MINNESOTA
NURSING A publication of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing
SPRING/SUMMER 2022
HEALING NATURE
How nurses are using planetary health to foster wellbeing 06
A call to action: Climate crisis threatens child health
14
28
New research seeks to Planetary health bring the benefits of forest curriculum links planet’s bathing to more people health to human health
SPRING/SUMMER 2022
06 Mindfulness and movement Researcher Roni Evans aims to identify if mindfulness encourages physical activity in older adults
11 Graying prison population raises questions about end-of-life care Survey explores care of people in prison with chronic and life-limiting illness
06
27 A life’s mission to promote mental health in immigrant families and youth DNP student Blessing Azonwu earns prestigious Jonas Scholar honor
32 First-of-its-kind partnership aims to diversify informatics workforce $7.9 million grant will advance health equity by training students to use data to improve public health
SECTIONS
27
04
From the Dean
06
Research
18
Education
32
Outreach
35
School News
48
Alumni News
52
Development News
FOLLOW US www.facebook.com/umnnursing www.twitter.com/umnnursing
30
www.instagram.com/umnnursing www.linkedin.com/school/umnnursing www.youtube.com/user/umnnursing
2 | MINNESOTA NURSING
Read Minnesota Nursing online at www.nursing.umn.edu/magazine. To receive a notice when the current issue is posted on the school’s website, send an email to nursenews@umn.edu. This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to the managing editor at nursenews@umn.edu. The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance, veteran status, or sexual orientation. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF NURSING OUR VISION Optimal health and wellbeing for all people and the planet. OUR MISSION To generate knowledge and educate leaders to shape the future of nursing and advance health care to improve the health and wellbeing of all. DEAN Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP
Decarbonizing health care
SENIOR EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR ACADEMIC PROGRAMS Christine Mueller, PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR RESEARCH Diane Treat-Jacobson, PhD, RN, FAAN ASSISTANT DEANS Donna Bliss, PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA Carol Flaten, DNP, RN, PHN Judy Pechacek, DNP, RN, CENP BOARD OF VISITORS David Aanonson, pastor (ret.); Clara Adams-Ender, chief nurse executive, Army Nurse Corp. (ret.); Cyrus Batheja, National Medicaid Vice President - Policy and Clinical Solutions UnitedHealthcare Community & State; Jeannine Bayard, United Health Group (ret.); Michael Bird, national public health consultant to AARP on Native American/Alaska Native communities; Shonda Craft, dean, School of Health and Human Services, St. Cloud State University; William Crown, chief scientific officer of OptumLabs, (ret.) and faculty member, Brandeis; Jessica Drecktrah, chief nursing officer, Faith Community Nurse Network; Melanie Dreher, dean emeritus, Rush University College of Nursing; Peter Klein, CEO, Educated Change; Richard Norling, senior fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement; Laura Reed, chief nurse executive and COO, M Health Fairview; Jeannine Rivet, executive vice president, UnitedHealth Group (ret.); Michael Rohovsky, Associate Corporate Office of Science & Technology, Johnson & Johnson, (ret); Franklin Shaffer, president and chief executive officer, CGFNS; Jessica Sylvester, nursing executive and chief executive officer, Call Light Health; Dee Thibodeau, senior executive in information technology; Sylvia Trent-Adams, executive vice president and chief strategy officer, The University of North Texas Health Science Center; Peter H. Vlasses, executive director, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ret.); Charlotte Weaver, former senior vice president and chief clinical officer, Gentiva Home Health & Hospice; Cathleen Wheatley, president of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center & system chief nurse executive, senior vice president of Clinical Operations; and Jonathan M. Zenilman, chief, Infectious Diseases Division, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS Steve Rudolph SENIOR EDITOR Brett Stursa
Photo: Tom Steffes
In March, Elizabeth Schenk, PhD, delivered the second annual Planetary Health Guest Lectureship. Schenk, executive director of environmental stewardship at Providence Health System, is a nationally recognized leader in decarbonization and discussed the effort to bring Providence toward carbon negativity by 2030.
PHOTOGRAPHERS Darin Kamnetz, Tom Steffes DESIGNER Tammy Rose CONTACT US Minnesota Nursing University of Minnesota School of Nursing 5-140 Weaver-Densford Hall 308 Harvard Street S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455 Email: nursenews@umn.edu Website: www.nursing.umn.edu Minnesota Nursing is published semi-annually by the University of Minnesota School of Nursing for alumni, faculty, students and friends of the school. ©2022 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
www.nursing.umn.edu | 3
FROM THE DEAN
Connections that empower health and healing Dear Friends,
4 | MINNESOTA NURSING
The health of our planet and our communities are inexorably intertwined. Yet for far too long we have overlooked this connection. In this issue of Minnesota Nursing, we explore some of the varied ways nursing and the University of Minnesota School of Nursing are deepening our critical connection to nature. Planetary health is increasingly being incorporated into our curricula, and we showcase some of the ways our school has become a force in addressing climate change. This issue also explores how the effects of climate change are threatening our health, particularly of children, and how we must respond. And our Healing Nature focus examines the healing powers of nature-based therapy being discovered by nurse researchers.
