GW Nursing Professor Pioneers Education in Aging, End-of-Life Care

Kim Acquaviva looks to make the University a leader in community-based aging research.

May 8, 2010

Kim Acquaviva smiles

By Julia Parmley

As an assistant professor in GW’s nursing education department, director of the National Collaborative on Aging, developer of emergency preparedness training for health care professionals and go-to person for local nonprofits and GW faculty on aging research, Kimberly Acquaviva spends a lot of time at GW. But luckily for her, GW is just the place she wants to be.

“I come in every day and think about what I can do to forward GW’s name and meet the needs of the community,” says Dr. Acquaviva. “I could not have done what I have done without GW, and I consider myself extremely lucky to be here.”

An expert on aging and end-of-life care, Dr. Acquaviva arrived in Foggy Bottom in 2004 when her partner, Kathy Brandt, was relocated to the area to serve as a vice president of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Dr. Acquaviva began as associate director of GW’s Institute for Spirituality and Health and a visiting assistant professor, teaching courses on the “Practice of Medicine” and “The Business of Dying,” which prepares caregivers for the legal and financial issues facing families after a death. Since 2004, Dr. Acquaviva’s teaching responsibilities have expanded to include masters- and doctoral-level courses on grant writing and research methods.

In early 2007, a group of GW faculty members founded the National Collaborative on Aging at GW, an interdisciplinary collaboration among clinicians, educators and researchers at the University and local organizations providing services to older adults. The first of its kind, the collaborative’s purpose is to provide a forum for professionals and practitioners to explore issues related to health and aging in order to advance research in the fields. “The collaborative helps ensure that community-based aging research is supported,” says Dr. Acquaviva. “We also hope to advance GW nationally as a leader in these fields by building relationships locally and teaching others how to engage in collaborative research.”

The collaborative’s model—building both financial and academic resources to support faculty and organizations researching aging and health—is relatively unique in science, and Dr. Acquaviva says it is a model that is proving successful at encouraging trust, partnership and knowledge sharing. To promote relationship building, Dr. Acquaviva uses social networking sites Facebook and Ning as a forum for information sharing, collaboration, and outreach.

Dr. Acquaviva’s work in research collaboration was recently recognized by the Fulbright Specialist Program, which gave her an award to work at the Khon Kaen University in Thailand for six weeks this semester. In Thailand, Dr. Acquaviva will help to establish an interdisciplinary institute on aging, train faculty on how to write grant proposals that encourage partnerships with U.S. universities, and improve the university’s infrastructure to enhance student and faculty understanding in the areas of health, nursing and medicine. “The award provides me with the opportunity to take the knowledge and skills I've been able to develop at GW and share with another university in the hopes that they, too, will benefit,” says Dr. Acquaviva.

The field of aging is one that Dr. Acquaviva stumbled upon at the beginning of her career as a social worker. Dr. Acquaviva, who earned a bachelor’s degree, Master of Social Work and doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania, worked with patients who had HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other potentially life-limiting illnesses for eight years in Philadelphia and Florida. She says she saw inconsistent access to quality care for patients and families in the community, and it motivated her to continue raising awareness about aging and health. “When you work with patients at the end of their life, you see many families who do not have adequate resources or support,” says Dr. Acquaviva.

“There are issues for each family that make end-of-life care different for each person, and I want to advocate for a better system of care for all through research and awareness as well as collaborative work.”

Thanks to the work of Dr. Acquaviva, GW Senior Associate Dean for Health Sciences Programs Jean E. Johnson and Chair of GW’s Department of Nursing Education Ellen M. Dawson, the University is now an internationally-recognized source for emergency preparedness training with its Department of Homeland Security-funded, National Nurse Emergency Preparedness Initiative (NNEPI) online course. Called “Nurses on the Front Line: Preparing for and Responding to Emergencies and Disasters,” the NNEPI online course has brought interactive, case- and- scenario-based preparedness training to more than 5,000 nurses where they live and work. “Emergency preparation is vital, and this course teaches nurses the problem-solving skills they need in a virtual, immersive way,” says Dr. Acquaviva.

After the success of the NNEPI online course, Dr. Acquaviva wrote a $4.7 million grant to secure funding for the development of “Zero Hour: America’s Medic,” a web-based “serious game” for EMS providers. This interactive Web-based training helps students develop the critical-thinking skills needed in an emergency by requiring them to make decisions in a variety of scenarios, such as after an explosive or radiological event. .

In the few moments she is not on campus, Dr. Acquaviva enjoys hiking and spending time at her family’s mountain cabin in Pendleton County, W. Va.; exploring the city with Kathy and their son Greyson; playing with her three dogs Bentley, Dizzy and Zippy; and knitting scarves and hats “albeit misshapen ones.”

On the subject of aging and health, Dr. Acquaviva has published numerous articles, won a number of grants and performed myriad studies and presentations—but she hopes all her work can give back to GW what she feels it has given her.

“GW really is a unique place,” she says. “It’s extremely collaborative and cultivates innovation as well as the freedom to be creative. I am working hard to give back to GW because I really love my job and I know that I’m very fortunate to be here.”