Daniel Liebzeit, assistant professor, was recently awarded a $462,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to create a model for an age-friendly hospital-to-home transition program. 

Most hospitals use the same care and discharge models for every age-group. The models may treat the immediate medical needs of older adults, Liebzeit says, but often fail to address other needs, like preparing their caretakers or regaining mobility. 

Liebzeit and his collaborators from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Johns Hopkins Medicine, will interview, survey and conduct focus groups with older individuals, their caretakers, hospitals, and other key stakeholders. Using this data, they will identify and prioritize barriers and facilitators to age-friendly care hospital to home transitions, and build a model focused on what matters most to the older adult and caregiver in transition.

Doctor of Nursing Practice student Ana Spooner, RN, BSN and PhD student Angela Shanahan, MSN, Gero‑RN, CNL, were selected by Jonas Philanthropies and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing for the 2026-2028 cohort of Jonas Scholars. The Jonas Scholars program aims to improve health care by expanding the pool of PhD and DNP-prepared nurses needed to educate the next generation of nurse leaders.

Shanahan is a nurse leader with 26 years of clinical experience whose research examines how older adults perceive and manage their risk of falling. Spooner is a dual pediatric primary care and psychiatric mental health DNP student who is also earning a teaching certificate.

As Jonas Scholars, they will receive financial support, mentorship, and a curriculum tailored to providing students with the learning experiences they need to successfully transition into a faculty role. 

Learn more about Shanahan, Spooner, and the program. 

Since launching in July 2022, Simulation in Motion Iowa has trained 25,496 people. Seventy percent of those are Emergency Medical Services providers, followed by non-certified personnel (16%) and nursing providers (11%). “We started SIM-IA to bring hands-on training directly to the people and communities who need it and help them feel better prepared when it matters most,” said Brian Rechkemmer, program director. “Behind every number is someone who has taken the time to learn, practice, and build confidence for situations they may face in the real world. That's what makes this milestone so meaningful.”