Transformations FA L L 2 0 1 7
I N N U R S I N G A N D H E A LT H
Come into the Fuld
The Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare brings together national and international leaders and experts in EBP at its inaugural summit Page 12
DE AN 'S ME S SAGE
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – André Gide
Dear alumni, colleagues and friends, Vision plus execution = outcomes. The dream we had to establish a national institute for evidence-based practice has come to fruition. In October, we launched the Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidencebased Practice in Nursing and Healthcare with an inaugural national summit that attracted health professionals from 31 states throughout the U.S. and 8 countries throughout the world. The Fuld Summit was preceded by an impactful EBP expert forum that attracted leaders from 42 national organizations and federal agencies. Highlights from these landmark events that will accelerate EBP throughout the U.S. make our cover story. Buckeyes are fearless – we dream BIG, we discover through innovation, and we persist through character-builders to deliver the visions that we imagined. These dreams are evident in our new five-year strategic plan, which is captured within this exciting issue of our magazine (see the special insert between pages 16-17). You will also read about our new Academy for Teaching Innovation, Excellence and Scholarship brought about by support from our terrific donors Ralph and Jennifer Watts, and the work in Ethiopia of our first Fulbright Scholar, Tim Landers. Cutting-edge research and outstanding mentorship by our world-renowned faculty continue to explode at our college with new NIH-funded studies and several new NIH-funded pre-doctoral training awards to our terrific PhD students. Our PhD and DNP students continue to be highly successful obtaining competitive national awards from the NIH as well as from a number of foundations and nursing organizations. In this issue, you can read about PhD and DNP students funded by grants awarded to the college from the Robert Wood Johnson Future of Nursing Scholars program and the Jonas Scholars program. I want to thank you for your continued unwavering support of our innovative initiatives, which are making a positive impact locally, nationally and globally. At our college, we think and achieve the impossible to transform health and improve lives through dreaming big dreams, discovering new oceans and delivering what we envision. Go Bucks! Warm and well regards,
Vice President for Health Promotion, University Chief Wellness Officer, Dean Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, PhD, RN, CPNP/PMHNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN Vice Dean Margaret Graham, PhD, RN, FNP, PNP, FAAN Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Educational Innovation Cindy Anderson, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FAAN
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Associate Dean for Research and Innovation Mary Beth Happ, PhD, RN, FAAN Assistant Dean, Chief Nurse Executive, Health System Associate VP, Health Sciences CNO UH/Ross Hospitals Mary Nash, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACHE Assistant Dean for Baccalaureate Programs Wendy Bowles, PhD, RN, CPNP
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Equity and Inclusion Ken Sigler, EdD Chief of Strategic Partnerships Laurel Van Dromme, MA Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Lainie Bradshaw, MBA
CON T E N TS
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COVER STORY 12 Come into the Fuld
The Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare’s inaugural summit and EBP Expert Forum
SPECIAL INSERT The Progress of Success
2017-2022 College of Nursing Strategic Plan
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SERVICE To Ethiopia with love – and books
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OUTREACH Learning and Serving in Nicaragua
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GIVING Woodwards celebrate anniversary with heartfelt gift
TEACHING 20 The new teaching academy
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Faulder pays forward to support future Buckeye Nurses
21 Online magic: Provost’s Award winner Alice Teall
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Adventures in nursing with Emilie Beck
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WELLNESS Staying healthy during the holidays
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Smoothie recipes
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DEPARTMENTS College News Faculty Focus Student Life Alumni News
INNOVATION 22 From backyard idea to $16 million-a-year business RESEARCH 24 Research scholars and their mentors 28 Could the key to treating Alzheimer’s begin in the heart? BUCKEYE INSPIRATION 35 Matt’s wife inspired him to become a Buckeye Nurse
Transformations in Nursing and Health is a publication of The Ohio State University College of Nursing ©2017. Editor: Susan Neale Design: Sandhya Elango, Troy Huffman Writers: Joe Ashley, Gabrielle Benton, Stephanie Beougher, Misti Crane, Matthew Ellinger, Noell Wolfgram Evans, Jennifer Grabmeier, Zachary Leven, Bernadette Melnyk, Susan Neale, Colleen Pelasky, Katy Trombitas, Adam Warren, Melissa L. Weber Photography: Jay LaPrete, Jodi Miller, Greg Sailor, Andrew Weber
1585 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210 • (614) 292-8900 Send change of address to nursingalumni@osu.edu. To make a gift to the College of Nursing, contact us at nursingadvancement@osu.edu.
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COLLE G E N E WS
College of Nursing faculty gain national recognition Lorraine C. Mion, PhD, RN, FAAN, was inducted into the Researcher Hall of Fame of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), at STTI’s 28th International Nursing Research Congress in Dublin, Ireland in July. Mion and 22 other nurse researchers, representing Australia, Canada, Finland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States, were inducted and presented with the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame award. Mion is a research professor and director of the Center of Excellence in Critical and Complex Care in the College of Nursing.
Lucia Jenkusky, CNM, MS, RN C-EFM, was selected as a Fellow of the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM). She is an instructor of clinical practice and teaches in the Midwifery and Women’s Health graduate program. Jenkusky joined the College of Nursing in 2012. The ACNM Fellowship program was established in 1994 to honor midwives whose demonstrated leadership, clinical excellence, outstanding scholarship and professional achievement have merited special recognition both within and outside of the midwifery profession.
Joyce Zurmehly, PhD, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, was inducted as a fellow of the National League for Nursing (NLN) by the Academy of Nursing Education. She joins 249 Fellows selected by the academy. The NLN established the Academy of Nursing Education in 2007 to foster excellence in nursing education by recognizing and capitalizing on the wisdom of nurse educators who have made sustained and significant contributions to nursing education. Fellows support the NLN vision to promote standards of excellence in nursing education that will increase the number of graduates from all types of nursing programs.
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Happ gives NINR Director’s Lecture Mary Beth Happ, PhD, RN, FAAN, was the invited featured speaker for the Director’s Lecture at the National Institute of Nursing Research in September 2017. In her presentation, “Giving Voice to the Voiceless: Improving Communication with Critically Ill Patients,” she described her program of research, which addresses family bedside presence during critical illness, end-oflife care and treatment decision-making in the ICU, and patient and family outcomes in acute-critical illness. The NINR Director’s Lecture series is designed to bring the nation’s top nurse scientists to the NIH campus to share their work and interests with a transdisciplinary audience. To watch a video of Happ's speech and read more about this event, go to go.osu.edu/happ-ninr.
Balas, Gallagher-Ford and Overcash recognized by the AANP Pictured above, from left: Michele Christina Balas, PhD, RN, CCRN-K, FCCM, FAAN; Lynn Gallagher-Ford, PhD, RN, NE-BC, DPFNAP, FAAN and Janine Overcash, PhD, GNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, selected for the 2017 class of the American Academy of Nursing Fellows. Balas is an associate professor whose research focuses on developing and testing interventions aimed at improving cognitive, functional and quality of life outcomes of critically ill adults. Gallagher-Ford is the senior director of the Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for EBP in Nursing and Healthcare, and a clinical associate professor.
Overcash is an associate professor of clinical nursing and a geriatric nurse practitioner specializing in older breast cancer patients. Balas, Gallagher-Ford and Overcash were inducted as AAN Fellows along with 170 other highly distinguished nurse leaders. Representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 29 countries, the Fellows are nurse leaders in education, management, practice, policy and research. AAN Fellows include hospital and government administrators, college deans and renowned scientific researchers.
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College of Nursing research in the news Two research studies from the College of Nursing garnered attention from the Office of Research Communications at Ohio State. A study about the cardiovascular risks of social smoking published in May gained worldwide attention and was featured in more than 150 media outlets across the country and around the world, including the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Europe. The new study on the link between medical errors and nurses’ depression went live at the end of October and is sure to increase national awareness of the importance of wellness for nurses. See news.osu.edu.
Social smoking carries same heart-disease risks as everyday habit One in 10 Americans screened said they sometimes smoked, study found BY MISTI CRANE Social smokers’ risk for high blood pressure and high cholesterol is identical to those who light up every day, new research has found.
demographics and obesity), about 75 percent had high blood pressure and roughly 54 percent had high cholesterol. Lead author Kate Gawlik, DNP, RN, ANP-BC, FNP-BC, assistant professor of clinical nursing, stated, “Not smoking at all is the best way to go. Even smoking in a social situation is detrimental to your cardiovascular health.” Gawlik urged healthcare providers to educate patients about the dangers of social smoking. “One in 10 people in this study said they sometimes smoke, and many of them are young and already on the path to heart disease,” she said.
This large, nationally representative study is the first to look at blood pressure and cholesterol in social smokers. More than 10 percent of 39,555 people surveyed said they were social smokers, meaning they didn’t smoke every day. An additional 17 percent of those surveyed identified themselves as current smokers. Among current and social smokers (after researchers adjusted for differences in factors including 4 | nursing.osu.edu
“These are striking findings and they have such significance for clinical practice and for population health,” said study senior author Bernadette Melnyk, dean of Ohio State’s College of Nursing and chief wellness officer for the university. “This has been a fairly neglected part of the population. We know that regular smoking is an addiction, but providers don’t usually ask about social smoking.” The study, “An Epidemiological Study of Population Health Reveals Social Smoking as a Major Cardiovascular Risk Factor,” by College of Nursing faculty Kate Gawlik, Bernadette Melnyk, and Alai Tan, Phd, appeared in the American Journal of Health Promotion. go.osu.edu/socialsmoking
Nurses’ depression tied to increased likelihood of medical errors Study finds more than half of nurses reported poor physical and mental health BY MISTI CRANE Depression is common among nurses and is linked to a higher likelihood they’ll make medical errors, new research suggests. The study found that more than half of nurses who took part in a national survey reported suboptimal physical and mental health. Nurses in poorer health had a 26 to 71 percent higher likelihood of reporting medical errors than did their healthier peers. Depression stood out as a major concern among the 1,790 U.S. nurses who responded to the survey, and as the key predictor of medical errors. “When you’re not in optimal health, you’re not going to be on top of your game,” said lead author Bernadette Melnyk, dean of The Ohio State University’s College of Nursing and chief wellness officer for the university. “Hospital administrators should build a culture of wellbeing and implement strategies to better support good physical and mental health in their employees. It’s good for nurses, and it’s good for their patients.” The data came from a survey conducted by the American Academy of Nursing’s million hearts
subcommittee of the health behavior expert panel. The survey included 53 questions and was offered through nursing organizations and 20 U.S. hospitals. Only responses from nurses who were in clinical practice were included in the study. The majority of participants were white women and the average age of participants was 44, which closely resembles the demographics of the nursing workforce nationwide. The study, which appears online in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, also found that nurses who perceived their workplace as conducive to wellness were more likely to report good health. College of Nursing researchers Kate Gawlik and Alai Tan also worked on the study. go.osu.edu/nursedepression
Melnyk and Gennaro awarded NIH grant A $3.3 million, four-and-a-half-year R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIH/NIMHD) for a study entitled, “Healthy Lifestyle Intervention for High-Risk Minority Pregnant Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” has been awarded to Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, PhD, RN, CPNP/PMHNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, and Co-PI Susan Gennaro, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean and professor of the William F. Connell School of Nursing at Boston College. Citing the public health mandate issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services to decrease disparities in birth outcomes based on race and ethnicity, the study proposes to test a cognitive behavioral skills building (CBSB) prenatal care intervention for pregnant minority women experiencing
emotional distress. If successful, it could be widely scaled to improve pregnancy, birth and post-natal outcomes nationally. The randomized, controlled trial (RCT) will test the efficacy of a CBSB health promotion intervention adapted from Melnyk’s other evidencebased CBSB interventions. It will be performed in both New York and Ohio. “Given the well-established link between emotional distress, poor health and birth outcomes and the prevalence of emotional distress in minority women, prenatal care interventions designed to improve mental and physical health outcomes for these women are vital,” Melnyk stated. nursing.osu.edu/melnyk-gennaro
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Dean Melnyk remains cutting edge in field of nursing BY GABRIELLE BENTON In June, College of Nursing Dean Bernadette Melnyk was honored with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) 2017 Sharp Cutting Edge Award during the AANP National Conference in Philadelphia.
networking platform and advocating for their role as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered and personalized healthcare. The organization provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health
“Recipients of the Sharp Award have shown leadership through innovative services, technologies or advocacy activities that advanced nurse practitioner (NP) practice and patient care on a national level,” the AANP stated. The Sharp Cutting Edge Award was created in 1996 in honor of Nancy J. Sharp, MSN, RN, FAAN, a strong supporter of the NP role and a leader in national nursing organizations. “Throughout her career as a nurse practitioner, Dr. Melnyk has endeavored to assure NPs receive excellent education while representing NPs at the highest level of our nation’s healthcare policy arena,” said the AANP. The AANP is the largest professional membership organization for NPs of all specialties. It represents the interests of more than 222,000 NPs, including approximately 72,000 individual members and 200 organizations, providing a unified
policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NP patients and other healthcare consumers.
