Research Committee

PENS Research Committee Report November 2020 Chair: Andrew A. Dwyer, PhD, FNP-BC, FNAP, FAAN

The 2020 PENS National Conference was expected to be in San Antonio Texas. However, as with much of life in 2020, we were forced to pivot. Thankfully, the leadership team did a remarkable job in shifting our meeting to an online format. The Research Committee was pleased to review 19 abstracts submitted for the meeting. Committee members provided constructive feedback and coaching to help members publish their abstracts in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing.

Based on overall excellence and relevance to pediatric endocrine nursing practice, the Committee selected two abstracts for oral presentation at the virtual meeting. Drs. Angela Northrup, PhD, RN, FNP and Christen Cupples Cooper, EdD, RDN from Pace University presented their interprofessional work “Understanding Parental Beliefs and Practices toward Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption in Their Young Children”. Dr. Jennifer Morone, PhD, MA-ATR, BS-RN presented “The Influence of Social Determinants of Health on Family and Self-management of Type 1 Diabetes in Black, Single-Parent Families”. This work was partially supported by grant fudging from PENS during Jennifer’s doctoral work at the University of Pennsylvania. The Committee would like to congratulate Dr. Morone on her new position as a Fellow in the National Clinical Scholars Program at the Yale School of Medicine. We thank the presenters for sharing their work with the PENS membership and we look forward to hearing more from them at future meetings.

Three Poster awards were given at the virtual meeting: • Best informational poster: Khristan Heagle, RN, JD -

“Alternative, Non-Pharmacological Treatments for

Adolescents Diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome:

Could Vitamins, Minerals or Omega Oils Be Beneficial?” • Best research poster: La Tonya Ivy, MSN, BC-ADM,

CDCES, CDTC - “School personnel’s knowledge, attitudes, and management practices about diabetes care in

Shelby, County, TN and surrounding counties in Arkansas and Mississippi” • Best novice poster: Jennifer Sefanich - “Promoting

Early Genetic Screening for 47,XXY Based On Early

Intervention and Emerging Treatment Options” The COVID-19 pandemic changed many plans over the past year and the Research Committee looks forward to a future face-to-face meeting where we can continue on the success of the pre-conference workshop in Long Beach CA. The sequel will be a preconference workshop: ““Evidence to Practice: Preparing Kids with Chronic Endocrine Health Conditions to Care for Themselves” along with a concurrent session offering “Bringing Evidence into Practice for Improving Transitional Care: Demystifying Implementation”. The committee is also undertaking an update of PENS position statements that is anticipated to be completed in spring 2021 with harmonized documents.

As research projects screeched to a halt, PENS provided an extension to the currently funded grant: “Racial Disparities in the Use of Technology in Children with Type 1 Diabetes: Focus on Parents’ Perspectives”. We look forward to hearing about the study findings from Drs. Lipman, Howe and Morone and invite them to present their study results at a future PENS Annual Meeting.

The Research Committee solicits abstracts in the following categories: research, informational, case study, and product-based/industry. Please submit an abstract and share your work with PENS members! Committee members are available to guide, support and coach you through this process. Check our website to learn about the evidencebased practice (EBP) and research grants - submissions due February 1st. Contact Sharron Close with any inquiries.

Be well and stay safe! Andrew A. Dwyer, PhD, FNP-BC, FNAP, FAAN