April 23, 2010 | A geriatric nursing specialist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Nursing today was invested with the Alice An-Loh Sun Endowed Professorship in Geriatric Nursing.

Pao-Feng Tsai, Ph.D., R.N., an associate professor in the College of Nursing, is considered one of the nation’s leading experts in geriatric research and nursing.

“I look forward to continuing the groundbreaking work being done among colleagues and faculty at UAMS,” Tsai said. “Today is a special day that signifies a continued dedication to geriatric nursing and the many discoveries that lie ahead.”

Tsai joined UAMS in 1999 as assistant professor and was promoted to tenured associate professor in 2005. She completed an intensive postdoctoral program with training in leadership and research to provide better care to older adults in America in 2005, which was funded by the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity Scholar program, launched in 1986 by the John A. Hartford Foundation.

Along with teaching duties in the College’s master’s and doctoral program, Tsai’s research focuses on pain assessment and management in elders with dementia, and is funded through several sources, including the Tailored Biobehavioral Interventions Research Center, Dementia Pilot Grant Program through the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Alzheimer’s Arkansas, Beverly Healthcare Corp., and the Mayday Foundation. Two projects funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research include a predicting model for pain in elders with osteoarthritis knee and hip pain, which she soon hopes will be used in practice, while an ongoing project examines the effect of an ancient martial art, Tai Chi, on knee pain in elders with dementia.

“Dr. Tsai is a true geriatric nursing expert with a genuine dedication to research that we are extremely fortunate to have at UAMS,” said Claudia Barone, Ed.D., R.N. “We look forward to watching her expertise and penchant for discovery continue to grow while helping to train the next generation of geriatric nursing professionals.”

Tsai received her initial training and associate degree in nursing and midwifery from the Taiwan Provincial Junior College of Nursing in 1982. In 1984, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Kaohsiung Medical College, Taiwan, and in 1987 a Master of Science in Public Health from the Institute of Public Health at the National Yang-Ming Medical College, Taiwan. From 1992-1998, she attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., earning her Master of Science in Nursing in 1996 and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing in 1998.

Along with her mentor, Tsai published results of the first-ever epidemiologic survey for leprosy in Taiwan. She has also developed and published a theory on caregiver stress, which was included in a theory textbook. More than 20 of her articles about assessing pain in elders with both dementia and osteoarthritis and on using Tai Chi and exercise for elders with dementia have been published.

The Alice An-Loh Sun Professorship in Geriatric Nursing was endowed just prior to her death in 2002. An-Loh Sun was born in Nanking, China, where she graduated from the Chin Lin School of Nursing. Her husband, C.N. Sun, M.D., was a longtime professor of pathology at UAMS and the Central Arkansas Veteran’s Healthcare System. She dedicated 53 years to the nursing profession before retiring in 1979.

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Related Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a 540,000-square-foot hospital; six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has 2,775 students and 748 medical residents. Its centers of excellence include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.