Celebrating Our Eighth Annual International Journal of Older People Nursing Awards

We are delighted to announce our eighth annual International Journal of Older People Nursing (IJOPN) Awards. As editors, we are very conscious that we guide a community of readers, authors, reviewers, social media editors and editorial board members. So many members of our community serve the journal and contribute to our discipline of gerontological nursing in diverse and noteworthy ways. Each year at this time, we acknowledge outstanding contributions and service during the prior year. This year, we are celebrating the contributions made by three papers reporting research conducted in three different countries around the world. We are acknowledging the service of four peer reviewers, three of our outstanding cadre of editorial board members and our senior social media editor who is also a peer reviewer. We are pleased to highlight the thoughts of the scholars who received our 2023 IJOPN Awards for you, our readers, as we celebrate their contributions.

This year we are citing three papers, representing work done in the United States, Taiwan and Türkiye that made significant impressions on our awards committee. That committee includes both associate editors and colleagues who are a past award winner, Hiromi Hirata, and one of the journal's long-serving editorial board members, Ruth Ludwick. Kelly Doran received the 2023 IJOPN Award for Outstanding Contribution to Gerontological Nursing Research for the paper Doran, K., S. Witmer, K. L. Yoon, E. R. Fischer, A. Ebangwese, S. Sharma, G. S. C. Duggirala, and L. K. Chen. 2024. “Gauging the Stress of Long-Term Care Nursing Assistants Using Ecological Momentary Assessment, Wearable Sensors and End of Day Reconstruction.” International Journal of Older People Nursing, 19, e12592. https://doi.org/10.1111/opn.12592. On receiving the award, Dr. Doran said “We decided to undertake this research to reduce the stress/burnout experienced by long-term care workers. This stress not only impacts the health of long-term care workers but also resident outcomes and long-term care organizations. This paper details our first step in our collaborative research effort using our expertise to uncover novel interventions to ameliorate stress within long-term care communities.”

Huei-Chin Teng received the 2023 IJOPN Student Award for Outstanding Contribution to Gerontological Nursing Research for the paper Teng, H.-C., Y.-I. Shyu, J. Liang, and K. Teppo. 2023. “Strategies for Managing Group Caregiving Following Hip-Fracture Surgery Among Family Members: A Grounded Theory Study.” International Journal of Older People Nursing, 18, e12552. https://doi.org/10.1111/opn.12552 and Dr. Teng shared that “My inspiration primarily stemmed from my first-hand experiences in clinical practice when I began my research studies with Professor Lotus Shyu. While caring for patients following hip fracture surgery, it became apparent that family members in Taiwan were faced with several challenges because of the complex nature of shared responsibilities. I was intrigued by how family members worked together to facilitate the recovery of their older relatives. Our group decided to conduct a qualitative study to understand this phenomenon. During the process of data analysis, I was prompted to delve deeper into exploring different types of group caregiving among family members with the aim of understanding the dynamics of shared responsibilities to guide the development of more suitable strategies to support family caregivers. The realization that the growth of our aging population is accelerating made this area of research particularly important to me because more than 80% of Taiwanese caregiving involves multiple family members. It was my hope that our study findings would not only provide insights into current caregiving practices but also offer valuable references for future policymaking and nursing education.”

Nurten Terkeş received the 2023 IJOPN Award for Outstanding Contribution to Gerontological Nursing Practice for the paper Terkeş, N., N. T. Aksu, and S. U. Yamac. 2023. “The Effect of an Online-Supervised Exercise Program in Older People With Diabetes on Fasting Blood Sugar, Psychological Resilience and Quality of Life: A Double Blind Randomised Controlled Trial.” International Journal of Older People Nursing, 18, e12564. https://doi.org/10.1111/opn.12564. Dr. Turkeş noted that “The inspiration for this research stemmed from my profound desire to enhance the quality of life for older adults, particularly those managing chronic conditions such as diabetes. Throughout my career in gerontological nursing, I have witnessed the challenges faced by older individuals in maintaining both physical health and psychological well-being. The increasing prevalence of diabetes in this population highlighted an urgent need for innovative and effective interventions. The idea for an online-supervised exercise program was born out of the intersection of two key observations: the critical role of physical activity in managing diabetes and the potential of digital health solutions to overcome barriers to exercise, such as mobility issues and limited access to in-person programs. By leveraging technology, I aimed to create a program that not only addressed the physical aspects of diabetes management but also supported psychological resilience and overall quality of life. I am immensely grateful to the participants, and other authors who contributed to this study. Their commitment and dedication were crucial to the success of this research. It is my hope that the findings will pave the way for broader implementation of similar interventions, improving the lives of many older adults.”

