By Pareasa Rahimi
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Assistant Professor Cori O’Neal, DNP, CRNP, NP-C (BSN 2010, MSN 2014, DNP 2017), has received a four-year Geriatrics Academic Career Award from the Health Resources and Services Administration. The GACA program supports the career development of junior faculty as academic geriatricians or academic geriatrics specialists.
As part of the award, O’Neal is developing a project that focuses on expanding her knowledge and expertise in the delivery of age-friendly care of older adults with or who are at risk for dementia and other memory disorders in underserved patient populations, including those in the community and nursing home settings. Through structured coursework, clinical experience and mentorship, her goal is to provide enhanced geriatric education to nurse practitioner students, nurses at various levels of their careers and interprofessional health care teams through curricular enhancements and simulation.
As the School’s Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Specialty Track Coordinator, O’Neal is dedicated to nursing education, training and better preparing her students to provide age-friendly care to aging populations.
“With the increasing geriatric population in the United States, there will be greater demands for in-home caregiving, assisted living facilities and health care needs in general,” O’Neal said. “Nurse practitioners can help fill this gap in care, however, it is imperative that they be recruited, educated and prepared to care for the growing geriatric population.”
O’Neal, a three-time alumna of the School, has a faculty practice as a nurse practitioner at UAB’s PATH Clinic, which provides care to underserved patients with diabetes. In 2022, she received an Alabama State Nurses Association award for displaying excellence and leadership with her students and in nursing practice.
