Mary D. Naylor, the Marian S. Ware Professor in Gerontology and director of the NewCourtland Center for Transitions & Health in the department of biobehavioral health sciences at Penn Nursing, is the recipient of the 2016 AcademyHealth Distinguished Investigator Award. She is only the second nurse to receive this award since its founding in 1985.

Dr. Naylor is the architect of the Transitional Care Model (TCM), designed to positively impact the care and outcomes of chronically ill older adults who are navigating fragmented systems of care. In collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of clinical scholars and health services researchers, she has tested the TCM and translated the evidence within health systems and communities throughout the US and across the globe.