MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — During the 2025 holiday season, the Office of Research and the Office of Community Engagement at the WVU School of Nursing partnered to bring comfort and kindness to elderly residents across West Virginia.
In an effort that blended scholarship, compassion and creativity, the teams assembled customized care packages filled with practical items and warm messages of support for older adults. The effort was led by Dr. Ubolrat “Diu” Piamjariyakul, Associate Dean for Research, and Dr. Angel Smothers, Associate Dean for Community Engagement.
Adding a personal touch, Dr. Piamjariyakul hand‑quilted each of the fabric bags that held the care packages. Once completed, faculty and staff worked together to fill and deliver the bags to elderly community members, ensuring that residents felt remembered and valued during the holiday season.
This commitment is reflected not only in their community-focused leadership, but also in their scholarly work. Together, their team is expanding education and home care efforts for families living with heart failure. Their work is creating measurable improvements in patient care while inspiring students and clinicians to approach aging with empathy and respect.
“Taking care of my grandmother and later my mother, I developed a lifelong passion for improving the health and quality of life of older adults,” Dr. Piamjariyakul said. “As a nurse and researcher, my work focuses on advancing care strategies that promote dignity, comfort, and hope in aging. Caring for older adults is not just medicine, it’s humanity.”
Their dedication, both through scholarly work and community outreach, reflects the School of Nursing’s mission to uplift communities throughout West Virginia.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu