Gene Cohen Research Award Recipients
2026 Awardee: LaTonya Smith
LaTonya Smith is a PhD student at GW School of Nursing and currently in her dissertation phase. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Saint Elizbeth University and her Master of Science in Nursing, Clinical Trials Research from Drexel University. Most recently, she earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Executive Leadership degree from George Washington University in 2021.
LaTonya is deeply honored to have been nominated for this prestigious award by Dr. Laurie Theeke, her dissertation advisor and mentor, whose guidance has been instrumental in shaping both her academic journey and the direction of her research on loneliness among older adults. Her dissertation work is rooted in early experiences working at the bedside in nursing homes and home care. After completing studies grounded in the literature on the concept of social connectedness and health outcomes of loneliness in long-term care, her dissertation research focuses on analyzing nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data to examine predictors and outcomes for loneliness among older adults based on living situations. This work will be foundational to developing interventions for loneliness and social isolation in long-term care settings.
Please join us in congratulating LaTonya on this well-deserved award!
"My research addresses a critical public health issue by elucidating the multilevel determinants of loneliness among older adults and its relationship to adverse health outcomes, including nursing home admission. By leveraging nationally representative data and a robust theoretical framework, the study is expected to generate actionable evidence to guide intervention development, healthcare delivery improvements, and policy innovation aimed at reducing loneliness, enhancing social connectedness, and improving population health outcomes in aging populations."
LaTonya Smith
2026 Gene Cohen Awardee
2025 Awardee: Luziel Villadelgado
The George Washington (GW) University’s Center for Aging, Health and Humanities (CAHH) is thrilled to announce that Luziel Valladelgado, a full-time Bachelor of Science in Nursing student at GW School of Nursing, has been selected as the 2025 Gene Cohen Research Award recipient. Luziel earne
Luziel’s passion for improving the quality of life for individuals with dementia stems from her personal experience caring for her grandmother with Alzheimer’s disease. Witnessing the challenges of mealtime and communication firsthand, she became deeply interested in the impact of handfeeding techniques on the eating habits of older adults living with dementia.
Inspired by Dr. Gene Cohen’s groundbreaking work on aging and cognitive development, Luziel will work her mentors Drs. Melissa Batchelor and Sana Smaoui’s research team to conduct a qualitative analyses. Dr. Batchelor serves as the Director of the GW CAHH and Dr. Smaoui serves as the Center Associate Director of Clinical Research. Luziel plans to apply the innovative caregiving strategies known as Nurses Optimizing Supportive Handfeeding (NOSH), to enhance the well-being of older adults living with dementia while also supporting families navigating dementia care. We look forward to seeing the impact of her research in advancing compassionate and effective care for older adults.
Please join us in congratulating Luziel on this well-deserved award!
"My research experience has been incredibly rewarding, especially because of my interest in patients with dementia and learning how different hand-feeding techniques are applied in their care. I’ve also learned how to code, which has helped me analyze data more efficiently and understand patterns in patient outcomes. The Gene Cohen Award has been helpful to me as a student by providing the support and encouragement needed to pursue my research interests, deepen my understanding of geriatric care, and contribute meaningfully to improving the quality of life for older adults with dementia."
Luziel Villadelgado
2025 Gene Cohen Awardee
2024 Awardee: Elly Cummins
Ms. Elly Cummins, a Speech-Language Pathology graduate student, was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Gene Cohen Research Award in February 2024. Her project allowed her to work with a large research team focused on improving nutritional outcomes by using three handfeeding techniques with older adults living with dementia in long-term care settings. The handfeeding techniques create an opportunity for social engagement and engage residents in mealtimes. Her interest in the project was driven by her personal experience with a grandmother diagnosed with dementia and her deep understanding of how important maximizing cues during mealtimes is for these residents.
Elly was presented with this inaugural award at a donor dinner in April 2024.
“The Gene Cohen Research Award allowed me to deepen my understanding of the aging population, specifically individuals living with dementia, and significantly enhanced my ability to support them as a future speech-language pathologist. This past semester, I worked daily with persons living with dementia in my role as a graduate clinician. Additionally, I was also able to leverage the work I completed for the Gene Cohen Research Award into another scholarship, the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment Global Student Grant (LSVT-SG) for Behavioral Treatment Studies with Adult Neurological Disorders and continued to work with Dr. Batchelor’s research team, including Dr. Smaoui and the 2025 Gene Cohen Research Award recipient, to code qualitative data. The knowledge I gained, made possible by your support, has been invaluable to my development as a person, researcher, and clinician. I am incredibly grateful to have been the recipient of this award and for the opportunities for growth it afforded me.”
Elly Cummins
2024 Gene Cohen Awardee