Laura Wagner

Laura Wagner, PhD, RN, FAAN is a Professor in the Community Health Systems department at the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing. Her research program focuses on improving patient safety among nurses, with particular emphasis on nursing care processes to enhance care efficiency, ethical practice, and evidence-based safety in long-term care settings.

Research Focus

Dr. Wagner's work spans multiple critical areas in nursing and geriatric care:

• Patient safety culture in nursing homes and long-term care facilities
• Falls management and prevention strategies
• Reduction of physical restraints and siderails
• Adverse event reporting and disclosure systems
• Workforce training and experiences in dementia care
• Health equity and disparities in long-term care settings

Research Trends

Dr. Wagner's recent publications reveal a consistent focus on improving safety and quality in long-term care, with increasing attention to workforce issues including diversity, equity, and pandemic impacts on care delivery. Her work examines how workforce characteristics like race, ethnicity, and training influence patient outcomes, with recent studies addressing health insurance coverage among direct care workers, nurse retention challenges, and economic impacts of home care programs.

Awards and Recognition

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Award in Aging (2009)
• Springer Publishing Company Springer Award in Geriatric Nursing Research (2008)
• American Academy of Nursing Fellow (2013)

Research Funding and Service

Dr. Wagner currently serves as Principal Investigator on NIH R01 grant R01AG074227 examining dementia care workforce experiences and resident outcomes (2021-2026). Her service contributions include collaboration with the National Quality Forum to update Serious Reportable Events for Long-Term Care, work with Safer Healthcare Now! Initiative in Canada developing falls management resources, and leadership of Registered Nurses Association of Ontario guideline development for restraint alternatives.