The GW Nursing Office of Research sat down with Priyanka Shrestha, Ph,D. , M.G.S., RN, a tenure-track assistant professor and geriatric nursing researcher at the GW School of Nursing to learn more about her and her work at GW.
Educational Background
I completed my BSN in Nepal - where I was born and raised - from Purwanchal University in 2014. I came to the United States in 2015 and enrolled at Miami University, where I completed my MSN in Gerontology. During my masters program, which was a great experience, I did miss the nursing science part in my work. At that point, I decided to pursue my PhD in Nursing at Penn State in 2017. I then joined Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, UC Davis, for my post-doctoral training.
Current Work
Delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD) is common and when undetected leads to increased suffering for older adults (i.e. longer hospital stay, falls, decline in physical and cognitive function, and increased risk of nursing home placement and mortality) as well as for their family care partners (FCPs) (i.e. increased caregiver burden and distress). To facilitate FCPs in the timely detection of DSD and to alleviate associated caregiving burden, evidence-based support interventions are of utmost importance. I recently received a pilot grant from the Center of Aging, Health and Humanities to address this critical gap by developing and field-testing the use of case vignettes with FCPs of persons with DSD to understand common support needs, preferences, and priority areas to inform intervention development. This work has great potential to improve care for older adults and their FCPs by encouraging health care professionals to provide person- and family-centered care. In that way, FCPs can continue to care for their loved ones at home and manage conditions that may otherwise threaten independent living.
How I Got Interested In Research
I had some introductory classes about research during my undergraduate program and then I learned a lot about research methods and got to analyze National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data for my masters thesis. During that experience, I realized that finding something new and contributing to an existing body of knowledge/science really excites me. As a PhD student, I worked as a graduate assistant and had the opportunity to collect field data and interview the research participants. Learning about the issues faced by FCPs who care for loved ones with delirium and DSD is what keeps me motivated to continue doing research that will create innovative solutions for FCPs in their caregiving role.
Fun Facts
I love cooking and modifying my mother’s traditional recipes to create something new. YouTube has been my best friend to learn new recipes as well. In addition, I have always been very interested in music and picked up keyboard playing as a hobby during the pandemic, which now has become something I enjoy very much during my free time.