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Working towards optimal health for all older adults

Mary Starke Harper

The Mary Starke Harper Distinguished Leader Interview highlights the career of a nurse whose outstanding leadership qualities and achievements serve to inspire others. The person for whom it is named—Mary Starke Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN (1919-2006)—was an American Academy of Nursing Living Legend and one of the coun-try’s foremost authorities on mental health and aging. Harper advocated for an organized system of support for families who provided long-term care to their elderly adults.

Selected Highlights & Accomplishments of Mary Starke Harper’s Career:
  • Education

    Majored in nursing at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama

  • Education

    Bachelor’s in nursing and Master’s degree in psychiatric mental health nursing from the University of Minnesota

  • Education

    Doctorate in clinical psychology and medical sociology from St. Louis University Career

  • Career

    Rose through the ranks of the Veteran’s Administration to become Director of Nursing

  • Career

    Member of the National Advisory Council for the National Institute of Health/National Institute of Aging and of the US Surgeon General’s Task Force on Mental Health

  • Career

    Worked for the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

  • Career

    Authored five books and 186 scholarly articles

  • White House Efforts

    Carter White House Director of the Office of Policy Development and Research for the 1981 Conference on Aging

  • White House Efforts

    Led the effort to improve public hospitals’ mental health systems in the Clinton White House

Watch Video
An Oral History: Dr. Mary Starke Harper, A Legacy of Service
Youtube

Mary Starke Harper Distinguished Leader Award

Purpose

To honor a nurse leader whose outstanding contributions to gerontological nursing reflect the enduring legacy of Dr. Mary Starke Harper. The recipient exemplifies visionary leadership, impact, and mentorship that reflects the mission of the NHCGNE.

Eligibility

  • The nominee must be a nurse with a demonstrated career focus in aging and/or caregiving.
  • The NHCGNE Board nominates deserving current and past leaders from within or beyond the organization.
  • Self-nominations are not accepted

The recipient will be interviewed during the Mary Starke Harper Award session at the Annual Conference.

Award Criteria

Nominees should demonstrate excellence in at least three of the following areas:

  1. Transformational Leadership in Gerontological Nursing
    • Leads initiatives that improve the care, well-being, or quality of life of older adults.
    • Advances nursing science, practice, or policy through visionary and sustained leadership.
    • Demonstrates significant leadership at institutional, national, or international levels.
  2. Advocacy for Health Equity and Social Justice
    • Actively works to reduce disparities in aging, mental health, or caregiving across underrepresented or underserved populations.
    • Champions inclusive policies, education, or research agendas that center marginalized communities.
    • Demonstrates a strong record of promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).
  3. Innovation in Mental Health and Aging or Caregiving Support
    • Advances understanding, treatment, or policy around mental health and aging, cognitive impairment, or caregiving.
    • Contributes to systems-level change to support long-term care, community-based services, or caregiver well-being.
  4. Mentorship and Workforce Development
    • Demonstrates a sustained commitment to mentoring emerging gerontological nurse leaders, particularly from historically underrepresented groups.
    • Promotes academic and leadership development within the gerontological nursing pipeline.
  5. Impactful Policy and Systems Change
    • Influences health policy or systems to improve aging services, caregiving supports, or mental health care for older adults.
    • Contributes to national task forces, advisory panels, or regulatory efforts aligned with NHCGNE’s vision.

Mary Starke Harper Awardees

  • 2024

    J Taylor Harden, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN
    Visiting Professor 

  • 2023

    Margaret Wallhagen, PhD, RN, FAAN
    University of California, San Francisco 

  • 2022

    Lois Evans, PhD, RN, FAAN
    Professor Emerita
    University of Pennsylvania 

  • 2021

    Linda Phillips, PhD, RN, FAAN
    University of California, Los Angeles 

  • 2020

    Neville Strumpf, PhD, RN, FAAN
    University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

  • 2019

    Catherine L. Gilliss, PhD, RN, FAAN
    University of California San Francisco

  • 2018

    Kathleen Coen Buckwalter, PhD, RN, FAAN
    University of Iowa

  • 2017

    Linda Burnes Bolton, DrPH, RN, FAAN
    Cedars-Sinai

  • 2016

    Brigadier General Clara Adams-Ender, PhD, RN, MSN, CNAA, FAAN
    The University of Oklahoma

  • 2015

    Kathleen A. Dracup, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN
    University of California, San Francisco

  • 2014

    Callista Roy, PhD, RN, FAAN
    Boston College / Mount Saint Mary's University

  • 2013

    Meridean Maas, PhD, RN, FAAN
    University of Iowa

  • 2012

    May L. Wykle, PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA
    Case Western Reserve University

  • 2011

    Mathy Mezey, EdD, RN, FAAN
    Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, New York University

  • 2010

    Angela McBride, PhD, RN, FAAN
    Indiana University School of Nursing

  • 2009

    Mary Starke Harper Memorial

  • 2008

    Gloria Smith, PhD, RN, FAAN
    Wayne State University

  • 2007

    Shirley Chater, RN, PhD, FAAN
    Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

  • 2006

    Loretta Ford, EdD, RN, PNP, FAAN, FAANP
    University of Rochester School of Nursing

  • 2005

    Claire M. Fagin, PhD, FAAN, RN
    University of Pennsylvania

  • 2004

    Luther Christman, PhD, RN, FAAN

  • 2003

    Florence Wald, RN, MN, MA, FAAN

  • 2002

    Mary Starke Harper, RN, PhD, FAAN