Clinical Professor and Associate Dean for Clinical and Community Partnerships Carolyn Clevenger, RN, DNP, AGPCNP-BC, FAANP has been named as a Fellow to The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) in the Health Sciences Section. The GSA named 43 exemplary professionals as their newest fellows for 2019.
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public.
As a nationally-known gerontological nurse-practitioner, Clevenger has served as an active member of GSA for ten years with multiple podium and poster presentations at annual conferences. She developed a nurse-managed clinic to provide primary care to older adults with dementia and their families through the Integrated Memory Care Clinic, open since 2015, which earned the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s highest ranking for medical homes. This clinic also reduced hospital admission rates for high-acuity persons with dementia by 75 percent, a rate maintained for four years.
“I am so honored to have been given this opportunity and to have my efforts to improve care quality and transform inter-professional education recognized by an organization with a mission so close to my heart,” says Clevenger.
Clevenger’s clinical and research activities focus on care of older adults with dementia and their caregivers. She was the first DNP-prepared nurse to be named a Special Fellow in Advanced Geriatrics at the Veterans Administration (VA) where her work was instrumental in establishing the national VA Quality Scholars Advanced Fellowship program in Atlanta – one of only eight nationwide. Clevenger is also an active participant in the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA), serving previously as the Georgia chapter president and the organization president in 2015. She won the national award for gerontological nursing education from GPNA in 2010 and from the Georgia Nurses Association in 2015.