Terry Fulmer, dean of the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, has been selected to receive the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Gerontological Nursing Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the clinical care of older adults.

The award—the highest honor bestowed by the NGNA—is intended to recognize individuals whose contributions and accomplishments have significantly impacted elderly care and positively influenced the public image of the aging. Candidates must be nominated by an NGNA Fellow or by a member of the Board of Directors, which selects the annual award winner.

Fulmer is scheduled to accept the award—and deliver the keynote address—at the annual NGNA Convention on Oct. 3 in San Antonio, Texas.

“I am pleased and humbled to receive this award,” Fulmer said. “There is no greater affirmation than to be recognized by my distinguished peers.”

A leading expert in geriatrics, Fulmer is best known for her research on the topic of elder abuse and neglect, which has been funded by the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute for Nursing Research. She is currently a member of the Geriatrics and Gerontology Advisory Committee for the Veteran’s Administration and is the first nurse to serve on the board of the American Geriatrics Society and as president of the Gerontological Society of America.

“As our population ages, my research team and I will redouble our efforts to ensure quality of life and safety for those individuals who are now living into their 90s and beyond,” Fulmer said, noting the challenges of improving the health, function, and quality of life of older adults. “Northeastern is optimally positioned to make great strides in advancing the science of healthy aging.”

Prior to joining Northeastern in 2011, Fulmer served as the Erline Perkins McGriff Professor of Nursing and founding dean of the New York University College of Nursing. She is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine and has held faculty appointments at Boston College, Columbia University, Yale University, and the Harvard Division on Aging. She earned her bachelor of science from Skidmore College, her master’s and doctoral degrees from Boston College, and her Geriatric Nurse practitioner Post-Master’s Certificate from New York University.