Assistant Professor Vivien Wu from the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies (NUS Nursing), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, has been inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), in recognition of her contributions to supporting healthy ageing and ageing in place.

Asst Prof Wu was formally inducted into the Academy’s 2026 Class of Fellows at its annual Health Policy Conference in Washington, DC, on 10 October, joining a global Fellowship of nursing leaders working across research, policy, practice, administration and academia.

The Academy’s 2026 Class of Fellows, selected through a rigorous review process, represents 39 US states, the District of Columbia and 17 countries. The Fellows are recognised for their substantial contributions to improving health outcomes.

Bringing healthy ageing into the community

A Clinician Scientist (Population Health) funded by Singapore’s National Medical Research Council, Asst Prof Wu researches digitally facilitated healthy ageing interventions for vulnerable older adults. Her work translates research into interventions that can be used where older adults live and receive care.

One example is the Community-Based e-Health Programme (CeHP), a 12-week intervention that combines face-to-face health education with the Care4Senior mobile app. Older adults learn about exercise, diet and chronic disease management, while using the app to monitor health indicators such as blood pressure and access information on managing their conditions. The programme has shown improvements in participants’ quality of life, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and confidence in managing chronic diseases, and has since reached more than 20 ageing facilities.

Her research has also taken healthy ageing interventions directly into neighbourhood communities. After an eight-week pilot of her intergenerational Community Dance Programme at four senior activity centres showed improvements in participants’ physical health, memory, mood and loneliness, the programme is now being scaled up across 10 Active Ageing Centres. The 12-week programme uses structured movement, storytelling and rhythm to support the physical, cognitive and psychosocial health of pre-frail and mildly frail older adults, while bringing NUS students and seniors together through intergenerational learning.

Asst Prof Wu received Singapore’s Clinician Scientist Award in 2024, the Emerging Nurse Scholar Award from Sigma Theta Tau International in 2022, and an Early Career Investigator Award under the Interstellar Initiative by the New York Academy of Sciences and Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development in 2020. She has also been listed among the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists since 2023. Beyond her own research, she contributes to the development of nursing science and gerontology as an editorial board member of the Journal of Advanced Nursing and BMC Geriatrics.

“It is an honour to be inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing,” said Asst Prof Wu. “This recognition highlights the critical need to bridge digital health innovations with geriatric community care, ensuring older adults can age with dignity, independence and better health outcomes.”

As an FAAN, Asst Prof Wu hopes to bring insights from Singapore and Southeast Asia into wider conversations on healthy ageing, while advancing the role nurses can play in shaping community care and health policy.