The award is open to individuals who hold or have retired from positions of leadership in gerontological nursing including health care, research, education, politics and public service. The awardee need not be an Academy Fellow.
The award is established in recognition of the critical importance of gerontological nursing in meeting the health and health care needs of the US population, the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), in partnership with the John A. Hartford Foundation, established the American Academy of Nursing & John A. Hartford Foundation Nurse Leader Award in Aging in 2006.