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Future Nurse inspires high school students Eighteen high school students and recent high school graduates came to Newton Hall in August for Future Nurse, an annual one-day interactive program about careers in nursing. Faculty, staff and BSN student volunteers pitched in to show what studying nursing is all about. Participants learned about a bit of everything, from hair cortisol experiments in the wet lab to equipment demonstrations in the Technology Learning Complex (TLC) and took rides on the famous smoothie bike. Sessions on how to achieve an Ohio State BSN affordably by starting at a local community college, and personal stories from faculty of their own educational journeys made the path to a nursing career seem achievable to these future nurses. The College of Nursing provides this program free, including parking and a healthy breakfast and lunch. Students from underrepresented populations in the field of nursing are encouraged to apply. For more information about this program, see nursing.osu.edu/future-nurse.
Buckeyes Bring Hope In September, College of Nursing faculty, staff and students supported victims of hurricane Harvey through the Buckeyes Bring Hope project. Volunteers at Newton Hall collected donated items and funds for families adversely affected by the hurricane. Buckeyes Bring Hope worked with two charities in Texas and Louisiana, who asked for non-perishable food, personal care products, cleaning supplies, paper products, baby supplies and first aid items to help support those in need.
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Application deadline changes in 2018 for graduate degrees The graduate degree programs in the College of Nursing at Ohio State have new requirements and deadlines for students planning to start classes in the summer or fall of 2019. While that may seem far away, the new requirements include completion of all prerequisite courses prior to applying for the graduate entry program option, which is designed for people with bachelor’s degrees in other fields who want to become nurses. Students need to finish their pre-requisite courses in the spring or summer of 2018 to be prepared to submit their application by the new deadline. Applications for traditional master’s option, the graduate entry option, and the BSN to DNP program must be submitted by October 31, 2018. “These changes will benefit our students in many ways,” said Megan Alexander, program manager for graduate degrees. “We will be able to review applications and notify students of their acceptance much more quickly." The Ohio State University College of Nursing encourages students, faculty and staff to dream, discover and deliver a healthier world. That includes providing the highest caliber graduate programs to
prepare nurses to lead and effectively promote health, impact policy and transform healthcare across culturally diverse individuals, groups and communities. “We know that successful completion of pre-requisites is directly correlated with success in nursing coursework,” said Kristine Browning, associate professor of clinical nursing and co-director, Master of Science in Nursing program. “We want to ensure student success from the beginning.” More information about the required application materials and application process can be found on our website at go.osu.edu/nursingdeadlines. Email questions to nursing@osu.edu.
Letter from the editor Welcome to the new Transformations in Nursing and Health! We’ve done our best to update and re-imagine our magazine to give you more of what you love. Consider this your care package from the college. We’ve given the magazine a new design, with more color and pictures. And we’ve sought out interesting, compelling stories in categories such as Innovation, Research, Outreach and Teaching that reflect what’s going on in the College of Nursing today. Let us know what you think of our redesign. Email con-marketing@osu.edu or write and tell us what you liked, or didn’t like, and what you’d like to see next. We’d love to hear from you. Banners on the front of Newton Hall celebrate our great rankings. PHOTO: ANDREW WEBER
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Enjoy! Susan Neale, editor (neale.487@osu.edu)
AACN-TV crew produces video about college The next time you attend a conference hosted by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, be on the lookout for a video overview of The Ohio State University College of Nursing! The video production crew spent three days at Ohio State interviewing faculty and students, and shooting lots of beautiful campus scenery and special events, including an annual faculty awards ceremony and a student biometric screening called a “Heart Check.” [Read more about the Heart Checks on page 32.] The video will soon be available on our YouTube channel, OhioStateNursing.
Transformations Day Faculty and staff kick-started the school year with Transformations Day at the Ohio Union. Motivational speaker Kathy B. Dempsey urged us to “Shed, shed, shed!” old habits and beliefs holding us back from a productive and happy life, and got the crowd laughing, moving and even hugging. Dean Bernadette Melnyk rewarded new faculty and staff and contest winners with water bottles and presented the 2016-2017 State of the College of Nursing, as well as strategic plan goals for the college for 2017-2022. “There is a magic in thinking big!” she reminded us all, to great applause. See the Strategic Plan insert in this issue between pages 16-17 to find out more about our plans for the future.
STTI Showcase Presented to
EPSILON CHAPTER Recognizing Outstanding Presidential Call to Action
Achievement for – Philanthropy
29 August 2017
Presented to
EPSILON CHAPTER Recognizing Outstanding Achievement for
Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) awarded the college of nursing’s chapter two out of four of their Showcase of Regional Excellence Awards. Epsilon Chapter received the award for Philanthropy and the award for Advocacy. “The thank you really goes to leadership in our chapter,” said Chapter President Kady Martini, DNP, RN, NEA-BC.
Presidential Call to Action – Advocacy
29 August 2017
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Faculty Focus COMPILED BY GABRIELLE BENTON
Anderson, Cindy. Representing the Big Ten Academic Alliance at the Academic Leadership Program, 2017-2018. Anderson, Cindy. Appointed to the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program National Advisory Committee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Balas, Michele. Inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Chipps, Esther. Appointed vice president for research to the board of directors of the Council on Graduate Education for Administration in Nursing. Fitzgerald, Lizzie. Selected to participate in the OSTEP MidCareer and Senior Faculty Learning Community for one year. Gallagher-Ford, Lynn. Inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Gillespie, Shannon. Received the Women's Health and Transitions in Childbearing Research Publication Award from the Midwest Nursing Research Society. Jenkusky, Lucia. Inducted as a Fellow of The American College of Nurse Midwives.
Loversidge, Jacqueline. Appointed as a member of the Institutional Review Board, Behavioral and Social Sciences, of The Ohio State University. Melnyk, Bernadette. Received the Sharp Cutting Edge award from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners for showing leadership through innovative services, technologies or advocacy activities that advanced NP practice and patient care on a national level. Melnyk, Bernadette. Received the 2017 AONE Foundation Nurse Researcher award from the American Organization of Nurse Executives Foundation for Nursing Leadership Research and Education for significant contributions to nursing research. Mion, Lorraine. Inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. Militello, Lisa. Selected to participate in the Health Data Exploration Summer Institute for transdisciplinary training in personal health data and research methodology. Nolan, Timiya. Elected to serve as a postdoctoral representative for The Ohio State University Research Committee.
Jenkusky, Lucia. Selected as director of Women’s Health Services of Ohio State Total Health & Wellness.
Nolan, Timiya. Received the AACR Minority Scholar in Cancer Research Award from the American Association for Cancer Research.
Joo, Kim. Selected to serve as an item writer for the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Certification Exam for the Pediatric Nurse Certification Board.
Nolan, Timiya. Received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Future Research Leader award from the NIH Office of the Director, Scientific Workforce Diversity.
Landers, Tim. Selected to lead the Antimicrobial Resistance Thematic Program in the Infectious Diseases Institute at The Ohio State University.
Overcash, Janine. Inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
Loversidge, Jacqueline. Received the Best in Nursing award from the American Health Council in the Leaders Category.
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Overcash, Janine. Selected to serve on the Expert Panel of the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Excellence for the development of gerontological nurse educator competencies.
Pickler, Rita. Appointed editor in chief of Nursing Research.
Faculty Promotions
Quinlin, Linda. Elected to serve on the APN advisory council of Hospice and Palliative Nurse Association's National Chapter for two years as the APN Representative for Region 5 Central (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio).
Michele Balas, granted tenure Kristine Browning, associate professor - clinical Carolynn Thomas Jones, associate professor - clinical Janine Overcash, co-director of Academy for Teaching Innovation, Excellence and Scholarship Alice Teall, co-director of Academy for Teaching Innovation, Excellence and Scholarship
Quinlin, Linda. Elected to serve on the advanced practice exam development committee of Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center for a two-year term. Tate, Judy. Elected to serve on the program committee of the American Thoracic Society for two years. Tate, Judy. Selected to serve on the aging and geriatrics work group of the American Thoracic Society. Tate, Judy. Selected to serve on the quality and safety committee of the research section of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Tate, Judy. Appointed to the scientific review committee of the Society of Critical Care Medicine for three years. Teall, Alice. Received the Provost's Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer from The Ohio State University. Wright, Kathy. Received the Diversity and Equity award from the International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses. Wright, Kathy. Received the New Investigator award from the Health of Diverse Populations Research Interest Group, Midwestern Nursing Research Society. Wright, Kathy. Selected to serve on a committee for the International Geropsychiatric Nursing Education Survey of the Geropsychiatric Nursing Collaborative, The National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence. Zurmehly, Joyce. Inducted as a Fellow of the National League for Nursing by the Academy of Nursing Education. Zurmehly, Joyce. Elected to serve on the NLN CNEA Nominations Committee for two years, representing clinical doctorate programs.
New Faculty and Staff Michael Ackerman, clinical professor Noor Alkahlout, research assistant Sara Bolling, research associate registered nurse RJ Byrnes, academic program coordinator – recruitment and admissions Sandhya Elango, graphic designer Laura Fernandez, Healthy Lifestyles program specialist Penelope Gorsuch, lecturer JoAnn Grumbling, instructor – practice Chelsea Hagan, senior marketing and communication strategist Douglas Hettich, academic program coordinator – recruitment and admissions Jeanyne Jakubowski, clinical placement coordinator Kimberly Joo, assistant professor – practice Rachel Kalafut, clinical placement coordinator Brian Keller, executive assistant Niki Kritikos, family nurse practitioner Amy Mackos, assistant professor – practice Alendre McGhee, clinical instructor – practice Donal O’Mathuna, associate professor Avni Patel, research assistant Kshitij Saxena, junior web developer Jasmine Scott, office associate Deborah Seeling, nurse practitioner Elizabeth Sharpe, associate professor – clinical Teresa Smith, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner Angela Surace, assistant professor – practice Sandra Solove, clinical research coordinator Tracy Taylor, instructor of practice Brooke Tobe, senior human resources associate Bridget Troyer, research assistant Kathy Wright, assistant professor
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COVE R STORY
Come into the Fuld The Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice (EBP) in Nursing and Healthcare brings together national and international leaders and experts in EBP at its inaugural summit BY JENNIFER GRABMEIER
An international summit held in Columbus, Ohio in October heralded the launch of the new Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare. “Transforming Healthcare Through Evidence-based Practice” brought together nursing and transdisciplinary clinicians, leaders, academicians and researchers from 31 states, as well as the District of Columbia and countries around the world including Ireland, Finland, Jamaica, China, Australia, the Republic of Maldives, the United Kingdom and Norway. Attendees came to learn from a full slate of national experts about the best and latest evidence on the teaching, dissemination, implementation, policy building, sustainability and translation of EBP into realworld practice settings. Keynote and plenary speakers
elaborated on the latest findings on EBP, creating a culture of EBP, using evidence to inform care and other challenges in moving evidence to practice (for a complete list of keynote and plenary speakers and their topics, see page 14). The Fuld Institute for EBP was created with a $6.5 million grant from the Helene Fuld National Health Trust, the largest ever to the College of Nursing, with the mission to dream, discover and deliver a healthier world through transdisciplinary education, research and health policy focused on evidence-based decision making. Evidence-based practice, which integrates the use of evidence with a clinician’s expertise and a patient’s preferences and values, has consistently been found to improve every aspect of healthcare – quality, safety,
Shown here are the leaders in healthcare representing 42 national organizations and government agencies who gathered at the invitational National EBP Expert Forum to discuss best practices and action strategies for accelerating EBP. Recommendations and tactics developed at the forum were presented in a special panel discussion at the summit.
