double over the next 40 years.

According to the November 2021 Profile of Older Americans ACL, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the number of Americans ages 65 and older is projected to nearly double from 52 million in 2018 to 95 million by 2060, representing 23 percent of the population. Older adults often have complex healthcare needs. Yet, most clinicians are not trained to care for an aging population. More advanced practice nurses are urgently needed who can provide leadership and high-quality care to meet the needs of this patient population.

The Administration for Community Living is the principal agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services designated to carry out the provisions of the Older Americans Act of 1965 and in November 2022 published the "2021 Profile of Older Americans".