This year, we cited four peer reviewers who consistently exceed all our expectations for the quality of their reviews and the number they each routinely conduct for the journal each year including this past year. They hail from Canada, Ireland and the United States. Each of these four colleagues offered important thoughts on peer review when we told them about their awards. Mariko Sakamoto said, on receiving her award, “I'm inspired as a peer reviewer by all of the important gerontological research and scholarship that is taking place—contributing as a peer reviewer is not only a wonderful way to reciprocate the work and efforts of other peer reviewers, but a way to keep up to date with and learn from new research and researchers.” Corina Naughton noted that “In acting as a reviewer for IJOPN, I believe that I am contributing indirectly to the disciplinary knowledge and evidence base in the care of older people. As a nursing specialty our contribution is often overlooked and our work rarely attracts big funding, thus much of the innovation and evidence-based practice is driven by the professionalism, passion, and determination of clinical and academic nurses in collaboration with our multidisciplinary colleagues. IJOPN is a vital platform that allows us to disseminate and collaborate as a community to improve care and experiences of older people across the globe.” Raeann Leblanc said “What inspires me to be a peer reviewer for the International Journal of Older People Nursing is a deep care and commitment as a nurse researcher to the research community advancing nursing science and the population of older people. Being constructive in the review process is part of that collaboration and is key to scientific progress.” Sean Clarke, who is himself an editor in chief, said “As an author and an editor I know what an essential role peer reviewers play in helping journals and authors give readers the best, clearest version of scholarly work that's possible. I am always honored to be asked and try to say yes as often as I can—I always learn something from the experience.”

No journal flourishes without an editorial board member. We at IJOPN are lucky to have a steadfast board with members around the world. Three board members went above and beyond this past year, especially in reviewing manuscripts and spontaneously offering key insights about the direction of the journal for the future. This year, we recognized these three board members and our senior social media editor, who received the Editors’ Special Award for leadership in the journal’s social media feed and her outstanding peer reviews, for their deep dedication and terrific service to the journal. These scholars work in Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Amanda Phelan said on receiving her award “Gerontological nursing is an area that is complex and diverse but most of all, rewarding. Acting as a member of the editorial board of the IJOPN enables me the privilege of reviewing cutting edge nursing innovations, research, and practice developments to enhance care of older people and progress the impact nursing has on their quality of life. As such, the IJOPN offers readers a link to global advancements in the field, contributing to excellence in gerontological nursing.” Michael Nunns said when he accepted the award that “It is an honour to be a member of the IJOPN editorial board, a role which I have enjoyed for around five years now. Peer-review is such a fundamental part of the academic cycle, and one that I take very seriously. Not only does it offer the chance to read cutting edge research and methodological work, but helping to ensure transparency, rigour and clear communication in science is an endeavour of passion. When you do this with IJOPN, you also receive the friendly, human touch of the editors, which elevates my membership experience and sustains my loyalty. I hope to contribute for years to come.” Susan Shifrin responded that “I enjoy sitting on the editorial board and having the opportunity and privilege to read submissions from across the globe in areas that are near and dear to me as the founder and executive director of a non-profit organization that focuses on the well-being of older people, particularly those living with dementia. It is always inspiring and deeply thought-provoking to see the breadth and depth of research and scholarship being carried out in the interest of enhancing the quality of life of older people. Thank you for giving me this opportunity that I value so very much.” Finally, Ellen Munsterman, who serves as our senior social media editor and is an outstanding reviewer as well, shared that “I'm inspired to support the mission and vision of IJOPN through my work as a social media editor because of the opportunity to highlight the important role of nursing in supporting the well-being of older people and to encourage awareness and discussion about important issues related to aging. The role allows me to stay abreast of emerging nursing research, and it is a lot of fun!” We agree with Ms. Munsterman that working with IJOPN's editorial board, social media editors, reviewers and authors is both enriching and enjoyable. We are privileged to learn each day from so many members of the IJOPN community.

Please join us in congratulating all the 2023 IJOPN Award recipients! These colleagues make our scientific literature stronger and more effective. Know that they represent a far larger community of talented gerontological nurses and colleagues around the world. We are grateful to every member of the IJOPN community. If you are not yet part of our community as a regular reader, reviewer and author, we hope you will soon be. And as always, please follow IJOPN on social media where we will be announcing these awards in the coming weeks. You can find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/IJOPN/ and on X/Twitter with the handle @IntJnlOPN (https://twitter.com/intjnlopn?lang=en). We invite you to use our hashtag #GeroNurses and congratulate the 2023 IJOPN Award recipients.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.