A member of the UNCG School of Nursing leadership has been honored by a national organization focusing on geriatric care.

The John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing has given Dr. Beth Barba, associate professor in the Community Practice Nursing Department, the Outstanding Faculty Member in Gerontological Nursing Education Award.

The award, given in collaboration with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, recognizes nursing education programs and faculty that are noted as model programs and that have a strong focus on gerontological nursing.

“Dr. Beth Barba is a national leader in gerontology nursing education,” said Dr. Lynne Pearcey, dean of the UNCG School of Nursing. “This award recognizes her exceptional expertise in gerontology. She has received funding for projects that increase the understanding of those in the clinical area to take better care of the elderly, and Dr. Barba has also contributed to the enhancement of the gerontology curriculum in the School of Nursing.”

Barba has taught gerontology for 14 years and has incorporated geriatric care into graduate and undergraduate nursing courses at the UNCG School of Nursing. She has provided consultation to baccalaureate schools of nursing throughout the country on geriatric curriculum design and faculty development.

“Dr. Barba is passionate about the care of older adults and communicates that enthusiasm to students, practicing nurses and faculty members,” the Hartford Foundation noted in presenting the award to Barba.

Barba’s research focuses on nursing home residents, companion animals and environmental changes and geriatric patients. She is also the principal investigator for a Comprehensive Geriatric Education Project, which aims to enhance the geriatric nursing workforce by improving access to geriatric education programs to practicing nurses throughout North Carolina.

Other winners of the Hartford awards included universities from across the United States. Valparaiso University in Indiana won the Infusing Geriatrics into the Curriculum Award; St. Cloud University in Minnesota won the Clinical Settings in Geriatric Nursing Award; and Duke University and the University of Rhode Island won the Stand-Alone Baccalaureate Geriatric Course Award.