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policy, patient outcomes and costs. Yet research shows that EBP is delivered only half the time, at best. However, while some might see the glass as half empty, College of Nursing Dean Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, PhD, RN, CRNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, sees it as half full. For Melnyk, who shared her story of determinedly pitching the idea for a national institute to the Fuld Foundation for 11 years before getting the grant, vision and persistence are everything. “I had a dream 15 years ago for a national institute for EBP that has now, finally, come to fruition,” she said. “You can’t give up when things don’t seem to be moving.” The Fuld Institute for EBP is organized into five cores, each with its own director: transdisciplinary clinical practice, led by Senior Director Lynn Gallagher-Ford, PhD, RN, DPFNAP, NE-BC, FAAN, clinical associate professor in the College of Nursing; academics, under the guidance of Director Cindy G. Zellefrow, DNP, MSEd, RN, LSN, APHN-BC, assistant professor of clinical practice; dissemination and implementation science, led by Director Sharon Tucker, PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN, Grayce Sills Endowed Professor in Psychiatricmental Health Nursing; and consumer education and innovation and policy, to which directors will be named within the next few months. In addition, strategic partnerships are being led by Laurel Van Dromme, MA, who also serves as the chief of strategic partnerships for the College of Nursing.
Expert Forum The core approach also served as the framework for the invitational National EBP Expert Forum, a think tank held the day before the summit with leaders from 42 national professional organizations and federal agencies to devise action strategies for advancing EBP nationally and determining the role that the Fuld Institute for EBP will play in establishing EBP as the gold standard in healthcare. In a panel discussion the following day, co-chairs of the Forum’s four working groups reported highlights of the findings, which will be published in full in Worldviews in Evidence-Based Nursing, a professional journal that Melnyk edits. The clinical group, which Diane Padden, vice president of professional practice and partnerships, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, co-chaired with Gallagher-Ford, identified mentoring and continuing education in EBP as key needs for practitioners. The academic group, co-chaired by Zellefrow and Dorothy Farrell, PhD, senior director of science policy, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, noted the need for increased emphasis among health science colleges on utilizing research findings to make evidence-based decisions and deliver patient-centered
National EBP Expert Forum contributors, left to right Back row: Diane Padden, Mary Nash, Eulalia Kahwa, Cynthia Sweeney, Jill Arzouman, Fatimath Shifaza, Mary Beth Makic, Karen Cox, Cindy Anderson, Lyn Hardy, Lorine Spencer, Mary Harper, Robyn Begley, Colleen McGovern, Bella Mehta, Kate Gawlik, Michelle Troseth, Charlee Alexander, Anne Thomas, Joan Stanley, Marilyn Hockenberry. Second back row (includes extra row on right): Rebecca Graystone, Dónal O'Mathúna, Sheila Cox Sullivan, Anne McNamara, Hannele Saunders, Wendy Bowles, Kevin Browne, Nancy Houlihan, Pam Ginex, Joyce Zurmehly, Jackie Hoying, Kate King, Katri Vehvilainen-Julkunen, Elizabeth Madigan, Penny Gorsuch, Joanne Cleary-Holdforth, Jacque Rychnovsky, Diane MorrisonBeedy, Lisa Spruce, Darryl Hamamoto, Jeri Miller, Michael Ackerman, Sharon Tucker, Margaret Graham, Sheldon Holstad, Laurel Van Dromme, Cathleen Opperman. Front row: Patricia Cunningham, Pauline Anderson-Johnson, Bonnie Clipper, Kathy Williamson, Linda Yoder, Evelyn Clingerman, Sunny Hallowell, Donna Tydings, Amy Rohling McGee, Kathleen Stevens, Cindy Zellefrow, Becky Carrol, Bern Melnyk, Dorothy Hogg, Lynn Gallagher Ford, Linda Conner, Colleen O’Leary, Mary Stahl, Sherry Chen, Dorothy Farrell, Crystal Duan, Pam Aaltonen, Mary Dolansky
COVER STORY | 13
care. In addition to incorporating EBP into every part of education, the group recommended better preparation for those who teach, which the Fuld Institute for EBP will continue to facilitate with workshops and consultative services. “Students are key, but faculty can’t teach what they don’t know,” Gallagher-Ford added. “If we do a better job of teaching educators, we do a better job of teaching students.” Marilyn Hockenberry, PhD, RN, PNP-BC, FAAN, associate dean for research affairs, Duke University, co-chaired the implementation science group with Tucker, which included clinicians, researchers and theorists. She discussed the need for education, both for leaders of clinical organizations who want to know bottom-line implications, and for providers working with consumers on the front line who need to stay current on
best practices for delivering care. Consumers also need EBP education, she pointed out; some don’t necessarily want evidence; they just want a prescription. “We had an ‘aha’ moment,” said Hockenberry. “We really need to stop and determine what the consumer wants and why, and then build trust and possibly change their expectation of how things are done.” The policy group, co-chaired by Michelle Troseth, MSN, RN, FNAP, FAAN, president of the National Academies of Practice, and Amy Rohling McGee, MSW, president, Health Policy Institute of Ohio, suggested that anyone advocating for EBP needs to determine the ROI and present the data. They made the case for advocating on the national level and with high-ranking leaders and organizations such as the Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Keynote and plenary presentations at the Fuld Summit:
Major General Dorothy A. Hogg
Kevin P. Browne
"The State of EBP Throughout the U.S.: Hot-off-thePress Findings From the National Competency Study" by Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, PhD, RN, CRNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, vice president for health promotion; university chief wellness officer; dean and professor, College of Nursing; founder and executive director, the Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for EBP; professor of pediatrics and psychiatry, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University “Using Evidence to Inform Preventive Care: Lessons from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Forces,” by Alex R. Kemper, MD, MPH, MS, division chief of ambulatory pediatrics and Nationwide Children’s Hospital professor of pediatrics in The Ohio State College of Medicine and a member of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force “The Role of Evidence in a VUCA World (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity),” by Lisa 14 | nursing.osu.edu
Arlene S. Bierman
Alex R. Kemper
Simpson, MB, BCh, MPH, FAAP, president and CEO of AcademyHealth “Creating an Evidence-based Culture in a Military Setting to Maintain the Health of Service Members,” by Major General Dorothy A. Hogg, USAF, NC, MSN, MPA, WHNP-BC, deputy surgeon general and chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps “Building an Evidence-based Practice Culture in a Complex Organization,” by Kevin P. Browne, MSN, RN, CCRN, senior director, deputy chief nursing officer, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center “Closing the Loop: Moving Evidence to Practice and Generating Evidence from Practice,” by Arlene S. Bierman, MD, MS, director, Center for Evidence and Practice Improvement, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
MOU with hospital from China
On October 20, The Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Tenth People’s Hospital of Shanghai, China.
The importance of “so what” Demonstrating return on investment was a recurring theme at the summit. To make the case to healthcare leaders for implementing EBP, it’s not enough to present evidence of improved patient outcomes. To make organizations pay attention requires improved cost outcomes. In her keynote address, “The State of EBP Throughout the U.S.: Hotoff-the-Press Findings from the National Competency Study,” Melnyk pointed to a program she developed and tested for critically ill and preterm infants, which was funded by NIH/NINR. She presented around the world on her findings from nine randomized control trials – including some funded by NIH – that showed improved parent and patient outcomes, but that was not enough to convince hospitals to use the program. Once she started showing that preterm infants in the program went home four days earlier, and eight days earlier for preterms under 32 weeks, for a savings of $5,000 per infant, the program took off. “After 25 years, not one hospital was using that EBP program,” she said. “It wasn’t until I showed cost outcomes that anybody said, ‘I want this program.’ If you aren’t measuring the ‘so what’ outcomes that our healthcare system today cares about, you don’t stand a prayer of making practice change.”
This memorandum publicly represents intentions to build a closer relationship between the two organizations and to continue collaborations. In 2012, Tenth People’s Hospital sent three nurses to the Center for Transdisciplinary Evidence-based Practice (CTEP). Next, CTEP went to Shanghai in November, 2016, to deliver a program on evidence-based practice. Now Yan Shi, PhD, RN, director of the nursing department of Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, wants to partner with the Fuld Institute to create a center for evidence-based practice in Shanghai that is affiliated with The Ohio State University College of Nursing, educate mentors to expand teaching, and host visitors to work on projects centered around improving patient outcomes.
To view more photos from the summit: flickr.com/ohiostatenursing/albums To view a highlight video: go.osu.edu/fuldvideo To view a recording of the livestream from Bernadette Melnyk's opening keynote, the EBP Expert Forum panel discussion, and Arlene Bierman's plenary session: go.osu.edu/fuld2017livestream
COVER STORY | 15
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National Challenge winners
Looking ahead
The Transforming Healthcare Through Evidence-based Practice summit included a National Challenge that drew entries from across the country. Winners were chosen in three categories:
At the conclusion of the summit, the Fuld Institute for EBP directors outlined goals for their respective cores, such as increasing EBP competencies in clinicians across disciplines, creating consistency in EBP educational programs and fostering academic-practice partnerships, engaging consumers who can advocate for EBP policy with their legislators, and assembling advisory committees to help inform the overall process.
Integrating EBP into Academic Programs “Infusing EBP into a Hospital-based Nursing Research Internship,” by Mary Carey, associate director, Clinical Nursing Research Center, Strong Memorial Hospital “Initiation of Term Newborn Skin-to-skin Contact in the Operating Room Following Scheduled Cesarean Section: A DNP Capstone Project,” by Ruth Labardee, associate director of Nursing Evidence-based Practice and Standards, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Improving Healthcare Quality and/or Health Outcomes through a DNP Capstone Project “A Post-operative Feeding Protocol to Improve Outcomes for Neonates with Critical Congenital Heart Disease,” by Jennifer Newcombe, pediatric cardiothoracic nurse practitioner, Loma Linda Children’s Hospital “Evaluation of an Evidence-based Clean Birth Educational Intervention among Women in Haiti,” by Ilana Chertok, professor, associate director of Nursing Research and Scholarship, Ohio University School of Nursing
Above all, the Fuld Institute for EBP will be an invaluable hub – a place people can turn to for resources. “Before now, there’s never been a place to bring together all things EBP,” said Gallagher-Ford. With the success of the first international summit, the team at the Fuld Institute for EBP is ready to advance EBP on all fronts, and embrace connections around the world. “The future is ours,” said Zellefrow. “We have the opportunity to create this future.”
“Evidence-based Assessment of University Employees Supports Universal Health Literacy Strategies,” Joyce Karl, assistant professor of Clinical Nursing, The Ohio State University College of Nursing.
Improving Healthcare Quality and/or Health Outcomes with EBP Change Projects “Reduction of Hospital Readmissions for Patients with Previously Identified Malnutrition,” by Cynthia Beckett, director of Education and Research; Alejandra Figueroa, research analyst statistician; and Sheila Walsh, clinical nutrition manager, Northern Arizona Healthcare “Using a Gum Chew Teaching Packet to Prevent Prolonged Postoperative Ileus: An Evidence-based Practice Change,” by Linda Chan, RN, and Sharon Le Roux, RN, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center “Capping off CLABSIs: Implications for Use of Disinfection Caps on Central Venous Access Devices,” by Leanne Adamson, pediatric clinical nurse specialist, Children’s Hospital Colorado
Executive Vice President and Provost Bruce McPheron, Dean Melnyk, Penny Gorsuch of the Dayton VA and Lynn Gallagher-Ford congratulated Major General Dorothy Hogg on her upcoming promotion to surgeon general of the United States Air Force (pending congressional approval). Hogg will be the first woman and the first nurse to hold this position.
