UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Janice Whitaker, administrator and community liaison for the Tressa Nese and Helen Diskevich Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at Penn State, has been named a 2022 Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing by the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence.
The NHCGNE annually recognizes and celebrates a select group of nurse educators whose leadership has impacted students, faculty, providers, and older adults in diverse settings. Whitaker was honored during NHCGNE’s virtual leadership conference in October.
Whitaker has a professional background in nursing, administration, leadership, education, quality improvement, and curricular and program development. Among her many accomplishments as a nurse leader at Penn State’s Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing and CGNE, she is a certified dementia practitioner and Dementia Live coach; leads a cohort of undergraduate nurse educators in providing mentorship to long-term care facilities on quality improvement initiatives in South Central Pennsylvania; chairs the Community Action Work Group for Age-Friendly Care, PA that developed the new “Living with Dementia” community education series with optional Memory Café program; and provides geriatric nursing expertise during Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) educational sessions for both of these projects.
As a former director of nursing in a skilled nursing facility setting, Whitaker has expertise in geriatric clinical practice and nursing management including clinical oversight, policy development, regulatory standards implementation, and quality improvement. She has provided staff development for nurses, developed orientation and on-boarding programs, coordinated interdisciplinary care plan teams, taught undergraduate and professional development courses, and created a nursing assistant program as a former Health Careers instructor.
Whitaker holds a master’s in educational leadership from the University of Vermont and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Hartwick College.
“Janice exemplifies a distinguished educator in gerontological nursing,” said Marie Boltz, Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing Elouise Ross Eberly and Robert Eberly Endowed Chair and professor who received the NHCGNE Distinguished Educator Award in 2021.
“She herself is an avid lifelong learner and her passion for excellence in the care of the older adult is contagious,” Boltz noted. “In her leadership role with CGNE, she supports students, clinicians, as well as older adults and their families, in disseminating best practices. We are thrilled she has been recognized with this very well-deserved honor.”
In addition to Boltz and Whitaker, four other CGNE faculty leaders have been named NHCGNE Distinguished Gerontological Nurse Educators: Donna M. Fick, Nikki L. Hill, Ying-Ling Jao, and Andrea Yevchak Sillner.
NHCGNE builds upon the legacy of The John A. Hartford Foundation, which represents the gold standard of excellence in gerontology, through its dedication to optimal health and quality of life for older adults. It is a collaboration of national and international nursing schools and institutions that have demonstrated the highest level of commitment to the field of gerontological nursing.
Penn State’s CGNE was established in 2007 as one of eight original Hartford Centers in the U.S. As an interdisciplinary community of leaders and scholars with expertise in aging, geriatrics, and gerontology, CGNE believes every older adult deserves the highest quality of evidenced-based care and well-being that respects their individual goals and preferences. Learn more about the center here.