Dr. Natalie BakerUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing Assistant Professor Natalie Baker, DNP, CRNP, GNP-BC, ANP-BC, has been elected secretary of the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA) Board of Directors.Baker, who previously served as chair of GAPNA’s Education Committee, will serve a two-year term from 2016 to 2018. Her term began on Sept. 24 at the conclusion of the 35th Annual GAPNA Conference in Phoenix.
GAPNA was founded in 1981 by a group of gerontological nurse practitioners to offer the first continuing education conferences designed specifically to meet the needs of advanced practice nurses providing care for older adults.
Currently, GAPNA has some 3,000 members and represents the interests of all advanced practice nurses who work with older adults. These advance practice nurses are active in a variety of settings across the continuum including primary, acute, post-acute and long-term care.
GAPNA’s goals are to advocate quality care for older adults, promote professional development, provide continuing gerontological education, enhance communications and professional collaboration among health care providers and educate consumers regarding issues of aging.
Baker is a three-time graduate of the UAB School of Nursing. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 1985, her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in 1990 and her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in 2010.