COVER STORY | 17
Fuld attendees share their enthusiasm about the summit Ann Falkenberg Olson, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FNP/BC, FAANP I live in Winona, Minnesota, and work at Gunderson Health. I’m a nurse scientist, acting director. At Gunderson, we’re at a tipping point right now. It’s obvious that the culture is changing. We have a very powerful nursing staff. We’re not afraid to ask the tough questions. The energy is there – let’s not lose it!
Joanne Cleary-Holdforth, RGN, RM, MSc I met Bern and Ellen Fineout-Overholt in Arizona at an EBP mentorship immersion. Now I’m doing my PhD in EBP in nursing and midwifery at Dublin City University [in Dublin, Ireland]. I’m passionate about the whole area of EBP. This is a momentous occasion.
Laura Coleman, RN I’m chair of Leadership and Professional Development councils, for both Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital and the Mount Carmel Health System. We use EBP in both councils at the hospital. I require all of my council members to present EBP projects at the unit level. If it works well, we take it systemwide.
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Pauline Anderson-Johnson I’m from the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. Bern was the guest speaker at our conference last year. We got excited about EBP with her.
Eulalia Kahwa, PhD I invited Bern to be our guest speaker. We have a focus on EBP at the University of the West Indies. We educate the nurses of the Carribean. We want to build capacity, skills and knowledge of EBP to implement EBP in the Carribean.
Abigail Rausch, RN I work at Mount Carmel St. Ann’s. We feel lucky that this summit was right here in our back yard. I’m chair of the Professional Practice and Education Council for the Mount Carmel Health System. EBP is what we want as our first guiding principle in implementing new changes in the healthcare environment.
Debi Sampsel, DNP, MSN, RN Dr. Penelope Gorsuch will be bringing what she’s learned and implemented with EBP in the Air Force to the VA in Dayton where I work. I’m very excited for this new transformation and that I’m going to be a part of it! I’m also an EBP immersion mentor through the Fuld Institute for EBP immersion program.
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T E ACH IN G
The new teaching academy BY JOE ASHLEY
Alice Teall, MS, CRNP, FAANP, and Janine Overcash, PhD, GNP-BC, FAANP, are embarking on an ambitious new mission to boost teaching innovation and expand its impact within the College of Nursing and beyond. On August 11, Dean Bernadette Melnyk named them codirectors of the new Academy for Teaching Innovation, Excellence and Scholarship. The new entity is made possible by a gift from Jennifer Roberts Watts (’74) and Ralph Watts. “It’s easy to get lost in the long title,” said Teall, “but our purpose is to develop new teaching innovations or identify existing ones and give them greater visibility so they can contribute to overall teaching excellence."
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The academy will support undergraduate, graduate and doctoral faculty, she added. Teall and Overcash, a clinical associate professor, share responsibilities for the new academy, but have different roles. “Alice is the idea person,” said Overcash. “I’m the organizer and operations person. I’m focused on disseminating the teaching innovations Alice discovers or develops.” Teall and Overcash say they will involve both the people they work with every day and the vast resources of the university. “We’ll be the catalyst for making real some of the ideas that people may not have had the time or the ability to operationalize on their own,” Overcash said.
PHOTO: ANDREW WEBER
Online magic Alice Teall, winner of the 2016 Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer BY JOE ASHLEY
It’s a great honor to be nominated for and awarded The Ohio State University Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer, as Alice Teall, MS, CRNP, FAANP, was last March. Even more outstanding: She’s the first “online only” instructor in the university to receive the award. We asked Teall what led to her online teaching success.
You came to the College of Nursing as an instructor of clinical practice in 2010, charged with developing and teaching the college’s first online class, a family nurse-practitioner specialty track class. Did you have any experience with online teaching before that? I was teaching on campus at Wright State University. I had online students, but at that time we were just recording lectures the students would watch, then come to campus once or twice a semester for exams.
See a video interview of Teall talking about teaching at: go.osu.edu/aliceteall
How did you go about developing the College of Nursing program?
How well does this sort of online interaction work?
We had an outstanding on-campus program, so the idea was to take what worked really well on campus and put it online. We started with nine students. We will have 40 next summer.
It’s gotten to the point that I now often know my online students, who I may see only for orientation and graduation, far better than I ever knew any of my on-campus students.
I discovered in the first year or two that a social presence is key to a successful online program. With the help of one of the college’s instructional designers, I found ways to involve the students in class sessions, sometimes by using technology and other times by doing things as simple as posting pictures of students when they’re speaking so their classmates can associate a voice with a face. We’re always working to find ways that help online students feel connected to the faculty and each other.
Where are your students logging on from? Many are in Ohio, but some are in California and Massachusetts, even in the Dominican Republic.
You’ve worked hard to make an online education equal to what students get on campus. What differences still remain? With the online program, you don’t have to get here, and you don’t have to pay for parking!
TEACHING | 21
IN N OVAT ION
From backyard idea to $16 million-a-year business Jeff Johnston, Buckeye Nurse Innovator BY SUSAN NEALE
Jeff Johnston (’87) and his business partner Stuart Crane grew a business, CPR+ Complete Patient Records, around a software program they innovated together in 1991. The company experienced 20 consecutive years of double-digit growth before they sold the business in 2013, with over 800 active home care customers, tens of thousands of end users, 80 full-time employees and nearly $16 million in annual revenue. CPR+ remains the market-leading business management solution for home infusion therapy and specialty pharmacy businesses. Yet it had very modest beginnings, as Johnston relates.
thing about healthcare or nursing or any of the problems I was trying to solve. We made a great team.
What sparked the idea for CPR+?
Did it fly?
I was working full time as a home health RN for a local home infusion therapy company. At the time, all of the clinical documentation, inventory and billing tasks for home infusion therapy were done manually, with pen and paper. It was very time consuming. The nurse would take the one physical copy of the chart to the patient’s house, out of the office – the one copy! We needed an easy-to-use business management software program to automate all of that paperwork, but there was nothing available.
At first everybody was afraid to use it…but once they did, you couldn’t pry it out of their hands. We had one computer and people would line up and take turns. I knew then that we had something that a lot of home infusion companies in the U.S. would be interested in.
How did you get started? I met Stuart Crane, my business partner, over our backyard fence in Clintonville in 1991. When he showed me the kinds of databases and programs he had written, the lightbulb went off. I knew that together we could build something that would automate our paper forms, improve documentation and thus patient care, and save a ton of time. So nearly every night for almost two years, Stuart and I would work on the program in his basement. I’d sketch out how I wanted the screens to look on a legal pad and he would program it. It was amazing – I’d look over his shoulder and watch it come to life. He did lots of things that I couldn’t do, and vice versa. He was a programmer, very technical, but didn’t know the first 22 | nursing.osu.edu
How did you test and develop your software? I talked my boss into letting us develop it there. He let us lead a staff meeting one day, and we whiteboarded a wish list. It was like, “Pharmacy, what would you like it to do? Nursing, what would you like? Billing, collections, what would you like?” We asked everybody involved. I would put it on the computer and update everything and then gather everybody around and show them how to use it.
How did you finance your innovation? We started our business with $400 in cash. We both had full-time jobs. Two years later, we sold our first copy of CPR+ for $5,000, and within a few years, it became the number one program on the market.
Was it a good move to start your career as a nurse? I loved it. And although I didn’t practice for 20 years, I was up to my eyeballs in healthcare every day, talking to nurses and pharmacists. I understood what they needed, where their pain was, the importance of having the best possible information available to maximize patient care and outcomes. The great thing about nurses is they really look at the problem and try to solve it. It’s a very human experience – that lends itself to all kinds of applications.
Thanks, Jeff!
Jeff Johnston and Stuart Crane PHOTO: JODI MILLER
INNOVATION | 23
RE S E ARCH
Research scholars and their mentors These outstanding doctoral students found funding and dedicated mentors at Ohio State, thanks to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholars and Jonas Scholars programs BY ZACHARY LEVEN
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1 Jamie Rausch, RN, BSN RWJF FN Scholar
2 Jodi McDaniel, PhD, RN Associate Professor Director, Honors Program
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5 Sharon Tucker, PhD, RN, FAAN, PMHCNS-BC
3 Rita Pickler, PhD, RN, FAAN FloAnn Sours Easton Endowed Professor of Child and Adolescent Health Director, PhD Program
4 Joyce Brady, MEd, BSN, RN, CHES RWJF FN Scholar
Grayce Sills Endowed Professor in PsychiatricMental Health Nursing Director, Translational Research Core, Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for EBP in Nursing and Healthcare PHOTO: GREG SAILOR
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholars
Jonas Nurse Scholars
This program’s goal is to develop the next generation of PhD-prepared nurse leaders who are committed to long-term careers that advance science and discovery, strengthen nursing education and bring transformational change to nursing and healthcare.
This program supports doctoral nursing students pursuing either PhD or DNP degrees, with the goal to increase the number of doctorally-prepared faculty available to teach in nursing schools nationwide, as well as the number of advanced practice nurses providing direct patient care.
futureofnursingscholars.org
jonascenter.org
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6 8 10
7
9
6 Jennifer Dush, MSN
8 Randi Bates, MS, RN, PCCN, FNP-C, CNP
Instructor of Clinical Practice Jonas Scholar
Jonas Scholar
9 Pamela Salsberry, PhD, RN, FAAN 7 Jodi Ford, PhD, RN Associate Professor
Associate Dean, Outreach and Engagement Professor, College of Public Health Associate Director, Institute for Population Research
10 Cindy Anderson, PhD, RN, CRNP, ANEF, FNAP, FAHA, FAAN Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Educational Innovation Associate Professor
11 Charles Vidourek, BSN, RN, CPEN Jonas Scholar
COLLEGE RESEARCH NEWS | 25
F31 grants aid four PhD candidates’ research Four College of Nursing PhD students are currently funded by a Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award, also known as an F31 grant. These grants are funded by the National Institutes of Health to enable promising pre-doctoral students to obtain individualized, mentored research training from outstanding faculty sponsors while conducting dissertation research. The four F31-funded students and their areas of research are: Lisa Blair: examining relationships of low birth weight, social context and genetic factors with child cognition status. Randi Bates: examining the relationships between selfregulation in toddlers, the social milieu of stressful environments in which self-regulation develops, and persistent stress in toddlers and their mothers. Marliese Nist: evaluating the relationships among stress exposure, inflammation and neurodevelopment in very preterm infants using a longitudinal study design. Eileen Faulds: examining measures of insulin pump adherence and utilization among 80 preteens and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes and describing facilitators and barriers to pump adherence.
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When Joyce Brady interviewed for admission to the PhD program at the College of Nursing, it wasn’t just the funding possibilities that attracted her to the program – it was the warm, welcoming demeanor of Sharon Tucker. “I could tell she cared about my success and future growth,” Brady says. “She was genuine and sincere.” Brady left the interview feeling that even if she wasn’t accepted, she was grateful for the opportunity to have met Tucker, an accomplished psychiatric nurse specialist with a long record of promoting health and wellness among children and working mothers. Tucker was equally impressed. “I knew we would have a strong connection, given our shared interests in improving patient engagement and communication skills among nursing staff,” she said. Brady’s dream was to become a Buckeye – and being selected as a recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholars (RWJF FN) program on behalf of The Ohio State University made her dream a reality. As a RWJF FN scholar, Brady receives money for tuition, research, professional travel and living expenses. RWJF FN scholars are also eligible to apply for a $50,000 post-doctoral research grant. “This opportunity comes with great responsibility,” Brady says. “I firmly believe the quote ‘to whom much is given, much is expected,’ and as such, I’m very humbled and excited to begin my PhD journey at Ohio State and discover where it leads.” Brady is now Tucker’s advisee and research assistant, thanks to their shared research interests and mutual respect. PhD candidate Randi Bates and her advisor, Pamela Salsberry, have a great deal of admiration for each other, too. Bates is quick to tell of the many research opportunities Salsberry has given her, as well as her personal touch in helping Bates navigate the world of research. When Salsberry brought her onto the Kids in Columbus Study (KICS) project at the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, she introduced Bates to each of the researchers, helping to draw her into the conversation. “That really allowed me to begin to contribute insight to a research project and understand how to work with a group of seasoned principal investigators,” Bates says. Bates enjoys a funding opportunity of her own as a Jonas scholar, which awards her a total of $10,000 for research. In addition to the funding, Bates participates in regularly scheduled conference calls with all of the other Jonas scholars around the country as way of sharing experience and building community. Also participating in these calls are her Jonas Scholar colleagues, Charles Vidourek, a student and nurse on the vascular access team at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and Jennifer Dush, who is completing her PhD dissertation on food insecurity among Somali Bantu refugee and immigrant adolescents living in Columbus.
