Dr. Priyanka Shrestha
PhD, MGS, RN · Director of Nursing
Dr. Priyanka Shrestha is a board-certified gerontological registered nurse, nurse scientist, educator, and aging researcher with a career focused on improving care for older adults and their families. She is an Assistant Professor at the George Washington University School of Nursing and serves as Associate Director for Aging Research at GW's Center for Aging, Health and Humanities.
Her clinical and research expertise includes dementia, delirium, delirium superimposed on dementia, family caregiving, age-friendly care, and care transitions. She also works clinically in geriatric emergency care, bringing firsthand experience in assessing older adults, identifying changes from baseline, and supporting safer care decisions.
At Virginia Legacy, Dr. Shrestha leads clinical assessment, individualized care planning, nursing standards, cognitive and functional monitoring, staff education, and collaboration with families and healthcare providers. Her approach emphasizes understanding each resident's normal routines, preferences, abilities, and behaviors so that meaningful changes can be recognized early.
Dr. Shrestha earned her PhD in Nursing from Penn State, a Master's in Gerontological Studies from Miami University, and completed postdoctoral training at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. She has published extensively in gerontology and dementia care and has contributed to NIH-funded research focused on improving care for older adults.