Vietnam, and Pal College of Nursing and Medical Sciences in India, shared in these pages aim to improve nursing and promote wellbeing through exchange of students and faculty and research collaboration.
Partnerships are at the core of our being. This issue includes some of the new ways the School of Nursing is connecting with communities both near and far to advance nursing education, research and practice. This includes forging three new nursing collaboratories — academicpractice partnerships — with Essentia Health, Children’s Minnesota and the Faith Community Nurse Network that complement our existing collaboratories with M Health Fairview and the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Globally, our recent partnerships with Peking University Health Science Center in China, Hanoi Medical University in
We hope reading Minnesota Nursing deepens our school’s connection with you and we look forward to your continued feedback. We offer our deepest gratitude for your interest and engagement.
Nursing informatics has the potential to transform health care. In this issue you’ll read how our faculty, in partnership with the School of Public Health, are leading a consortium that aims to advance health care by creating pathways to careers in public health informatics and technology for underrepresented students. This $7.9 million grant will advance health equity by training students to use data. These pages also share the story of recent PhD alum Knoo Lee, who is harnessing the power of data analytics to better inform care in vulnerable populations.
Connie White Delaney Professor and Dean
PARTNERING FOR HEALTH National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education granted Joint Accreditation with Commendation by Steve Rudolph The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education was awarded Joint Accreditation with Commendation as a provider of continuing education for the interprofessional team by the governing bodies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Accreditation Program (ANCC). The National Center received a six-year reaccreditation because of its demonstration of exemplary performance and commitment to developing and implementing student and patient-engaged and evidence-based programming.
Joint Accreditation as a premier provider of continuing education for the health care team and look forward to continuing to advance how teams deliver care with a focus on what matters most to those they serve,” says Christine Arenson, MD, National Center director. “The School of Nursing celebrates the National Center’s commitment to developing and implementing student and patient-engaged professional development that advances interprofessional care to improve the health and wellbeing of all,” says Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP, dean of the School of Nursing.
Lynda Welege, Christine Arenson, Barbara Brandt and Connie White Delaney.
excel as continuing education providers. In receiving the recognition, the National Center complied with all standard criteria and newly adopted criteria, including efforts to: • Engage patients and students as planners and teachers • Address factors beyond clinical care, such as social determinants of health, that affect the health of patients • Collaborate with organizations to address population health issues • Optimize communication skills of learners
In 2020, the National Center formed the National Center Office of Interprofessional Continuing Professional Development with the University of Minnesota School of Nursing and the College of Pharmacy to advance the continuum of professional and interprofessional lifelong learning through innovation, research and continuous quality improvement.
“The National Center is a true gem in our University community and these commendations come as no surprise. The College of Pharmacy is privileged to collaborate with them and the School of Nursing, not only from the standpoint of interprofessional leadership, education and practice, but also in the realm of workforce development and continuing education,” says Lynda Welage, PharmD, FCCP, dean of the College of Pharmacy.
• Create opportunities for learners to develop individualized learning plans
“With a commitment to advancing interprofessional practice and education, we are honored to be recognized by the
The Joint Accreditation awards Accreditation with Commendation to recognize and celebrate organizations that
PARTNERING FOR HEALTH is a recurring feature that highlights a school partnership working to advance health care to improve the health and wellbeing of all.
By awarding the National Center with this honor, the Joint Accreditation has demonstrated that the National Center is a learning organization that provides relevant, interprofessional, practice-based continuing education that positively impacts health across the country.
www.nursing.umn.edu | 5
RESEARCH
Participants in the randomized study were assigned to one of two educational programs, both consisting of nine 90-minute group sessions offered first at Twin Cities YMCAs and on Zoom during the pandemic.
