Shaping the Future of Seniors Care in Alberta: Optima Living and the University of Alberta Partner on New PhD Award

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Shaping the Future of Seniors Care in Alberta: Optima Living and the University of Alberta Partner on New PhD Award

ECONOMY 29.10.2025

EDMONTON, AB / ACCESS Newswire / October 29, 2025 / Optima Living is proud to announce the launch of the Optima Living PhD Graduate Award for Innovation in Seniors Living, established at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Nursing. This new award reinforces Optima Living's growing partnership with The University of Alberta and its enduring commitment to advancing knowledge, care, and innovation in seniors living.

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Each year, two $25,000 awards will be presented to PhD students in the Faculty of Nursing who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and research potential. Preference will be given to candidates whose work focuses on Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence, Healthy Aging, or Dementia Care: areas critical to improving quality of life for older adults.

The award is funded annually by Optima Living, representing a total investment of $250,000 over five years. It reflects the organization's ongoing dedication to fostering the next generation of healthcare leaders and innovators.

"This award is an extension of Optima Living's belief that excellence in seniors care begins with excellence in knowledge creation," said Farid Damji, Co-Founder and Principal of Optima Living. "By supporting PhD research in nursing and partnering with the University of Alberta, we're helping shape the future of seniors care across Alberta."

This new award builds upon Optima Living's existing partnership with the Department of Medicine, which focuses on knowledge creation and sharing in aging and dementia care. Together, these initiatives represent a shared commitment to advancing the science and practice of senior living through evidence-based innovation and education.

"Partnerships like this one with Optima Living help ensure our students' research translates into real-world improvements for Alberta seniors," said Dr. Shannon Scott, Dean of the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta. "Beyond research, this collaboration will provide valuable preceptorship opportunities for our students, bring Optima Living's leaders into our classrooms, and foster ongoing collaborations that strengthen our capacity to care for Alberta's aging population."

Award recipients will be selected by nomination from the Faculty of Nursing, with final selection made by the University's Graduate Scholarship Committee. Students may be eligible to hold the award for up to four years, subject to continued academic progress and program eligibility.

Through this partnership and others, Optima Living continues to strengthen the link between best-in-class research and compassionate care, ensuring we offer innovative, person-centred living experiences for all residents.

About University of Alberta Faculty of Nursing
The Faculty of Nursing is recognized among the top nursing schools in Canada and around the world. Our reputation is built on more than a century of excellence in nursing education, research, and practice. Our alumni, leaders and innovators across the globe, embody the lasting impact of our programs.

Our vision is to lead transformative nursing education and research that improves healthcare across communities, systems, and populations. As a pioneer in Canadian nursing education, we implemented the first Master of Nursing program in Western Canada in 1975, and began the first fully-funded Nursing PhD program in Canada in 1991.

Today, our faculty includes more than 300 dedicated educators, researchers, and staff who prepare the next generation of nurses and advance nursing knowledge and practice worldwide. Nearly 1,500 undergraduate and over 200 graduate students are currently enrolled, forming a strong pipeline of future nursing leaders, scholars, and practitioners.

Together, our community continues to strengthen nursing's impact across Alberta, Canada, and the world.

About Optima Living
Founded in 2007 by two friends inspired by a love for seniors and their families' dementia journeys, Optima Living was created to offer a more home-like experience in seniors housing and care.

What began as a personal mission has grown into one of Western Canada's leading senior living and continuing care providers, offering Independent Living, Assisted Living, Supportive Living, Long-Term Care, Brain Health and Memory Care, including Optima's own proprietary brain health and care model: Spark, Your Wellness, Your Way.

Today, we are the only Top 10 Canadian senior living and care provider focused exclusively on Western Canada, serving 4,300+ residents in Alberta and British Columbia.

Guided by our North Star, Let us welcome you home™, we are committed to People, Place, and Community. With a resident-first philosophy, deep community ties, and a focus on innovation, we are shaping a future defined by integrity, dignity, and empathy.

At Optima Living, senior living is about thriving, not just residing. We're redefining aging with purpose by creating communities where residents live well with dignity, connection, and joy.

Discover how we are changing the landscape of senior living at https://optimaliving.ca/.

Optima Living: Let us welcome you home™.

SOURCE: Optima Living

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

R.Garcia--AT

Arizona Tribune - Shaping the Future of Seniors Care in Alberta: Optima Living and the University of Alberta Partner on New PhD Award

Shaping the Future of Seniors Care in Alberta: Optima Living and the University of Alberta Partner on New PhD Award

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