Dush’s advisor, Jodi Ford, describes her as uniquely suited for her dissertation project. Dush has a background in anthropology, which provides her with a foundation in research methods particularly suited to investigating diverse cultures. “She’s passionate about social justice issues,” Ford says. “This aligns with my own work studying the effects of adversity – poverty, violence, discrimination, abuse – on the health and wellbeing of adolescents and young adults. Her research has real implications for community development and health and social policies.” Dush praises, in turn, Ford’s mentorship, expertise and teaching style. “Her own work encourages me on my path,” Dush says of Ford. “She is a great role model.” Vidourek is advised by Cindy Anderson, whom he describes as inspiring, their every interaction leaving him energized and impassioned toward his doctoral project. “Whether we’re discussing the DNP program curriculum, doctoral work or the intricacies of specific course work, Dr. Anderson carries a decided thoughtfulness into each discussion. She challenges my thought processes by providing insight and wellinformed suggestions in order to guide me to sound, evidence-based practice. Her mentorship gives me unwavering support.” Anderson provides Vidourek with academic and career guidance, and with the additional responsibility of ensuring that Vidourek moves towards his goals related to the Jonas Center and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). They regularly touch base to discuss his progress in academic matters, and also the relationship between his coursework and his position as a Jonas scholar. Community building beyond Ohio State is a regular part of the experience for all scholars at the College of Nursing.
Jamie Rausch, another RWJF FN scholar, recently returned from the scholars’ boot camp in Princeton, New Jersey, an experience she describes as phenomenal. “We got to meet RWJF FN scholars from all over the country. Meeting some of these students was awe inspiring and truly humbling.” In addition to a tour of the RWJF headquarters, the boot camp involved workshops in peer coaching, writing and introspective studies on dealing with change and how people influence others. With a surgical background, Rausch is researching wound healing in diabetics, a subject with similarities to the work of her advisor, Jodi McDaniel, who conducts studies on wound healing and the metabolism of fish oil. “It’s easy for us to discuss topics that relate to the surgical realm,” Rausch says. “As surgical nurses, we both have seen the results of inefficient wound healing.” College of Nursing’s PhD Program Director, Rita Pickler, co-advises the RWJF FN scholars to ensure their success. “They are optimally positioned to seek and identify solutions to both simple and complex problems that will make a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities,” Pickler asserts. She is equally proud of the Jonas scholars, noting the dedication all the doctoral students have to solving important scientific, social and clinical problems. “Our country, indeed the world, needs intelligent and thoughtful researchers who seek to understand and improve human health and well-being,” Pickler says. The College of Nursing is committed to the highest quality of doctoral education and research support, and to building outstanding mentorship relationships to foster the next generation of nurse leaders.
RESEARCH | 27
PHOTO: JODI MILLER
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As this issue of Transformations went to press, Loren Wold received another NIH R01 grant – $1.56 million – for his study, “Defining the Impact of E-cigarettes on Cardiac Pathophysiology.” Calling e-cigarettes a “new source of emissions” of toxic gases and fine particulate matter, Wold stated, “The increased use of e-cigarettes is alarming, particularly because there is limited data on how the heart is affected by exposure from e-cigarette smoke.”
Could the key to treating Alzheimer’s begin in the heart? BY JOE ASHLEY
Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease that accounts for 60 to 80 percent of all dementia cases. With no cure in sight, treatments are aimed at slowing the progression of the disease, making early detection crucial. Now, thanks to a $3.89 million grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging (NIH/NIA), a member of the College of Nursing faculty and two of his collaborators may be on their way to developing a reliable method for predicting who will develop Alzheimer’s long before symptoms appear. The grant funds research being done by Loren Wold, PhD, FAHA, FCVS, associate professor and director of biomedical research at the College of Nursing. His collaborators are Colin Combs, PhD of the University of North Dakota, an Alzheimer’s expert, and Federica del Monte, MD, PhD, a noted cardiologist at the Medical University of South Carolina. Titled “Mechanisms of exposure-induced tissue functional and pathological changes in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s Disease,” the project is rooted in studies Wold began years ago to measure the impact of air pollution on mice. “I’ve been working in this field of air pollution effects on health and disease since the early 2000s. We initially specialized in the effects of particles and air pollution on the heart,” Wold said. But when the mice in his studies were exposed to concentrated amounts of pollution for extended periods of time, he also observed changes in their behavior, “very similar to what you see in a mouse that has Alzheimer’s disease.” Further examination revealed a protein associated with the development of Alzheimer’s in the hearts of the mice. Meanwhile, del Monte found something similar in research on humans. Her study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that the protein beta amyloid, fragments of which form the brain plaques responsible for Alzheimer’s, was detected in the hearts of people who later developed the disease. “It began as just a casual conversation about the similarities of our findings,” Wold said of the new project. Because Combs has extensive experience in Alzheimer’s research, Wold invited him to be part of the effort to obtain the NIH/NIA grant. “We’re thankful the NIH was willing to give us five years of funding,” Wold said. “What would be awesome in the years down the road is having used this research to design a way to predict the development of Alzheimer’s in the brain.”
RESEARCH | 29
ST U D E N T LIFE
Park Stradley Learning Community The ninth floor of Park Stradley residence hall is a pre-nursing learning community (LC for short) where close to 60 students live, study and eat pizza bagels together. Resident Annie Wills, age 18, from Cincinnati says it’s great to live with a group of people who are all taking the same classes.
From left to right: Annie Wills, Noelle Kontur, Meghan Brunton, and Angela Humbel
“I know I always have help when I need it and that’s really comforting to me,” she said while giving this reporter a tour of the floor. Wills’ course load includes chemistry, biology, sociology, psychology and a 1-credit survey taught by Jill Auxter, the college’s coordinator and academic advisor for First Year Experience. How is Wills adjusting to campus life? “It’s weird not having a car,” she said, but admitted that she likes walking. She’s hoping for an active career in nursing, too. “I don’t want to sit at a desk – I want to be on my feet!”
Park Stradley LC students enjoyed "Dinner with the Dean" on 9/19
A look at student life in Park Stradley Best dorm room equipment: “My Keurig gets me through my early classes and late nights studying.” ”A comfy chair and soft blanket to make for a relaxing studying time!”
Best class:
Best food on campus: “RPAC smoothies.” “Zoodles (zucchini noodles) from the Marketplace on South Campus.” 30 | nursing.osu.edu
“Nutrition, because the professor is so funny and engaging.” “Biology: I love learning about the functions of everything that makes up our bodies.” “Sociology, because you can apply it to your everyday life.”
Ohio National Guard Captain uses school project to combat suicide BY STEPHANIE BEOUGHER
PHOTOS: STAFF SGT. MICHAEL CARDEN
Ohio National Guard Captain Michael Barnes takes to heart the leadership philosophy of taking care of his soldiers’ mental health and well-being. “I helped my first suicidal soldier in basic training back in 1993,” Barnes said. “When I was in my company command, I counseled at least a dozen soldiers expressing suicidal ideations. It was then that I truly began to realize how bad the issue was.” Both a soldier and a graduate-level nursing student, Barnes felt suited to help. Through the Graduate Entry program, Barnes is earning his master’s degree in nursing, which will allow him to specialize as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. As part of his coursework, Barnes has created a website and mobile app to, “bring together a wealth of information and resources to combat the risk factors of suicide,” as his website states. “I’ve known veterans who have committed suicide and I’ve heard my military brothers and sisters say, ‘I wish that I could have done more.’ I have even said it myself. The problem is that we say it in the moment and then move on with our lives. I decided I was no longer going
to move on with my life without doing something,” Barnes said. With his Ohio Vet 2 Vet Network, Barnes’ goal is to create a nonprofit, build a network of peer-to-peer support groups and, eventually, establish transitional housing and a counseling center. For now, he’s gathered resource links related to topics that can be risk factors for suicide, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, homelessness and access to healthcare. “He’s done a remarkable job of bringing his own passion for his fellow veterans to life for those of us who are not military,” his instructor Judy Donegan, MS, APHN-BC, RN, said. “I want my students to do projects that have meaning, not just projects for a class that will go in a cupboard and sit there.” Barnes will be marketing his app to military groups, social workers, and shelters and charities that assist veterans. “In the military, you’re taught to be strong,” he said. “Veterans are hesitant to reach out and ask for help. I want to provide them with easy access to help when they’re ready to ask.”
STUDENT LIFE | 31
Student heart checks College of Nursing faculty and senior students conducted two heart checks (biometric screenings) for nearly 300 Ohio State students during the first two weeks of autumn semester. Students could choose a free T-shirt or other incentive. Students could also opt to participate in a health study. They had to commit to review online educational modules and participate in a follow-up screening in six months. As part of Buckeye Wellness and the university’s partnership with the Women’s Heart Alliance, we will continue to remind students, faculty and staff that heart disease and stroke, which kill more women than all cancers combined, can be prevented with healthy lifestyle choices: eat healthy food, be active, avoid tobacco and manage stress.
Keep up with student life at The Beat, the College of Nursing’s student newsletter website!
u.osu.edu/thebeat
I Will Help You What do you do if someone you know – a friend, co-worker or family member – shows signs of mental distress? The 81 senior nursing students who created the I Will Help You initiative set out to answer that question, and to help destigmatize mental illness. The initiative includes two YouTube videos: “Pledge to Help,” with students and Ohio State personalities like Coach Urban Meyer, and “Mental Health First Aid Kit,” which gives practical advice for what to look for and how to help. The I Will Help You program also includes a website and four educational modules tailored specifically for educators, healthcare
providers, law enforcement officials and anyone who wants to learn how to help those with depression or other mental illnesses. There’s an educational module for people who might need help, too. “I wanted to provide guidance and allow the students the freedom to bring their own creativity to the issue,” said Kate Gawlik, assistant professor of Clinical Practice in the College of Nursing. A $5,000 curriculum grant provided the resources needed to create the videos and website. Visit the initiative website for more information and to take the pledge: go.osu.edu/iwillhelpyou.
You can also follow the initiative on social media:
iwillhelpyou 32 | nursing.osu.edu
@IWillHelpYouOrg
@i_will_help_you_initiative
Serious fun at Flying Horse Farms Over the summer, 20 students from the College of Nursing Graduate Entry program got splattered with paint, slept under the stars and ate s’mores with kids at Flying Horse Farms in Mount Gilead, Ohio. This special summer camp for children with serious illnesses directed by CEO Mimi Dane is part of the Serious Fun Children’s Camp Network founded by Paul Newman.
The Graduate Entry students served at the camp as part of Judy Donegan’s Community Health class (Nursing 6240S). They spent a week at the camp in a total immersion learning experience. Precepted by the Flying Horse Farms nursing staff, “They participate as a nursing student in the campers’ care, giving medication, changing dressings, administering infusions," Donegan explained. "Then they play with the kids!” She added that the campers and nursing students enjoyed swimming, overnight camp-outs, playing games or just sitting quietly playing cards. “They love it. Their vision of a sick child changes dramatically.” And the kids love it, too! Find out more at flyinghorsefarms.org
Student Transformation Day Student Transformation Day 2017 introduced students to the College of Nursing with interactive demonstrations, small group discussions, team development activities and movement. Dean Melnyk and Vice Dean Margaret Graham were on hand to welcome the new students and help impart our values of innovation, health and wellness, leadership, community and global involvement, diversity, research and EBP.