Photo: YMCA of the North 6 | MINNESOTA NURSING
MINDFULNESS AND MOVEMENT Researcher Roni Evans aims to identify if mindfulness encourages physical activity in older adults by Meleah Maynard
Roni Evans, DC, PhD, has been studying nondrug, complementary and integrative approaches for pain relief for more than 25 years. Her research has found manual therapies, like chiropractic and massage, as well as exercise, to be helpful for reducing pain symptoms and getting people back to doing the things they want and need to do. Recently, though, Evans, director of the Integrative Health & Wellbeing Research Program at the University of Minnesota’s Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing, has shifted her focus to another complementary and integrative strategy to keep people active that is often overlooked — mindfulness. Funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health, Evan’s research project Mindful Movement for Physical Activity and Wellbeing in Older Adults aims to identify effective ways to help adults 50 and older become more physically active. Participants in the randomized study were assigned to one of two educational programs, both consisting of nine 90-minute group sessions offered first at Twin Cities YMCAs and on Zoom during the pandemic. Each session focused on teaching people how to manage their thoughts and emotions to help overcome
barriers associated with exercise. They also learned the benefits of mindfulness for overall health and wellbeing. “Mindfulness-based interventions have become very popular,” Evans explains. But while research has shown that mindfulness can be helpful for managing pain, as well as mental health conditions, few studies have examined how mindfulness can help people become more physically active. Evans believes mindfulness could help people overcome common issues, like a lack of motivation or fear of getting hurt with physical activity. But mindfulness takes work to develop. “Being mindful means developing the ability to notice or be more aware of what is going on, in the moment, without judgement,” she says. “We can be mindful by just noticing what it’s like to be sitting in a chair or walking in nature, pretty much anything. But it takes practice.” BUILDING A BETTER MIND-BODY CONNECTION A trained chiropractor with a Master of Science degree in clinical research and a PhD in applied biomechanics, Evans has spent years designing complementary and integrative self-care programs that help people develop the skills and motivation to engage in positive health behaviors, such as walking rather than being sedentary.
“Physical inactivity, which is defined as not getting enough aerobic exercise to raise your heart rate, causes as much damage to our health as smoking and obesity,”
she says, explaining that aerobic activity has many benefits, including reducing the risks of diabetes and heart disease. Reasons why middleaged and older Roni Evans adults fall far short of physical activity recommendations vary. In addition to fear and discomfort, research shows that some believe health declines are simply inevitable, so they feel less invested in changing their behavior. Others, often those with multiple, chronic conditions, feel they already have enough concerns without worrying about staying active. Evans’ two-phase research project is on track to be completed in the summer. Once the results have been analyzed, she and her colleagues will share results through scientific journals so other can build on what they learned. They will also be creating presentations to share with the community. “Keeping people motivated is a known challenge, and there is still a great need for high-quality research studies examining affordable and accessible programs, particularly in communitybased settings,” Evans says. “I’m interested in how building a better mind-body connection can help support people in overcoming barriers to exercise and activity.”
www.nursing.umn.edu | 7
THE HEALING POWER OF NATUREBASED THERAPY New research seeks to bring the benefits of forest bathing to more people
by Brett Stursa
Shinrin-yoku, translated as forest bathing, was designed in Japan in the 1980s as a practice of mindfully walking in a forest while paying attention to all five senses — touch, sight, hearing, taste and smell. Current published research on the health benefits of forest bathing show decreased blood pressure, decreased levels of oxyhemoglobin in the prefrontal cortex, decreased pulse rate, decreased cortisol levels and decreased heart rate variability. Clinical Assistant Professor Erica Timko Olson, PhD, RN, is leading a pilot study to determine how to create a more accessible forest bathing experience to bring forest bathing benefits to more people. This winter, 40 adult participants engaged in four onehour experiences at Fish Lake Trail in the University’s Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in East Bethel and at Crosby Farm Regional Park along the Mississippi River in St. Paul. The experiences included a free walk with no prompt, a walk with a written prompt, a walk with an audio prompt using smartphones and a walk led by a forest therapy guide certified by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapists.
8 | MINNESOTA NURSING
Timko Olson is analyzing participants’ responses to questionnaires before and after each experience and responses in focus groups to determine their preferences and the study’s feasibility. AN EYE ON INTERVENTIONS Timko Olson’s research focus has been in resilience, spirituality and anxiety in nursing students. “Through that process I read a lot of information about the anxiety of students, the anxiety of nursing students, the stress of college students, and I determined I was interested in developing interventions,” says Timko Olson.
As she conducted her early research, she was a mom of six kids and had recently moved to a new city, away from family and the farm she grew up on. “I was stressed and I was talking to my dad and he said, ‘Erica, when’s the last time you saw the horizon?’ And that will stick with me forever because I didn’t know,” says Timko Olson. “I realized I had lost my place in the world. I had missed the sunset, the sunrise. I wasn’t grounded.” With the realization that she hadn’t spent intentional time in nature, she vowed to do so and used it as a springboard to develop nature-based therapy interventions for levels of high anxiety. continued on page 10
Photo: Darin Kamnetz
Nurse researcher Erica Timko Olson seeks to make forest bathing — mindfully walking in a forest while paying attention to all five senses — more accessible.
www.nursing.umn.edu | 9
•••
“ The greater picture is 120 minutes outside in nature is the new 10,000 steps.” – Clinical Assistant Professor Erica Timko Olson
continued from page 8 SHAPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NURSE SCIENTISTS As she analyzes the results from the pilot study, she is beginning a new study with young adults with cancer. “I want these young adults to be able to have the benefits of nature therapy, but there’s COVID, and they’re quite sick,” says Timko Olson. “So where is their comfort level? Maybe they’re most comfortable going out by themselves with no prompt, but is that effective? I want to have some preliminary data to give us some guidance.”
