Tara Cortes PhD, RN, FAAN

Tara Cortes is recognized for her distinguished career spanning executive leadership, nursing education, research and practice. She is currently the executive director of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, and a professor in geriatric nursing at the New York University College of Nursing. Dr. Cortes has provided significant contributions to advance the health of people, particularly those with limited access to the health care system. Importantly, she has developed collaborative models with advanced practice nurses and physicians in traditional, as well as nontraditional, settings to enhance the care of the American elderly population.

As executive director of the Hartford Institute, Dr. Cortes brings her leadership, experience, and wisdom to enhance select respected existing programs in the institute and to develop new and innovative initiatives. The consistent theme across her work is the essential role of advanced practice nurses improving the quality of life in specific patient populations and the interdisciplinary nature of health care. Dr. Cortes is a leader in developing, evaluating, and implementing advanced nursing practice and collaborative practice. Her work has contributed to advancing interdisciplinary models across the continuum of care to reduce disparities in access to care and to assure healthy aging in place. She has helped change policy and practice in geriatric care and in low-vision and blindness care by developing roles for advanced practice nurses to provide care to those with poor access to resources due to lack of knowledge or functional disabilities.

Dr. Cortes is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine. She is a past fellow of the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows program. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award from New York University, where she completed her PhD and masters degrees. Her BSN is from Villanova University, where she served on the board of trustees, and was recently awarded the Medallion for Outstanding Contributions to the Profession. She was named one of the New York Womens Agenda 2011 STARS for exemplifying the qualities embodied in NYWAs mission to advocate and collaborate for the interests of New York women in public policy decisions.

Dr. Cortes serves on several boards including the board of the Visiting Nurse Regional Health Care System, the board of the National Accreditation Council for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, and on the US Army New York City Community Advisory Board.

Appearances