Personal profile
Clinical interests
Dr. Nicole Osevala specializes in geriatric medicine and has managed the care of older adults across clinical settings including inpatient, outpatient, rehabilitative and long-term care. Her primary clinical interests include post-acute care, dementia care, fall prevention and loss of function and mobility during hospitalization.
Most recently, Dr. Osevala has engaged in the American Geriatrics Society Geriatric Hip Fracture Co-Management Program with Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center's Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, in order to improve care for older adults undergoing surgery following hip fracture. Her current work has focused on pathways and protocols to optimize medical care of older adults, as well as geriatric syndromes including frailty.
In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Osevala serves in a number of roles within Penn State Health and Penn State Rehabilitation Hospital, including:
- Member, Department of Medicine Executive Council, January 2020 to present
- Member, Penn State Health Geriatric Scholar Program Steering Committee, February 2020 to present
- Member, Penn State Health Orthopaedics Geriatric Fracture Workgroup, 2017 to present
- Medical Director, Penn State Rehabilitation Hospital Transitional Care Unit, 2017 to present
- Member, Penn State Rehabilitation Hospital Governance Board, 2017 to present
- Member, Penn State Health Medical Group Community Practice Division Clinical Operations Committee, 2016 to present
- Co-chair, Penn State Heatlh Post-Acute Care Committee, 2016 to present
- Member, Comprehensive Joint Replacement Bundle Payment Oversight Committee, 2016 to present
- Physician leader, Penn State Rehabilitation Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Committee, 2016 to present
- QA faculty member, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center/Penn State Rehabilitation Hospital, 2015 to present
- Medical Director, Penn State Rehabilitation Hospital Transitional Care Unit QAPI Committee, 2014 to present
- Member, Penn State Rehabilitation Hospital Medical Executive Committee, 2013 to present
- Member, Penn State Rehabilitation Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, 2013 to present
Research interests
Dr. Nicole Osevala joined the Penn State College of Medicine faculty in 2010. Her current research focus is developing a consensus definition and protocol to identify frailty in older adults at highest risk for poor outcomes and increased mortality in the geriatric trauma population. This includes studying and developing a greater understanding of the underlying biologic mechanisms and predictors of reduced resiliency in the setting of physiologic stress due to trauma and surgery in older adults.
Teaching and educational interests
Dr. Nicole Osevala has been an educator in geriatric medicine for residents and medical and nurse practitioner students. She is a frequent presenter in Penn State Health's Geriatric Grand Rounds and is a lecturer on geriatric medicine for Penn State College of Medicine. Dr. Osevala conducts nursing lectures focused on the hazards of hospitalization for adults and geriatric syndromes. She facilitates the geriatric rehabilitation rotation with the Internal Medicine Residency on a routine basis and also provides annual geriatric education to the Family and Community Medicine Residency.
Dr. Osevala also serves as a facilitator for the Science of Health Systems course for Penn State College of Medicine MD students, and supports a hub of 25 medical students who serve as Patient Navigators at local nursing homes where patients are receiving post-hospital care and long-term nursing care.
Professional information
Fellow, American College of Physicians (FACP), 2013 (member, 2004 to present)
Member, American Medical Association, 2010 to present
Member, Pennsylvania Medical Society, 2009 to present
Board-certified in Geriatrics, American Board of Internal Medicine, 2007 (recertified in 2017)
Member, American Geriatrics Society, 2006 to present
Board-certified in Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine, 2006 (recertified in 2016)
Education/Academic qualification
Geriatrics Division, Harford Foundation Scholar, University of Michigan
2007 → 2009
Geriatric Medicine, Fellowship, University of Michigan Medical Center
2006 → 2007
Internal Medicine, Residency, University of Michigan Medical Center
2003 → 2006
MD, Penn State College of Medicine
1999 → 2003
Movement in Sports Science/Pre-Medicine, BA, Purdue University
1995 → 1999
External positions
Steering Committee Member, NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders)
Nov 2018 → …
Geriatric Hip Fracture Co-Management Implementation Program Member, American Geriatrics Society
Jan 2018 → Jun 2019
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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A Need for a Time-Out: A Consensus Statement From the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association (PALTmed) on the Use of Urine Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing for Urinary Tract Infections
PALTmed, Sep 2025, In: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 26, 9, 105746.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access1 Link opens in a new tab Scopus citations -
Radiographic sarcopenic obesity measurements in elderly trauma patients do not predict adverse discharge disposition over injury severity score
Oh, J. S., Peterson, C. M., Alvarez, C., Layng, S. C., Pradhan, S., Shen, C., Lee, J. J., Osevala, N. M. & Armen, S. B., Jan 2025, In: Trauma (United Kingdom). 27, 1, p. 73-78 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Implementation of COVID-19 infection control best practices in nursing homes amid the pandemic
D’Souza, G. C., Kraschnewski, J. L., Francis, E., Heilbrunn, E., Kong, L., Lehman, E., Osevala, N., Urso, J., Chamberlain, L., Suda, K. M., McNeil, L. & Calo, W. A., Dec 2024, In: BMC health services research. 24, 1, 941.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access2 Link opens in a new tab Scopus citations -
Leadership Perspectives on Nursing Home Operations From Crisis to Control: A Mixed Methods Study
Behrens, L. L., Kitt-Lewis, E., Boltz, M., Calo, W. A., Lehman, E., Whitaker, J., Osevala, N., Van Haitsma, K., Van Scoy, L. J. & Kraschnewski, J. L., Sep 2024, In: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 25, 9, 105145.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access2 Link opens in a new tab Scopus citations -
Underuse of SARS-CoV-2–Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies in Skilled Nursing Facilities
Paules, C. I., Osevala, N., Lehman, E., Heilbrunn, E. S., Francis, E., Hogentogler, R. E., Kong, L. & Kraschnewski, J. L., Feb 2024, In: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 25, 2, p. 290-295 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
Prizes
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Department of Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine Most Valuable Player Award
Osevala, N. (Recipient), 2017
Prize
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Outstanding Senior Award in Health, Kinesiology and Leisure Studies
Osevala, N. (Recipient), 1999
Prize
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