Timko Olson credits being an A. Marilyn Sime Faculty Research Fellow in the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing for the ability to conduct these pilot studies and connect with like-minded researchers. “If it wasn’t for the Sime Fellowship, I wouldn’t be able to take these opportunities. I just wouldn’t have time to jump on these opportunities,” says Timko Olson. She was recently accepted to the 2022 cohort of the Environmental Health Research Institute for Nurse and Clinician Scientists. The program, funded by the National Institutes of Health, trains scientists who are shaping the
next generation of environmental health nurse scientists and fosters career-long support and collaborations. As part of this experience, she will be creating a planetary health research course for the school’s PhD program. HEALING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE Timko Olson cites new research from Europe showing that spending 120 minutes in nature weekly improves wellbeing. “The greater picture is 120 minutes outside in nature is the new 10,000 steps,” says Timko Olson.
Timko Olson sees nature-based therapy interventions not only as tools to improve wellbeing and reduce perceived stress, but as a way to improve recognition of our interconnectedness. “The bigger picture is people who are connected and engaged in nature have a greater responsibility towards nature, they have a responsibility towards it, and that’s what we need to heal the planet,” says Timko Olson. “To heal humanity we need to heal our relationship with nature.”
LEARN MORE Learn more about Shinrin-Yoku, or forest bathing, by reading Erica Timko Olson’s article Mindfulness and Shinrin-Yoku: Potential for Physiological and Psychological Interventions during Uncertain Times published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health at z.umn.edu/forest-bathing.
10 | MINNESOTA NURSING
GRAYING PRISON POPULATION RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT END-OF-LIFE CARE Survey explores care of people in prison with chronic and life-limiting illness by Brett Stursa
There are 1.2 million people living in 1,800 state prisons in the U.S., with the number of incarcerated older people rapidly increasing because of longer sentences. The Prison Policy Initiative found that there is four times the number of people in prison who are 55 and older than there was in 1993, which is largely attributed to tough on crime sentencing. “We know that older adults living in prisons are among the most powerless, marginalized and vulnerable citizens in the United States,” says Professor Susan O’ConnerVon, PhD, RN-BC, CNE, FNAP. They have a much higher prevalence of chronic and comorbid illnesses such as hypertension, asthma, cancer and hepatitis than the general population and a higher prevalence of cogitative impairment along with dementia. Meanwhile prisons were generally designed for a younger, healthier population, which presents challenges for providing health care to people with complex needs and for providing end-of-life care.
O’Conner-Von, whose expertise is hospice and palliative care, led a research project in partnership with Patricia Berry, PhD, CNP, FAAN, to better understand current practices and policies regarding care of people in prison with chronic and life-limiting illness. The research, Advance Care Planning For People In Prison: A National Survey Of State Correctional Health Care Providers, was supported by a grant from the Rita and Alex Hillman Emergent Innovations: Serious Illness and End of Life Program. Completed before the COVID pandemic, the research included conducting a national web-based survey, with a total of 1,055 prison health care providers responding. Results showed that 62% of prison health care providers reported no end-of-life program at the prison and that on average three people per prison per year were offered compassionate release. On average, four people were transferred outside the prison with days or weeks to live. Most prisons offered modified visitation for those with months or weeks to live. continued on page 13
www.nursing.umn.edu | 11
Professor Susan O’Conner-Von led a research project to better understand current practices and policies regarding advance care planning for people in prison.
Photo: Darin Kamnetz
12 | MINNESOTA NURSING
continued from page 11
In terms of health care directives, which are legal instructions regarding preference for medical care after someone is unable to make decisions for themselves, 85% responded that people in prison were offered the opportunity to complete a health care directive. O’Conner-Von adds that it was unclear how many people in prison actually completed a health care directive. Physicians were most often responsible for facilitating the completion of a health care directive, often after the diagnosis of a chronic condition. Results showed that 63% reported that a person living in prison can designate a health care agent, who can advocate for them when they are not able to speak for themselves. Only 11% reported they allowed peers, fellow people in prison, to be a health care agent for another person in prison. “Our results revealed that some prisons do utilize advance care planning, however only a small sample indicated that all prisoners upon admission are offered to complete a health care directive,” says O’Conner-Von. “To ensure health equity for this population we suggest a national model policy to assure all people in prison have access to advance care planning on admission, when health changes, when diagnosed with a life-limiting condition while they have decisional capacity and access to end-of-life care programs within all prisons.” Results of the survey were presented at the Center for Bioethics Ethics Grand Rounds, which aims to shine a light on critical health equity issues.