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Jennifer, Noelle, Matt and Ethan at their home. PHOTO: JODI MILLER
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BUCK E YE IN S P IRAT ION
Matt’s wife inspired him to become a Buckeye Nurse Here’s how, in his own words. BY MATT ELLINGER
When I met my wife, Jennifer, I was working in the pharmaceutical research field and she was a psychiatric care technician at Harding, taking her prerequisites to get into nursing school. I learned so much from her about people who suffer from mental illness, and I was blown away at her dedication and desire to help others. Her mom passed away while Jennifer was in nursing school, but she still made it through. We found out she was pregnant as soon as she graduated. Through it all, she has been a steadfast advocate for people with mental illness. She loves being a nurse and strives every day to be the best she can be and provide the best care possible. If I am able to become half the nurse that she is, I will consider myself lucky.
19 years had ever been. It was like, “Okay, I really like this! It’s really messy and most of my friends have never done anything like this, but I like it. This is what I was supposed to do!” That is honestly the way I felt. It was a wonderful feeling, and it still is. Ohio State has been an important part of our lives ... it’s is where my wife has spent her nursing career. It’s where she uses her talents and skills to make a positive difference in the lives of others. And for me, it’s been an amazing place to study to become a nurse. The faculty and staff have been more supportive than I could have hoped for, and my fellow students are some of the best and brightest people I have met in my life. Being accepted to the College of Nursing and getting my RN have been some of the proudest moments of my life. That, and marrying Jennifer, and becoming a father to Ethan and Noelle.
"If I am able to become half the nurse that she is, I will consider myself lucky."
I was laid off after working in my field for 14 years. I have to admit I was a bit lost for a few years. I had always wanted to use my love of science and health to help people, but in my previous profession we were a bit blind as to whether our work was beneficial or not. I had never felt much fulfillment before at work, and wondered what it would be like to actually love what you do for a living. One day I admitted to Jennifer how jealous I was of her job satisfaction: she got to work directly with patients each day and saw the benefits of her labor. She started me thinking about a career as a nurse, and pointed me towards the Graduate Entry Nurse Practitioner program at Ohio State.
As a prerequisite, we were required to take a short Nurse’s Aide course. I worked one weekend in a nursing home and knew I had found my calling. That one weekend was more fulfilling to me than the previous
Getting in to the program wasn’t easy. I got on the waiting list two times and didn’t get in. We talked about it and decided I should just keep trying. Someone gave us a very nice bottle of wine and I said, “We’re going to save this until I get into Ohio State.” The third time I applied, I got in. When she came home that day and opened the garage door, I was sitting there waiting for her with the acceptance letter and the bottle. Future plans: As soon as I’m done, Jennifer will go through Ohio State’s RN to BSN program. I’m going to look for a job as a Family Nurse Practitioner with a primary care practice in this area. We are both excited to serve the community where we grew up and are raising our family. We like it here.
BUCKEYE INSPIRATION | 35
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PHOTO: IMAGINE1DAY.ORG
S E RVICE
To Ethiopia with love – and books BY JOE ASHLEY
“Excited but a little scared,” Peggy Landers replied when asked how she felt about spending the next nine months in a country she had visited only once. In mid-August she and her husband Tim were in the last stages of packing for their trip to Gondar, a picturesque city of about 600,000 in the mountains of northern Ethiopia. They will live there until next June.
One Health Initiative.” The initiative links Ohio State to countries in Africa, Asia and South America in a coordinated effort to improve health, build capacity and provide student learning opportunities.
Tim Landers, PhD, RN, CNP, CIC, an associate professor in the College of Nursing, received a Fulbright Scholar Award from the United States State Department last March for research and teaching at the University of Gondar, which has an educational and cultural exchange with the College of Nursing.
Tim believes his involvement with the team helped him win the Fulbright award. He also credits support from Ohio State, the work of the university’s Fulbright liaison officer, and the College of Nursing’s relationship with the University of Gondar. “I think the award indicates the U.S. State Department values what the College of Nursing is doing in the area of international relations,” he added. At the University of Gondar, Tim will also teach nursing students in a PhD program established with the help of the College of Nursing.
This will be Tim's sixth – and longest – trip to Ethiopia, where he will continue his years of research developing and implementing evidence-based infection prevention and control techniques for antimicrobial organisms. Much needed in developing nations like Ethiopia, his work also has practical applications for healthcare in the U.S. Landers, who was recently selected to lead the antimicrobial resistance thematic program in Ohio State’s Infectious Disease Institute, said his work in Gondar is part of a much larger endeavor. “For years I’ve been working with an interdisciplinary team that includes medical doctors, veterinarians, microbiologists and others through Ohio State’s Global
Peggy’s willingness to accompany Tim to Gondar was key to his accepting the award. “I didn’t want to go for that long without her,” he said. But Peggy was understandably reluctant to commit to a nearly year-long stay without first sampling the country and culture. “So we went for a week over spring break,” she said. “It’s an incredibly beautiful place, and the people are beautiful, too,” Tim said of Gondar. “I knew from our first day there she would say yes.” Continued on page 39
SERVICE| 37 | 37 SERVICE
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Buckeye Funder for books big success: Giving a little can mean a lot
Now closed, “Building Children’s Libraries in Ethiopia,” the Buckeye Funder campaign launched by Tim and Peggy Landers to raise money for books for Ethiopian children, reached 228 percent of its goal. A total of $3,431 was donated to purchase, as Peggy Landers said, “culturally appropriate books and reading materials to increase cultural understanding and demonstrate the value of reading.” A separate source paid for shipping, so all funds were able to be used to buy books.
PHOTO: JODI MILLER
Tim and Peggy Landers in their backyard. The books will be used at the Gondar community school where Peggy will teach. There are plans for a book club for preteen and teenage students. For younger students and their parents, there will be a “story time” program. Tim, a self-described “somewhat quirky but experienced readerdad,” will be reading books to the children.
Peggy smiled. “When I visited the school in April, they were ready for me to start right away.” An elementary school teacher, Peggy will teach in a community school while in Gondar. Children there begin learning English in the early grades and are always eager to practice their speaking skills with Americans.
Tim sent this message to those who donated on September 5:
“It's an incredibly beautiful place ... I knew from our first day there she would say yes.”
“Greetings from Gondar, Ethiopia! The initial set of books has arrived with more on the way in the next couple of weeks. In our spare time, we have been meeting with librarians, school heads, parents and children. Each and every person we have talked with has been extremely grateful and let us know what a difference they think this will make. While talking with some friends’ teenage children in Addis last week, we asked them, “Which Hogwart’s house are you in?” They looked at us with an odd grin and said, “Gryffindor!” To find a Buckeye Funder that fits your passion, visit buckeyefunder.osu.edu
In support of the school, Peggy and Tim launched a fundraising campaign "Building Children’s Libraries in Ethiopia," through Buckeye Funder to purchase books for programs to encourage reading among the students. Despite their enthusiasm, Tim and Peggy acknowledge Gondar will be a big change. “The food is different, the culture is different, the language is different,” Tim said. “It’s hard to know what to pack,” Peggy added. “Things like personal hygiene items aren’t readily available there.” “Internet service is sporadic,” Tim said, “so people are more likely to meet face-to-face than send emails. And when it comes to getting from one place to another, walking is their Uber.” He laughed. Whatever the challenges, Tim and Peggy seemed ready to meet them, and to return in June with some great stories to share.
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OU T RE ACH
Learning and serving in Nicaragua BY SUSAN NEALE
Two years ago, Lizzie Fitzgerald, EdD, RN, CNS, associate professor of clinical nursing, decided to transform the college’s nursing study abroad trip to Nicaragua into a service learning experience. “Students learn more, do more and come away with a new sense of cultural competency when they get an opportunity to serve, rather than just observe a community,” she said. The road to gaining official Service Learning Opportunity (SLO) designation from the university takes many steps. Fitzgerald needed to develop a new curriculum, research and forge new partnerships with agencies in Nicaragua, and attend an intensive training session to be a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory. Two small grants helped enormously: $4,000 from Ohio State’s Office of Service Learning and $1,000 from the University Center for the Advancement of Teaching (UCAT). She will present the curriculum and outcomes of last summer’s trip, “the pilot year” of the program, to the University Office of Service Learning for review and approval for official SLO designation. She’s excited about an added benefit for her students: SLOs can be paid for with university Second-year Transformational Experience (STEP) fellowships, giving any student who wants to go a chance. Fitzgerald wanted her students to visit and help one of the many Nicaraguan centros de salud: small, government-supplied health centers staffed by one physician and one nurse that might, as she puts it, “have 200 patients and only radio contact with the nearest hospital.” One struck her as particularly worthy, named for the new life it promised its residents: Nueva Vida.
Lizzie Fitzgerald with the flag of Nicaragua. PHOTO: JODI MILLER
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Nueva Vida began as a settlement for Managuans left homeless after Hurricane Mitch swept the country in 1998. As Fitzgerald relates, the government gave them an allotment of land, and “a tarp and two sheets of metal to use as their home. From that, they built an entire community.” Fitzgerald was impressed that Nueva Vida’s coffee growing cooperative had funded a new, better building than the standard one-room centro de salud, and that they had written a mission statement vowing to educate their citizens in agriculture, economics and healthcare. She knew the knowledge her students brought there would be put to good use and passed on.
A waterfall in Madagalpa
From left to right: Cassie Gerzeny, Emily Mach, Emily Aman and Hannah Kayuha. PHOTO: JOANNE SULERZYSKI
OUTREACH OUTREACH| 41 | 41
The trip After a day of airports and flights, and a brief night in a hotel, Fitzgerald, along with Director of the Office of Global Innovations Jen Kue, PhD, and 10 students rose early and got down to work. “You can’t separate history, economics and environment from healthcare,” Fitzgerald asserts. Their first day in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, was designed to give the students cultural background. They took classes about the history of Nicaragua and of U.S. involvement there, local customs and travel safety. Then they toured the capital city of Managua, and visited Polisal UNAN University, where they met and talked with Nicaraguan nursing students and faculty. The next day, the group piled into a van and headed for Nueva Vida, and their service learning experience began.
The Ohio State nursing students met with patients at the centro de salud and accompanied healthcare workers on home visits to patients who were elderly or unable to travel. “We were complete strangers in our red uniforms, and they welcomed us into their houses and into their lives,” student Hannah Kayuha said. Most of the houses, she said, were entirely made of tin, “which is incredibly hot when it’s 98 degrees there,” with blankets for room dividers. A few had hoses or a sink in the back, but most didn’t have running water. Nonetheless, Kayuha was charmed by the hospitality the patients and their families showed them. “They would bring out chairs for the healthcare worker and the nurse first. And we would say, ‘No, no, you sit!’”
“You can’t separate history, economics and environment from healthcare.” Many of the patients were expectant mothers. Other home visits were to patients with diabetes and hypertension. “Their dietary habits aren’t the best,” Kayuha added, and she enjoyed working with Marta, a Nicaraguan nurse who “was incredibly knowledgeable. She would really level with them.” Conversations are a big part of healthcare in Nueva Vida. The community often holds charlas, or group conversations, about healthcare, and they invited the Ohio State students and teachers to lead charlas on a variety of topics such as caring for babies, poison control, nutrition and other issues the citizens had asked for.
Two students demonstrate at a charla what to do if a child has ingested something toxic
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Students Morgan Beachy and Emily Aman led a charla directed towards community health workers. “We did our presentation on infections, specifically on how to tell the difference between a viral, bacterial and fungal infection, and what to do in the presence of each infection,” Beachy said, adding that the healthcare volunteers asked good questions and learned a lot. “It really felt as if we were able to make a difference,” Beachy said, “one of the best and most satisfying feelings there is.”
eyes. “The tip had a huge impact on this man,” Beachy said. “It really put my life and my culture into perspective.” Kayuha felt the trip gave her clarity about her career goals. She would like to help underserved areas more, “and learn about different cultures and their resilience.”
