CAROL J. FARRAN, D.N.Sc., R.N., FAAN

Professor and Nurses Alumni Association Endowed Chair in Health and the Aging Process
Rush University College of Nursing
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center/Rush Institute for Healthy Aging
Chicago, IL

Dr. Farran is a nationally recognized nurse with over 30 years experience in health care with particular interest in family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease. She currently serves as Professor and Nurses Alumni Association Endowed Chair in Health and the Aging Process at the Rush University College of Nursing and the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago, IL. Among her other notable past positions, Dr. Farran has served as the Director of the Rush College of Nursing PhD Program within the Graduate College Division of Rush University Medical Center and Principal Investigator of the Education and Information Transfer Core at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center/Rush Institute for Healthy Aging.

Dr. Farran has served as a principal investigator, co-investigator or advisory board member of multiple federally funded grants from the Alzheimer’s Association, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). Her research efforts have examined the impact of interventions targeted to help family caregivers successfully manage behaviors associated with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as responding to the stress associated with being a family caregiver with attention to cultural and racial/ethnic disparities. Other content areas related to Dr. Farran’s research activities include lifestyle, physical activity, and neuroimaging biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and conducting assessments of behavioral skills among family caregivers.

Dr. Farran is an member of many well-respected national and international organizations including the American Academy of Nursing, Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders National Association, American Nurses’ Association, Gerontological Society of America, Institute of Medicine – Chicago, and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. In addition, Dr. Farran is a past president of the Midwest Nursing Research Society.

As a prolific scholar, Dr. Farran has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters as well as numerous technical reports. Her publications discuss topics ranging from nursing care for older adults, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, home health care, and the impact of caregiving on the health and well-being of the caregiver. In addition, Dr. Farran has a distinguished record of editorial activities including serving on the editorial board of Alzheimer’s Care Today and the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias. Moreover, Dr. Farran serves as a reviewer for Geriatric Nursing, Research in Nursing and Health, the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, the Western Journal of Nursing Research, and The Gerontologist.

Throughout her impressive tenure, Dr. Farran has been recognized for her excellence in research and nursing by being the recipient of numerous honors, including the Rosalynn Carter Leadership in Caregiving Award, the Rush Community Caregiving Outcomes Alliance, National Alliance for Caregiving Scholarship Award, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Plain Language/Clear Communications Gold Award for Caring for a Person with Alzheimer’s Disease, the John A. Hartford Foundation MNRS Award for Leadership in Geriatric Nursing Research, the Kathleen G. Andreoli Mentorship Award from the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing, the Rush University College of Nursing Mentorship Award and the Scholar Award for Professional Achievement, and the Goshen College Culture for Service Award among many others.

Dr. Farran received her Doctor of Nursing Science degree with a focus on geropsychiatric nursing and her Master of Science in psychiatric nursing from Rush University in Chicago, IL. She also completed postgraduate research training at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Additionally, Dr. Farran gained a second Master of Science degree in community health nursing from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, IL and another graduate degree in counselor education from Illinois State University, Normal, IL. Furthermore, Dr. Farran holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Goshen College, Goshen, IN.