•••
“ To ensure health equity for this population we suggest a national model policy to assure all people in prison access to advance care planning on admission.” – Susan O’Conner-Von, nurse researcher who led the Advance Care Planning For People In Prison: A National Survey Of State Correctional Health Care Providers study
John Song, an associate professor in the Center for Bioethics, passed away as the project was beginning. “The work is dedicated to the memory of John Song. His passion and commitment to social justice is interwoven in this work and served as an inspiration for the research team daily,” says O’Conner-Von. In addition to O’Conner-Von and Berry, the interprofessional research team included Sarah Kettering, MPH; Rebecca Shlafer, PhD, MPH; Paul Galchutt, MPH, MDiv, BCC; Rebecca Freese, MS; and CLA student Ali Bouterse.
LEARN MORE Professor Susan O’Conner-Von and Patricia Berry presented findings from the Advance Care Planning For People In Prison: A National Survey Of State Correctional Health Care Providers study at the Center for Bioethics Ethics Grand Rounds. Watch it by visiting z.umn.edu/drjohnsong.
www.nursing.umn.edu | 13
“I can think of few threats more urgent for the world’s children than the environmental and climate crises currently threatening children’s health and wellbeing,” says Mary Chesney.
14 | MINNESOTA NURSING
A CALL TO ACTION: CLIMATE CRISIS THREATENS CHILD HEALTH Chesney served as co-guest editor of the Journal of Pediatric Health Care’s special edition focused on planetary health by Brett Stursa
About 1 billion children — almost half of all children in the world — live in countries deemed to be at extremely high risk from climate change impacts.
health acknowledges the interdependence of the health of people and the health of the planet. “It really speaks to that concept that we need each other,” says Chesney. “Earth and people, our very existence is dependent on the health of the planet.”
The threats to their health aren’t something to only fear in the future but are harming children now, says Clinical Professor Mary Chesney, PhD, APRN, CPNP, FAANP, FAAN, Katherine R. & C. Walton Lillehei Chair in Nursing Leadership.
Chesney, whose expertise includes health policy and advocacy for optimal child/youth health, says that she developed an interest in climate issues during the latter part of her career. From a policy perspective, she started paying closer attention when water and air quality protections were being rolled back during the Trump administration. But she says the most significant motivator was when she became a grandmother. “I had two little granddaughters born within six days of each other. I thought about the world that we’re going to leave them and was genuinely concerned about the fact that we’re destroying our planet,” says Chesney.
“I can think of few threats more urgent for the world’s children than the environmental and climate crises currently threatening children’s health and wellbeing,” says Chesney, who served as the guest co-editor of the Journal of Pediatric Health Care’s special edition focused on planetary health. “Pediatric nurse practitioners and their fellow pediatric health care providers have a critical role in educating families, caregivers and policymakers about environmental threats and advocating for policies that protect children and the environment.” PLANETARY HEALTH FOR PEDIATRICS While the effects of environmental hazards on health are better understood, the concept of planetary health is newer for many providers, says Chesney. Planetary
As a member of the editorial advisory board for the Journal of Pediatric Health Care, the official journal for the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, Chesney suggested the planetary health focus for the special issue. University of California San Francisco Clinical Professor Karen Duderstadt, PhD, RN, CPNP, FAAN, joined as co-editor. The issue, published in January, features articles that cover topics like the evidence and impact of climate continued on page 16
www.nursing.umn.edu | 15
•••
“ Those committed to caring for the health and wellbeing of children can no longer sit on the sidelines and ignore the urgent, existential threats environmental degradation, pollution, and climate change pose to the world’s children.” – Clinical Professor Mary Chesney
continued from page 15
change on the range of vector-borne diseases in the U.S., food insecurity and risk factors for childhood cancer and air quality. Chesney and Duderstadt wrote Children’s Rights, Environmental Justice, and Environmental Health Policy in the United States, which provides a historical perspective. The issue also includes an article written by Katie Huffling, a University of Minnesota Doctor of Nursing Practice graduate and executive director of Alliance of Nurses for a Healthy Environments, about pediatric chemical exposure. Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, FAAP, known for uncovering the Flint water crisis, wrote a case study about a girl from Flint who experienced lead poisoning and the role of providers to be advocates for children. CHILDREN ARE VULNERABLE In 2017, 26% of the deaths of the world’s children under five were related to environmental hazards, from threats like contaminated food and water and exposure to harmful chemicals.
“Because children’s bodies are developing and growing and changing, they feel the effects of toxins in a much greater degree than older children or adults do,” says Chesney. There is a rise in asthma and chronic lung conditions in children who live in areas that are heavily polluted. Exposures to polluted air and heavy metals and toxins in the water, air and food are leading to lower birth weights and an increase in cancers. “Children are vulnerable because they are a little developing body, and they tend to take in and absorb
16 | MINNESOTA NURSING
those things in a different way. It’s far more damaging than being absorbed by a fully developed body,” says Chesney. ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE, RACISM ARE SIGNIFICANT Children’s health and wellbeing rely on a just distribution of clean water, clean air and clean food, says Chesney. “And yet we know that children living in the poorest countries, children in the United States living in the poorest of zip codes, are bearing much more of the burden of the effects of pollution and climate change than other children,” says Chesney. “There is a significant level of environmental injustice. And unfortunately, those burdens fall on the poor and typically on disenfranchised communities of color who have not had the proper amount of investments made in their neighborhoods.” Environmental racism results in people of color being more adversely impacted by environmental hazards than higher-income and white populations. “The effects of environmental injustice and environmental racism are significant,” says Chesney.
