TRAINING GRANTS
NIH funding and a salute to graduates Faculty members receive prestigious grants; NINR director (and commencement keynote speaker) calls on graduates to be problem-solvers, particularly in high-needs communities.
Mindfulness helps support NICU moms Lindsey Garfield, PhD, RN, witnesses the devastating impact of postpartum depression—and she noted a large percentage of the moms affected were women of color. “The statistics are really startling,” says Garfield, who is an assistant professor in the School of Nursing. “African-American moms are almost four times more likely than white moms to have post-traumatic stress after the birth of their baby and are three times more likely to have depressive symptoms,” she says. “I could spend my whole career focused on the why, but my real interest is helping these moms.” Through a highly competitive selection process, Garfield received a K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award from the National Institute of Nursing Research. The funding will support her training and a clinical trial on mindfulness as a stress reduction tool for Black mothers who have an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). She will be mentored by Loyola professor emeritus Linda Janusek, PhD, RN, FAAN, who has extensive research expertise examining the impact of chronic stress on well-being. “We know that mindfulness is an effective intervention to decrease stress, and Black women who have a baby in the NICU have added stress,” says Garfield. “Moms who have additional stress have impaired mother-infant interactions and bonding because they’re less responsive to subtle cues. Reducing stress would help moms and babies. We really can have a transgenerational improvement of health and quality of life,” says Garfield. Because many mindfulness resources are geared to white women, Garfield worked with Natalie Watson-Singleton, PhD, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at Spelman College (Atlanta), to adapt the popular Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn and make it more culturally appropriate for Black moms. A mindfulness coach who identifies as a Black woman will manage the class, offer virtual mindfulness sessions, and create a community of Black moms. Clinical trial participants will meet weekly in person or over Zoom in small groups for course sessions to discuss topics such as mindful responding, health and AS A WOMEN’S HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONER,
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illness, and cultural connections to food. The coach also will teach the moms how to incorporate their current spirituality and stressreduction practices with mindfulness. After the eight-week program, Garfield will measure participants’ stress, depression, and anxiety levels to see if psychosocial wellbeing is improved as compared to a control group that receives an education program focused on maternal and infant health. If the intervention is effective, Garfield will seek additional funding for a larger trial. Ultimately, she wants to see it offered through hospitals, churches, and community organizations. “A culturally appropriate mindfulness program is a promising intervention to address stress in Black moms, improve their health, and ultimately improve the health of their babies,” she says.
Improving self-management in young patients with spina bifida CHILDREN WITH SPINA BIFIDA are living longer than ever before. So
what sets apart those who thrive in adulthood from those who don’t? That’s what Associate Professor Monique Ridosh, PhD, RN, hopes to discover. Recently, Ridosh received a highly competitive K1 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award from the National Institute of Nursing Research to advance her research with adolescents and young adults living with spina bifida. The funding allows her to spend the next three years concentrating on research under mentor Grayson Holmbeck, PhD, a Loyola University Chicago psychology professor who has followed families with spina bifida for more than 20 years. Ridosh will delve into data already collected from 140 families, learning new skills in advanced statistics and longitudinal analysis. “It’s an opportunity awarded through a very competitive process. Honestly, it required great persistence and a rigorous research plan. The award validates that my plan for research and training is promising,” she says. People with spina bifida face a higher risk of early mortality because of related secondary conditions, but interventions to better manage their condition could make a difference. “I want to partner with families so they have the tools to help their children become
