Dr. Peter N. McCracken Legacy Scholarship
Dr. Peter N. McCracken has been recognized for many accomplishments throughout his distinguished career. His greatest passion was always the well-being of his patients. His dedication left a lasting impression on patients, their families, staff and colleagues, as well as learners of all disciplines. Second only to his commitment to his patients, was his passion for teaching. He demonstrated great versatility in sharing his knowledge to clinicians of all disciplines. Throughout his many years of practice in Edmonton, he gave much to the advancement of geriatric medicine both in his clinical work and in research, especially in the area of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. It is thanks in large part to his leadership in geriatric medicine that seniors in our province have access to the leading edge care that they do today.
The Dr. Peter N. McCracken scholarship is awarded annually to a student in Medicine or a graduate student in another health discipline, with a special interest in geriatrics. Selection will be based on academic achievement and the evaluation of the individual as a role model for excellence in clinical care and research.
Applications are now being accepted for this award. Applicants must submit a proposal outlining specific achievements that illustrate the competencies of clinical excellence, role modeling and leadership amongst their peers, as well as research acumen. The scholarship recipient will be announced at the Dr. Peter McCracken Memorial Lecture (TBA).
Deadline for applications is MAY 31, 2022.
Award Recipients Profile
2020


Nick Anthony Millar is an internationally educated nurse from the Philippines, who is currently a PhD in Nursing student under the supervisory of Dr. Kathleen Hunter. He received his Bachelor Science in Nursing at Far Eastern University, Manila, before subsequently completing his Bachelor’s in Nursing at Athabasca University and Master’s Degree in Nursing at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Throughout his career, he has been passionate about the care of older persons with a specific focus in hospital settings. Currently, he is a healthcare leader in his workplace, where he supports the delivery and improvement of care of older persons in acute medicine units.
Nick’s doctoral research aims to understand the transition process that acute care hospitals undergo when adopting senior friendly care (SFC) models. Through the discovery of a framework, he envisions to lay out a blueprint in implementing SFC for other hospitals intending to align their health services with the specific needs of older persons during an acute illness.
2019

Anh Pham is a PhD Candidate in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. She holds a Master of Science in Public Health (Oxford Brookes University) and an MD in Eastern Medicine (University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam).
Anh is interested in supporting community-dwelling older adults by improving quality of primary care. Her doctoral research focuses on using data from primary care electronic medical records to predict dementia development. It is in order to provide appropriate care for people with high risk to avoid or delay dementia onset and to promote healthy aging.
2018
Summary of Research

2017

2016

Stephanie's research interests focus on social exclusion, isolation, and social engagement. Her PhD work focuses on potentially vulnerable populations of residents in long-term care. Her project will document the prevalence, health outcomes, and experience of residents who are under guardianship in long-term care. Her goal is to become an independent career scientist in the field of gerontology.
2014/2015


2012

2011
Nicole Dalmer, a graduate student at the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta, has won the 2011 Dr. Peter N. McCracken Legacy Scholarship. This scholarship recognizes Dr. McCracken's contributions to geriatric medicine and to his mentorship of students. The scholarship enables a University of Alberta student registered in a graduate (Masters, PhD, or MD) program with a focus on geriatrics, gerontology or aging to participate in research activities. This scholarship is awarded on the basis of academic merit, research plans and commitment to the field of geriatrics/gerontology. Nicole's research focuses on older adult health information. More specifically, she explored the information seeking behaviours of unpaid caregivers who use the Internet to access health information about the older adult in their care. Nicole will be completing her Masters in Library and Information Studies this spring and plans on pursing her PhD in Health Information Sciences, focusing on the information needs of Canadian older adults and their caregivers.
2010
Peggy McFall is the 2010 scholarship recipient. Peggy is a PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alberta. Peggy already has an extensive track record of research, teaching and the application of new knowledge in the field of aging.
Peggy's research will focus on how specific combinations of health risk and protection factors can exacerbate or buffer the effects of common aging-related diseases on cognitive changes among older adults. In particular, how much of the cognitive changes of aging are due to the basic biological state of growing older (normal aging) and how much are due to other factors such as preclinical neurological health conditions, other co-morbidities, environmental influences, and psychological
2009
Scott Kendall is working towards a specialization in aging research in his second year of the Master's of Science in Rehabilitation Science program (MSc-RS) at the University of Alberta, under the supervision of Dr. Tammy Hopper. His interest in gerontological issues was sparked during a 16-month undergraduate internship in the research unit of the CapitalCare long-term care organization. His main research interest is in cognitive rehabilitation for individuals with dementia, with a related secondary interest in the evaluation of clinical service delivery in geriatric rehabilitation and long-term care.
The specific goal for his thesis research project is to examine the effect of an individualized, language-based, psychosocial intervention (Reminiscence Therapy) on the memory function of long-term care residents with dementia.
Scott states that it is an honour to be chosen as a recipient of the Dr. Peter McCracken Legacy Scholarship, and thanks the Foundation, the Glenrose staff, and of course, Dr. McCracken for their dedication to rehabilitation.
2008
2009 Summary of Research: Older Adult Veteran: Health, Well-being & Occupation
Helen Gough is enrolled in the doctoral studies program in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Alberta. She has a Masters in Clinical Occupational Therapy and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology. The purpose of Helen's doctoral research is to explore the impact of combat-related late-onset stress symptomatology in elderly community dwelling Canadian War Service Veterans. She has already completed a number of studies in this area as sole investigator or collaborator. Helen also submitted her proposal to the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs who have referenced her work and entered it as evidence for the Standing Committee on National Defense. With Helen's record, she has tremendous potential to make significant contributions to rehabilitation research and practice.
2007
Ms. Tiana Rust is the recipient of the 2007 Dr. Peter N. McCracken Legacy Scholarship. Ms. Rust is a PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology, University of Alberta. Her research is on the role of caregiver beliefs about aging and Alzheimer Disease. Tiana's future goal is to work in a continuing care or geriatric rehabilitation setting with the role of conducting research and evaluation to guide best practices for the care of older adults.
To make a contribution to the Dr. Peter N. McCracken Legacy Fund, please contact:
Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation
10230 - 111 Avenue
Edmonton, AB, T5G 0B7
Email: GlenroseFoundation@albertahealthservices.ca
Phone: 780-735-6024
Fax: 780-735-8227