She calls on child health advocates to promote public health policies that place child health at the center of the decision-making process to foster their health and wellbeing. “Child health is inextricably linked to planetary health,” says Chesney. “Those committed to caring for the health and wellbeing of children can no longer sit on the sidelines and ignore the urgent, existential threats environmental degradation, pollution, and climate change pose to the world’s children.”
Earn your PhD the way you want
NEW DELIVERY MODEL OFFERS GREATER FLEXIBILITY Find the answers to the questions facing nursing and improve the health of patients and the community with a PhD in Nursing from the University of Minnesota. Our new HyFlex instruction format allows you the option to attend class in-person or remotely through video connection. Whether on campus or not, you’ll be mentored by nationally-renowned faculty and provided research opportunities only a tier-one institution ranked in the top 10 can provide. Full-time students receive full funding for their first two years. Learn more at www.nursing.umn.edu/PhD
www.nursing.umn.edu | 17
E D U C AT I O N
As the inaugural director of Planetary Health for the School of Nursing, Teddie Potter is leading the effort to integrate planetary health curriculum throughout all of the school’s programs.
18 | MINNESOTA NURSING
NURSING OUR PLANET BACK TO HEALTH Planetary health curriculum links planet’s health to human health by Deane Morrison
To Teddie Potter, there’s nothing revolutionary about health measures that target the whole world. “Planetary health is an ancient way of understanding things,” says Potter, PhD, RN, FAAN, FNAP, clinical professor and director of Planetary Health. “It was Indigenous people who understood how all things were interconnected and that they couldn’t have a healthy community if the environment wasn’t healthy.” Since 2015, the transdisciplinary field of planetary health has been gaining momentum, driven by its view of Earth as one interconnected ecosystem. It champions measures to protect, for example, oceans, the atmosphere, and forests that have kept the balance of nature on which all life depends. The School of Nursing and Potter are both members of the international Planetary Health Alliance, and she serves on its steering committee. Potter, who with faculty introduced planetary health into the nursing curriculum, describes it as a paradigm that takes into account environmental conditions that don’t necessarily involve diseases, such as the glut of plastics in the ocean, the widespread loss of pollinators, land use changes, and the breakneck pace at which humanity—especially in affluent societies—consumes natural resources.
And then there’s climate change. Potter has been sharing the message about the danger since 2005. Today, models point to climate change as a major factor in the California wildfires that send smoke to Midwestern skies. Yet on a day when Potter said Minneapolis’ particulate matter index was five times what the World Health Organization says is safe, she expressed optimism that with effort, our species can remedy the problems it’s created. “We need to make changes everywhere,” she says. “It will take massive innovation and massive collaboration. That’s what excites me about being at a university—we’ve got it all … experts in all of this and tremendous potential to innovate. If we can use fear and concern to help us innovate and collaborate, then the future looks very positive.” NURSING: A FORCE FOR CHANGE A key goal of planetary health is “getting people to work together on a shared vision of moving toward a healthy planet,” Potter explains.
She coordinates the health innovation and leadership (HIL) specialty in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, which welcomes many students to the U of M from outside Minnesota “because they want to redesign the system,” she says. “Young people are looking for a beacon of hope, that somebody’s working on these issues,” Potter notes. “I continued on page 20
www.nursing.umn.edu | 19
Planetary Health Director Teddie Potter listens to a discussion about decarbonizing health care during the second annual Planetary Health Lectureship.
continued from page 19
think the University is leading in this particular area.” In 2018 Potter contacted Project Drawdown, a nonprofit dedicated to drawing down atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases, and argued that nurses—“the largest global health profession and the most trusted profession”— were well positioned to bring science-based solutions that address climate change to the general public. In partnership with Project Drawdown, nurses Katie Huffling (a graduate of the HIL DNP specialty) and Cara Cook from the international Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE) and others worked with Potter to create Nurses Drawdown. In addition to the three founders, DNP students Tucker Annis and Claire Phillips also served on the planning committee. Launched in June 2020, Nurses Drawdown helps nearly 1,000 nurses worldwide put planetary health principles into practice in the realms of energy, gender equity, food, mobility, and nature. Huffling, a nurse/midwife and ANHE’s executive director, wrote her DNP scholarly project on the initiative.