“Our students are wonderful. They can be flexible,” Fitzgerald said, proud of how well they adapted to daily rain, tropical temperatures of 95 degrees or higher, and a town with no paved roads or sewage system, only latrines. Nicaragua has summer epidemics of mosquitoborne illnesses like Zika, chikungunya and dengue, and the students used insect repellent vigilantly.
Like Fitzgerald, the students walked away with respect and admiration for the people they had served. “We look at their lives and think, ‘oh my goodness, they have next to nothing! I would never survive here!’” Kayuha said. “And yet, while I think they would like our lives, I don’t think they would switch.”
There was time for a bit of sight-seeing after their service in Nueva Vida. Beachy recounted awe-inspiring views, and adventures such as visiting a national park with a volcano on the top of a mountain, swimming in a volcanic lake, and walking through coffee fields. In the coffee-growing region of Madagalpa, their visit to a plantation was interrupted by strange, loud roars coming from the jungle. “We were all just wide-eyed,” Kayuha related. “Our guide told us those were howler monkeys.” The group also made a stop at the only publicly funded pediatric hospital in Nicaragua, La Mascota. Because no patient is turned away from La Mascota, patient gurneys overflow into the hallways of the largely unairconditioned building, and the patient-to-nurse ratio is 40-to-1. “The nurses we talked to worked very hard,” Kayuha reported, “working 12 or 24 hour shifts ... and they loved their jobs.” The students readily agree that their lives were changed by the trip. Beachy recounted that a hotel worker who had worked very hard for the group responded to a tip Fitzgerald gave him with tears in his Morgan Beachy and friend.
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GIVIN G
Woodwards celebrate anniversary with heartfelt gift BY ADAM WARREN
It's not every day that Brutus Buckeye makes a house call. So when Connie Woodward saw the mascot extraordinaire waltz into her 50th wedding anniversary party, she was more than a little surprised.
Connie discovered early on that nursing was her calling. As a young patient at Ohio State’s University Hospital, the nurses who cared for her during her frequent visits left an impression and shaped her career aspirations. "They made such an impact on me," she remembers. "They were always so warm and caring." Unfortunately, the same ailment that first sparked Connie’s interest in nursing would prevent her from ever becoming one. Even so, she was determined to find a way to impact the vocation she grew to love. In the early 1960s, she began working as a secretary for Mildred Newton, who was then the director of the School of Nursing at Ohio State. “It was the best job I ever had,” she recalled fondly. Miss Newton, who was never too busy to counsel a student or colleague, “made it easy to come to work.”
Her husband, Bob, on the other hand, knew what was coming. "I had to do something a little special for 50 years," he mused. A phone call he made weeks before had set in motion a plan that would not only bring Brutus to help celebrate their anniversary, but give Connie a gift that would celebrate their relationship and honor her deep passion for nursing at Ohio State.
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Decades later – with Brutus now bouncing around her living room – Connie’s life would once again intersect with Buckeye Nursing. Bob’s big surprise, after all, was to establish a scholarship in her honor to benefit students pursuing graduate degrees in the areas of pediatric or neonatal nursing. Now, despite never becoming a nurse herself, Connie will forever impact the profession and the students who pursue it.
Woodward Scholarship supports a newborn career
Faulder pays forward to support future Buckeye Nurses
Checking email can be a dull, if necessary, part of modern life. On one afternoon in June, however, it became exciting for Ashlee Kelly. “I was so surprised to see the award letter in my inbox,” recalled the graduate nursing student and the latest recipient of the Constance Woodward Scholarship in Pediatric Nursing.
BY KATY TROMBITAS
For Ashlee, the scholarship is not only a blessing financially, it is also a point of affirmation on her journey towards her second career. This mother of two began her professional life as a counselor helping veterans overcome the invisible wounds of combat. She was planning to pursue a master’s degree in psychology until she had her son and, for the first time, had the opportunity to see nurses at work. “It was a major turning point,” she reflected. “My whole academic life had been devoted to psychology, but I felt the calling. I knew in my heart that I was a neonatal nurse.” Now, nearly halfway toward earning her master’s in nursing, Ashlee is feeling grateful. “It’s so wonderful that there are people out there making an investment in the future of pediatric and neonatal nursing,” she says of Connie and Bob Woodward. “I am incredibly honored, and I cannot thank them enough for their generosity. The scholarship will not only help me achieve my educational goals, but relieve an enormous financial burden from my family.”
Hot, humid evenings are a dime a dozen during Columbus summers, but one stands out to Sara Faulder because it changed the trajectory of the rest of her life. As Faulder sat studying in a campus library on one especially hot night in 1966, she happened upon a newspaper advertisement describing the mild climate at Stanford University in California. Luckily for her, the Stanford Medical Center was looking for nurses. Armed with her new BSN from Ohio State and a determination to be her best self, something she attributes to her favorite faculty member the late Dr. Grayce Sills, Faulder, then age 21, moved west. Her career at Stanford took her from the ICU to psychiatry, and even gave her the opportunity to care for the first heart transplant patient in the country. She spent her last decade of practice at a psychiatric outpatient clinic nearby. Faulder witnessed incredible advancements in medical care during her 46-year career, but one thing remained critically important: nursing. “Nursing is a constant,” Faulder remarked. “It is so necessary.” That ever-present need for passionate nurses recently led Faulder to make a generous estate gift to the College of Nursing to endow a scholarship for future Buckeye Nurses. “Nursing was good to me, and now I have a chance to help these young people,” Faulder shared. She hopes future nursing students will be inspired by her generosity to pay forward to others throughout their careers.
GIVING | 45
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Learn more at macpr.osu.edu. Established with support from The Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science
46 | nursing.osu.edu
Adventures in nursing with Emilie Beck BY SUSAN NEALE
"The basic nursing skills to help people recover and get better can be transported anywhere,” says Emilie Beck. “You need a thermometer, some way to take blood pressure and a stethoscope. If you know the basics, you can take that anywhere in the world.” And she should know. Now retired and living in Florida, Beck’s lifetime career of nursing took her all over the world to help those in need. Her resume includes helping refugees in Cambodia, children affected by war and genocide in Rwanda, Kurdish nurses in Iraq and tsunami victims in Indonesia. There were times when she was in great danger, she said, but added, “I don’t know how to use a gun,” and laughed. “I couldn’t even when I was in the army!” Beck got her start in humanitarian care through her church in Chicago when she was in her thirties. She had completed a BSN at Ohio State and a Master’s, Nurse Practitioner at the University of Illinois, and was working as a pediatric nurse. She volunteered to pick up refugee families from Cambodia at the airport and drive them to homes of people who would foster them. “We went to the airport and nine families were supposed to come. Well, they sent an extra family.” Beck decided she had to take the tenth family home with her: “You know, you can’t walk away.” Over time, Beck adopted “about 100 people, 60 of which were children.” She learned from them about the devastating genocide they’d fled under the regime of the Khmer Rouge. “I knew it was bad because the young men came off the plane with shrapnel in their feet…I was horrified.” When Beck told her church she wanted to do more, they helped her join a group of medical volunteers going to the United Nations refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border.
Her lifetime of service has given her many great stories to tell. In Iraq, she was shocked to find out that the Kurdish nurses at a cardiac unit hadn’t been taught basic anatomy or how to use a stethoscope; only doctors had them. She quickly organized medical education for the nurses. “We had a graduation ceremony for them and gave them all stethoscopes,” she proudly related. And in Rwanda, she and other volunteers were captured when their bus ventured behind enemy lines. To pass the time while stuck on the bus, the volunteers sang songs. “I was out of the bus, and a soldier came over to me. ‘Why do they sing?’ he asked in perfectly clear English. ‘Do they sing because they know they’re going to die in the morning?’ I thought, ‘we are really in trouble.’ I thought that was it.” Thankfully, after a night in jail thinking she was going to die, they were released. Now Beck looks back on those memories happily. “It can be rough, but I can’t think of any job more satisfying than being a nurse. Nowhere do you get closer to the human condition.” In her own country, when not working as a pediatric or psychiatric nurse, she’s served soldiers affected by operation Desert Storm, resettled refugees and helped set up a prison hospital system. She’s very enthusiastic about The Ohio State University College of Nursing. “I think it’s the best in the world! They still care about human beings. Those were the happiest days of my life, at Ohio State University!” She would not have been able to attend without scholarships, which is why she now wants to give back. “I feel so fortunate to have had people who believed in me and let me try again and again. It’s one of the most important things that ever happened to me. I hope others have one tenth of the richness I have had in life.” GIVING | 47
ALUM NI
Homecoming 2017 More than 300 alumni and friends returned to Newton Hall October 6-8 to celebrate Homecoming Weekend 2017. On Friday morning, alumni and guests viewed nursing memorabilia and medical artifacts from days past at the Health Sciences Library and listened to Dean Melnyk highlight the recent accomplishments of the college and share her vision for the next five years in her annual State of the College Address. For more information on the college’s new strategic plan, see the insert in this magazine between pages 16 and 17. Classmates and spouses from 1967 reunited for their 50-year reunion luncheon on the top floor of Thompson Library. Alice Teall, MS, CRNP, FAANP, instructor of clinical practice and family nurse practitioner – online specialty track director also hosted a lunch-and-learn lecture on the opioid crisis, which identified the extent of the epidemic, its impact in Ohio, and approaches to prevention and treatment. In the afternoon, alumni toured the college’s wet lab and the Technology Learning Complex (TLC) and sampled healthy appetizers and desserts while learning about the benefits of eating nutritious meals with The Ohio State University Medical Center’s Nutrition Services staff. Saturday, alumni and their families enjoyed a tailgate on the front lawn of Newton Hall before cheering the Buckeyes on to a resounding victory (62-14) over the Maryland Terrapins. On Sunday, the class of 1967 gathered for a luncheon hosted by the university in the Archie Griffin Ballroom at the Ohio Union. Save the date for next year’s Homecoming celebration: October 5-7, 2018. 48 | nursing.osu.edu
ALUMNI | 49
Buckeyes and Bearcats Day On May 10, 2017, Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing Jackie Loversidge, PhD, RNC-AWHC, CNS (below) and Associate Professor Emeritus Edna Menke, PhD, RN (’68) attended “Buckeyes and Bearcats Alumni Day at the Ohio Statehouse.” Hosted by Ohio State and University of Cincinnati Alumni Associations, the event invited alumni from both institutions to join in a day of committee hearings with local representatives to lobby for state funding for higher education.
Mother and daughter alumnae Connie Brust Stahl ’62 and Heather Driscoll ’93 enjoyed Homecoming together. Stahl, a retired school nurse who now splits her residence between Fremont, Ohio and Lake Worth, Florida, is the talented quilter who made the Buckeye quilt being raffled off at Homecoming. Driscoll, an ICU nurse who now resides in Arizona, enjoyed returning to Ohio State, where she studied and also spent seven years as a nurse in the hospital’s surgical intensive care unit. Instructor of Clinical Practice and Family Nurse Practitioner – Online Specialty Track Director Alice Teall, MS, CRNP, FAANP, facilitated a lecture to alumni on the opioid crisis, which identified the extent of the epidemic, its impact in Ohio, and approaches to prevention and treatment.
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Alumni tour Greek islands This past May, the Ohio State Alumni Association sponsored a Greek Island Odyssey Tour, including two College of Nursing graduates Debra Boland ('03 MS) and Debbie Coleman ('76, '80 MS). The 60 alumni were joined by 30 new Ohio State graduates on their European graduation tour. The combined group enjoyed a traditional Greek dinner, music, dancing on a terrace overlooking the Aegean Sea, nursing stories – past, present and future – and lots of laughter.
From left to right: Debra Boland ('03 MS), Allie Martz ('17), Debbie Coleman ('76, '80 MS) and Morgan Ebbing ('17), who ventured out together. PHOTO COURTESY OF DEBBIE COLEMAN
Nearly 190 alumni and friends gathered for the 11th annual Wine Tasting, hosted by the College of Nursing Alumni Society. Guests enjoyed an evening of great wine and entertainment, and raised more than $12,000 to support the college’s Scholarship Fund.
