Heather M. Young, founding dean of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, is the 2026 recipient of the Donald P. Kent Award from the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). The award recognizes a GSA member who exemplifies the highest standards of leadership in gerontology, or the study of aging, through research, teaching, service and public education.

The award was presented at GSA’s 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting, Nov. 4-7 in National Harbor, Maryland. GSA is the nation’s oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization focused on aging.

“Heather's career has been defined by her ability to connect research with real-world impact,” said Jennifer Lingler, the associate dean for Research at UC Davis Health. “Whether improving care for older adults, supporting family caregivers or shaping policy, she has consistently turned evidence into action. Few have contributed more to gerontological nursing or done more to cultivate the leaders who will shape its future.”

How Young’s work shaped aging care and family caregiving

Young trained in gerontology at the University of Washington. She practiced as a geriatric nurse practitioner in community-based long-term care and directed the university’s de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging. She later directed the John A. Hartford Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence at Oregon Health & Science University.

Her research has shaped long-term care policy in Washington state and beyond. She has studied family caregiving, medication safety in rural assisted living and telehealth strategies to support healthy aging.

She serves as strategic partnerships director of the Family Caregiving Institute at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. She has advised California on its Master Plan for Aging and served as a senior policy fellow with the AARP Public Policy Institute.

Young, a UC Davis graduate, returned to her alma mater in 2008 to build a new nursing school supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Although she retired from the UC Davis faculty this year, Young continues as national program director of the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators, which she created in 2020.

“I’ve spent my career learning from older adults and the families who care for them. They are the reason this work matters,” Young said. “This award belongs to the colleagues, students and nurse leaders who have shared that commitment with me.”

GSA established the Donald P. Kent Award in 1973 in honor of Kent, a renowned sociologist who was known for translating research into practice.