Meet emerging scholars

As the need for caring and innovative healthcare grows, three outstanding students are preparing to meet the challenge. Recently named Emerging Scholars in Gerontological Nursing, Faith Chan, Victoria Andreano, and Zainab Seidu are working to improve care for older adults.

Faith Chan, BSN honors student (Mentor: Siobhan McMahon, PhD, MPH, APRN, GNP-BC, FGSA)
Chan is developing an honors thesis that examines chronic conditions and fall risk among community-dwelling older adults. Through this work, she is developing an increased knowledge of the challenges and rewards of aging and the gaps that remain in evidence-based practice. Driven by her realization of the role nurses play in supporting equitable, person-centered care, Chan plans to bring her clinical reasoning to the interdisciplinary Geriatric Case Competition and will present her findings at the upcoming School of Nursing Research Day.

Victoria Andreano, BSN student (Mentor: Mary Whipple, PhD, RN, PHN, FSVM, FAHA)
Andreano considers it a privilege to care for people in their later years. Her interest deepened during public health clinicals, where conducting wellness screenings revealed how isolation impacts seniors. “Giving them an uninterrupted hour to discuss their health and any concerns they have has been a mutually rewarding experience,” she shares, noting how overlooked many older adults feel. Through her current research on Type 2 diabetes, Andreano points out the need to “meet older people wherever they are,” insights she plans to share at the Midwest Nursing Research Society conference.

Zainab Seidu, PhD student (Mentor: Rozina Bhimani, PhD, DNP, APRN, CNP, CNE, CRRN)
Seidu’s research interests focus on social isolation and social connection among older adults living with dementia and their caregivers. Seidu is particularly interested in culturally responsive, nurse-led, and community-based approaches to promoting meaningful connections and improving quality of life. She will present her data on neurological disabilities and aging at the Virtual International Neuroscience Nursing Conference in early 2027.