Alumni from the colleges of Nursing and Medicine and their families enjoyed a fun-filled morning at the Longaberger Alumni House featuring animals from the Columbus Zoo and Brutus Buckeye.
ALUMNI | 51
Toledo alumni met at the Registry Bistro to reconnect with classmates and to hear college updates from Dean Bern Melnyk.
The Nursing Alumni Society’s Cleveland Ambassadors raised over $1,200 for the college’s Scholarship Fund at their first wine tasting fundraiser.
Alumni and students met to learn more about the Nursing Alumni Society Mentorship Program.
Cincinnati alumni gathered at The Boathouse Montgomery Inn to network with fellow classmates and to hear college updates.
Recent graduates and their families attended a reception hosted by the College of Nursing Alumni Society.
Day of Giving SAVE THE DATE: 02.14.2018 52 | nursing.osu.edu
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Nursing Alumni Society 2017 award recipients Four College of Nursing alumni have received awards from the Nursing Alumni Society for their outstanding contributions locally and abroad. For more information about the alumni society award recipients, visit: go.osu.edu/NursingAwardRecipients.
Distinguished Recent Alumnus Award Stephen J. Roller, 2007, 2009 MS Stephen J. Roller serves as the chief operating officer and chief clinical officer at Primary Health Solutions, a large federally-qualified health center in southwest Ohio. Roller has focused much of his career on working in underserved areas to provide accessible, high-quality healthcare to those in need. He was recently awarded the Nursing Excellence Award in Leadership from Interact for Change and was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners in 2017. He will receive Fellow status with the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) in January 2018.
Community Service Award
Distinguished Alumna Award Cynthia Moore-Hardy, 1979 Cynthia Moore-Hardy is president and CEO of Lake Health, the only independent, community-based healthcare system in northeast Ohio, where she has worked in leadership roles since 1988. Her career achievements include opening TriPoint Medical Center in 2009, the first new hospital in the Greater Cleveland area in almost 30 years. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the American Hospital Association.
Mildred E. Newton Distinguished Educator Award
Janet Harvey Hussong, 1962
Colleen S. Keller, 1977 MS Janet Harvey Hussong is retired from a 44-year career as a full-time nurse educator and nurse practitioner. Her career focus has been community and public health nursing in a variety of settings and communities. While a nurse practitioner in a free clinic in Milwaukee, she became concerned about the difficulties newly-arrived Hmong refugees from Laos were facing, including language barriers, lack of exposure to western medical practices and other cultural factors. She spent the next 13 years helping to resettle, educate and advocate for them.
Colleen Keller is a regents professor, foundation professor in women's health and director of the Center on Healthy Outcomes in Aging at Arizona State University’s College of Nursing & Health Innovation. In addition, she is a clinical professor in the College of Medicine at University of Arizona, and practices in women’s health with the District Medical Group in Phoenix. Her research concerning weight management and cardiovascular risk reduction in women spans 20 years.
In Memoriam Eleanor (Neal) Aven, 1956
Irene (Labriola) Gilcrest, 1952
Mona Myers, 1988 MS
Mary (Putnam) Crawford, 1946
Sophie Hann, 1965
Lucile (Trout) Russell, 1952
Anne (Hodge) Damon, 1957
Elizabeth (Campbell) Harrison, 1955
Ellen (Thompson) Sheehan, 1956
Marjorie (Brautigam) Dinnen, 1953
Kathryn (Sieg) Heinzerling, 1956
Elizabeth Sparks, 1997 MS
Tede Fetzer, 1983
Emily Hollar Courson, 1962, 1980 MS
Martha (Speicher) Thompson, 1949
Janet (Stiff) Ford, 1964
Phyllis (Trump) Mathy, 1950
Joyce Whittaker, 1955
Erin Gibbons, 2008 MS
Harriet Mecum, 1959
Mary (Todd) Wright, 1955
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Madigan named STTI CEO Ohio State alumna Elizabeth Madigan, PhD, RN, FAAN (’88 MS) was named Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing’s (STTI) new chief executive officer after a worldwide candidate search. Previously, Madigan served as the Independence Foundation Professor in Nursing Education at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University for more than two decades. Madigan also serves as the director of the Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization (PAHO/ WHO) Collaborating Center for Research and Clinical Training in Home Care Nursing, visiting professor at the Catholic University of Santiago, Chile, and a
research grant reviewer for the Italian Ministry of Health Young Investigator Research Program. She recently reviewed the planned PhD program and curriculum for Haramaya University in Ethiopia. In the field of research, Madigan has published numerous book chapters and research articles and presented at nursing conferences worldwide on interests ranging from home healthcare issues and the use of technology to improve chronic disease outcomes to international healthcare issues. She holds a BSN from Wright State University, a Master’s in Nursing from The Ohio State University, and a PhD in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University.
Nursing Alumni Society recognized by OSUAA The Ohio State University Alumni Association (OSUAA) recognized the College of Nursing’s Alumni Society with three awards: Program of the Year, Scarlet Level Society designation and Campus Alumni Relations Liaison (CARL) of the Year. Program of the Year was awarded to the society for its Professional Development Week for senior nursing students. The society achieved
Nursing Alumni Society awarded Scarlet Level status.
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Scarlet Level status, the highest an alumni society can attain, for meeting or exceeding levels set by OSUAA for events and fundraising efforts, for the fifth year in a row. Colleen Pelasky, assistant director of alumni engagement for the College of Nursing, received the 2017 Campus Alumni Relations Liaison of the Year award this year.
Colleen Pelasky receiving CARL of the Year award, with Jim Smith, senior vice president of Alumni Relations, president and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association.
Catton wins Alumni Citizenship Award “The patients every day at The James inspire me,” said Kristen Catton (’92), winner of The Ohio State University Alumni Association's Robert M. Duncan Alumni Citizenship Award for 2017. “They are going through bone marrow transplants [or] have terminal illnesses and still have a smile on their face and still want to give back to the community. I want to do that. I want to help as many as I can for as long as I can.”
James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, where she helps cancer patients transition from hospital to home care. This year she also rode in her ninth Peletonia biking fundraiser to raise money for Ohio State cancer research.
Catton’s empathy for her patients is grounded in personal experience: she is a survivor of both cancer and multiple sclerosis (MS). “My main goal is to try to help others so that nobody feels alone like I did when I was first diagnosed,” she said. That diagnosis was breast cancer, 17 years ago. “I thought I was going to die. I had this 4 year old at home and a newborn infant on the way. I thought, ‘What am I going to do?’” Today, Catton considers each day a gift. She, her husband, Mark, and Katie, 16, live northeast of Columbus in Westerville, Ohio, and her son, Evan, 20, attends Ohio State. Catton had to give up being a shift nurse in 2012, when fatigue and other symptoms lead to a diagnosis of MS. In 2014, she found a way to keep giving back, as a patient care resource manager at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G.
“She has demonstrated how one person with humility, faith, love, sacrifice and perseverance can make the world a better place,” said Dr. Don Benson, Jr., a cancer researcher and physician at the James. Read more about Kristen Catton at go.osu.edu/KCatton.
Innovative PUP™ will help patients stay safe Patrick Baker (‘95) and his company Palarum have secured $3.4 million to develop and test PUP™, a healthcare innovation that could make a big impact in preventing patient falls. How it works: PUP™ will monitor patient movement through the use of a smart textile fabric enhanced with various internet technologies. “The research shows that between 700,000 and
one million people fall in a healthcare environment every year,” said Baker, who is president and CEO of Palarum, LLC. “We want to help healthcare staff with their capabilities to anticipate, detect, and more quickly respond when a “fall risk” patient may need assistance,” and gather patient data.
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WE LLN E S S
Staying healthy during the holidays BY BERNADETTE MAZUREK MELNYK
Like me, you may find the holidays both exhilarating and stressful. Your weekly fitness routine is interrupted by family gatherings and parties, your to-do list has quadrupled and delicious holiday food beckons from every table and office lounge.
Why not ask if you can receive this gift early, so you can use it to keep in shape and reduce stress? It may even be time to indulge in a special wellness gift for yourself. Consider blocking out some solitary time to walk in the woods and watch the snow fall. That will put you in a holiday mood and get you moving as well! Buy yourself that beautiful holiday platter you’ve always wanted and keep it stocked with fresh-cut veggies to snack on. Promise yourself the treat of a warm bath to shed stress. A little relaxation goes a long way in keeping your immune system healthy. Get creative with gifts of health and wellness for others. I know of one mother who decided that the big gift to her twin sons every year would be an experience, rather than an object, to keep the family active and reduce clutter. They have great memories now of sailing, skiing, kayaking and spelunking trips together.
University Chief Wellness Officer Bern Melnyk and her dog, Honey Doo Melon.
If you feel tempted to toss health habits aside for a while, you’re not alone: the average American gains at least one to two pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. Most of us do not shed the extra weight despite the rush to join gyms on New Year’s Day. That adds up to a lot after a few years. Holiday stress also can weaken your immune system, making you vulnerable to the season’s viruses. This year, take a little time to make an action plan, because staying committed to health and wellness during the holidays is vital to your long-term well-being. You may be thinking of asking for a fitness-related gift for yourself this year, such as a wearable fitness tracker to record your daily steps, a membership to a gym or yoga studio, a session with a personal trainer or new fitness equipment such as weights or running shoes.
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Could someone on your list use an activity boost? Ask family members what sports equipment they’re craving. The adventurous person might like a gift certificate to a climbing gym or a trampoline park, while a zoo membership ensures a lot of walking. And, because hydration is always important, reusable water bottles make great small presents for family and co-workers. Gifts, of course, aren’t limited to those we wrap up and exchange. You also can give simple gifts of wellness to family and friends just by offering to walk with them or help them keep on track with their fitness goals. Ask your cousins to meet for smoothies (see recipes at right) and salads this year instead of cookies and egg nog. Or host a holiday healthful snack exchange instead of a cookie exchange. Cookbooks with healthful recipes make great gifts, too. Remember, you can’t take great care of others unless you take great care of yourself. Your health and wellness are precious gifts to you. The efforts you take to safeguard them this holiday season can last a lifetime.
Blueberry Bliss
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
½ cup nonfat milk ½ cup nonfat plain yogurt or Greek yogurt 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen 1 teaspoon honey (or more to taste)
½ cup canned pumpkin 1/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt or Greek yogurt 1/3 cup skim milk 2 tablespoons rolled oats 2 teaspoons honey (or more to taste) ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 3 or 4 ice cubes
Green Goodness 2 cups spinach leaves 1 ripe pear, unpeeled, cored and chopped 15 green or red grapes ¾ cup nonfat plain yogurt or Greek yogurt 2 tablespoons chopped avocado 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice ½ cup water or milk
From the American Heart Association To make smoothies: put ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Note: soy or almond milk and soy yogurt can be substituted for dairy-free smoothies.
From Megan Amaya, director of healh promotion and wellness at the College of Nursing
PHOTO: ANDREW WEBER
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1585 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 nursing.osu.edu
Research & EBP thrive at Ohio State
At The Ohio State University College of Nursing, faculty are conducting cutting-edge research programs to promote health and wellness in infants, children, adolescents and women; prevent and manage critical and chronic conditions from diabetes to Alzheimer’s disease; and improve the delivery and quality of healthcare for patients, families and communities. Our research centers include the Center of Excellence in Critical and Complex Care, the Center for Women, Children & Youth, and our new Stress Science Lab. Our expertise in translating best evidence from research into real-world practice settings led to a $6.5 million grant to establish the Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare. Recent highlights of faculty and doctoral student research and awards include: • two recently funded R01s by faculty to study 1. major factors contributing to preterm birth in high-risk minority pregnant women 2. how environmental pollutants contribute to brain and heart disease • five faculty members in the STTI Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame • one Fulbright scholar • three Jonas scholars and two RWJF Future of Nursing scholars • two post-doctoral fellows • two K23 awardees • three currently funded F31 grants • a T32 predoctoral training grant, Optimizing Health in Childhood: Interdisciplinary Training in Health Development