20 | MINNESOTA NURSING
“While working on my master’s in nursing, there was a growing body of research about how fetal exposure to environmental toxins can have lifelong health impacts,” Huffling says. “They’re being linked to chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity. I didn’t see how I could do my job without seeing to this.” GROUND-LEVEL CLIMATE ACTION Over the years, Huffling has shifted her focus more to climate change, a major focus of the planetary health movement. Through Nurses Drawdown, she and her colleagues are educating nurses about solutions to climate-related health problems.
Actions need not be big and public. They include actions to do at home, such as switching to biking or public transportation and signing up for solar and wind power. They also include steps nurses can take in a healthcare or community setting, or by getting engaged in policy. “And there’s much research about the benefit of planting trees,” Huffling adds. “Nurses have been leading tree-planting efforts, and communities with
•••
“ Young people are looking for a beacon of hope, that somebody’s working on these issues. I think the University is leading in this particular area.” – Teddie Potter, clinical professor and director of Planetary Health
more trees have better health outcomes. Nurses are the largest portion of the health care workforce, so … getting just a small percentage engagement, we can start to make some shifts.” According to polling research, the most effective way to frame the need for climate action is to connect it to health, Huffling says. PROVIDER TAKING A PULSE OF A CHILD PATIENT “Even in parts of the country where climate change is not a good word, there are lots of opportunities for nurses to help their patients make the connection,” she notes.
“I think patients are interested in this kind of information,” she says. “In pregnancy, mothers want to do what they can for the infant’s health.” As the scope of their work widens, Huffling and Potter are encouraged by seeing people planting pollinator gardens, educating kids, keeping them in school and motivated, and showing them they can contribute to a better future. “I believe this new way of thinking will lead us on a path that will be sustainable,” Potter says. “And [we’ll have] not illness, but health as an economic driver.”
For example, if a child has asthma and hot days—when air quality is poorer—are more frequent, the nurse may advise the mother not to idle her car and to look at where her energy is coming from. Huffling has also cared for women with asthma during pregnancy, when the attacks can worsen. She may talk to those patients about how to prevent them, and why both the attacks and the weather events that aggravate them are more common now.
www.nursing.umn.edu | 21
NEW, EXPANDED PARTNERSHIPS AIM TO INCREASE DIVERSITY OF NURSING WORKFORCE School partners with Saint Paul College, University of Minnesota Rochester and Mayo
Students engage in active learning during their Application of Genetics in Nursing course in Rochester.
22 | MINNESOTA NURSING
by Steve Rudolph and Brett Stursa
The University of Minnesota School of Nursing and Saint Paul College announced a new partnership to help create a more diverse nursing workforce. The agreement creates a supportive pathway for students currently enrolled at Saint Paul College to transfer to the School of Nursing to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. “For too many, the traditional path to a baccalaureate nursing degree and the broader scope of practice it provides isn’t an option for students graduating from high school,” says Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP, dean of the School of Nursing. “This partnership opens another entry into nursing that we hope will create a health care workforce that is also more representative of the communities it serves.”
students at University of Minnesota Rochester entry into the University of Minnesota Twin Cities nursing program. The school’s Rochester location is dedicated to BSN transfer students. “We are grateful for our partnership with Mayo that enables us to increase our BSN enrollment and address the significant nursing workforce needs in the state,” says Christine Mueller, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, senior executive associate dean for academic programs. “Enrollment increases require the need for more student practicum placements and Mayo has generously agreed to provide those placements.”
Julia Bartlett, DC, dean of Health Sciences at Saint Paul College, adds, “This exciting partnership provides an advanced educational option for students wishing to enter the nursing profession. Students can start their education at Saint Paul College, a smaller and affordable environment, and transfer, through a coordinated effort, to the prestigious Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing.” This program serves as an additional option for students at Saint Paul College, along with the existing practical nursing diploma. Enrollment on the Twin Cities campus is currently limited to 10 Saint Paul College students, with additional opportunities in Rochester. The School of Nursing will provide Saint Paul College students with structured programming to support their success at the University.
Leaders from the University of Minnesota School of Nursing and Saint Paul College celebrate an agreement that creates a new pathway for students to transfer into BSN program.
EXPANDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS Additionally, the number of BSN students in the School of Nursing program in Rochester is increasing, from 32 to 48. Up to 25 of these students will be from the University of Minnesota Rochester Early Assurance Nursing program. This program guarantees first-year
www.nursing.umn.edu | 23
INNOVATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOCUSES ON TRANSGENDER PATIENTS Simulations designed to address health disparities
by Brett Stursa
Doctor of Nursing Practice students now have the opportunity to enhance their knowledge, skills and comfort in working with gender diverse populations after the University of Minnesota School of Nursing launched a new interprofessional simulation experience with standardized patients who are transgender and non-binary. Standardized patients play an important role in the education of nursing students. As actors with scripted histories, they portray patients, allowing students to ask questions and listen in a simulated clinical environment. A grant from the University’s Institute for Diversity, Equity and Advocacy assisted in the creation a simulation experience for School of Nursing nursemidwifery and women’s health nurse practitioner students and Medical School obstetrics and gynecology residents. Specifically, students have the opportunity to practice health history techniques. “Our hope is that students gain a self-awareness on how to interview a patient with cultural humility and be affirming in
24 | MINNESOTA NURSING
that process,” says Clinical Assistant Professor Maria Ruud, DNP, APRN, WHNP, who developed the simulation activity with Professor Emeritus Melissa Avery, PhD, APRN, CNM, FACNM, and Assistant Professor Samantha Hoffman, MD. ADDRESSING HEALTH DISPARITIES Transgender and non-binary individuals have significant health disparities and barriers to accessing care, with provider knowledge and training identified as barriers. The simulation experience was developed to increase that knowledge and training.
“These health disparities are not innate but rather are unjust and remediable because many of the negative outcomes are not related to one’s personal identity but are the result of society’s reaction to it,” says Ruud. SIMULATIONS INCREASE STUDENTS’ COMFORT, SKILLS With faculty, M Simulation educators Joe Miller and Anne Woll, Jennifer Demma from Family Tree Clinic and members of transgender and gender diverse populations developed a sexual and reproductive health focused clinical history simulation activity.
Ruud says the partnership with Family Tree Clinic in St. Paul, which is a community clinic known for providing excellent care to gender diverse populations, was critical
•••
“ Working with a provider who was a content expert in health care for transgender and nonbinary people helped to create a simulation experience that was realistic and relevant to best practices.” – Clinical Assistant Professor Maria Ruud
to the success of the project. “Working with a provider who was a content expert in health care for transgender and nonbinary people helped to create a simulation experience that was realistic and relevant to best practices,” says Ruud. The standardized patients, who were transgender or gender diverse, were also involved in creating the scenarios. They were called patient-teachers to acknowledge the broader teaching partnership and the value of their lived experience. They developed two scenarios — a transfeminine individual, assigned male at birth, who uses she and her pronouns, presenting with urinary symptoms and requesting screening for sexually transmitted infections and a transmasculine individual, assigned female at birth who uses he and him pronouns, presenting with vaginal symptoms and requesting screening for sexually transmitted infections.
“Patient-teachers were key to editing and revising the cases including gender-affirming language as well as planning specific details of the simulation,” says Ruud. Scenarios included non-binary partners and consensually nonmonogamous sexual activity and behavior with multiple partners of various gender identities. “This identity allowed the learners to practice assessment and understand the distinctly different elements of sexual orientation, sexual behavior and gender identity while emphasizing the importance of not making assumptions about gender or sexuality,” says Ruud. Students participate in a prebriefing, where they are provided with the presenting case patient’s name and legal name, gender identity and sex assigned at birth, and pronouns as well as presenting symptoms and reason for the clinic visit. Then, after the simulation, they participate in a debriefing. continued on page 26
www.nursing.umn.edu | 25
•••
“ Our hope is that students gain a selfawareness on how to interview a patient with cultural humility and be affirming in that process.” – Clinical Assistant Professor Maria Ruud
continued from page 25
Ruud recently published the article Health History Skills for Interprofessional Learners in Transgender and Nonbinary Populations in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health, with evaluation of the learning experience. Evaluation using surveys measured students’ skills and comfort providing care, attitudes about care and overall satisfaction with the simulation learning activity. Significant differences between pre- and post- simulation were observed for all comfort and skills questions, showing an increase in perceived comfort or skill for all questions. Students reported they appreciated the chance to practice language in a safe environment, which helped ease anxiety and where they didn’t feel judged.
MORE INCLUSIVE, THOUGHTFUL LANGUAGE Ruud says that with each iteration they are learning how to improve the simulations, which are now being utilized with family and adult gerontological nurse practitioner students as well. “I have noticed a difference in the language that students use, even when they’re doing case presentations,” says Ruud. “They’re more inclusive, more thoughtful, more intentional.”
The awareness is key to developing trust and making a patient feel welcome. Without it, Ruud says, there is a concern that patients can get disconnected from the health system and potentially from receiving quality care. “Health disparities exist in part because transgender and gender diverse people don’t always feel welcomed when they seek care,” says Ruud. “The good news is that we can change that, it is remediable. This is one little step moving in that direction.”
LEARN MORE Learn more by reading Health History Skills for Interprofessional Learners in Transgender and Nonbinary Populations, published in the November/December issue of the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health. Find it at z.umn.edu/healthhistory.
26 | MINNESOTA NURSING
A LIFE’S MISSION TO PROMOTE MENTAL HEALTH IN IMMIGRANT FAMILIES AND YOUTH DNP student Blessing Azonwu earns prestigious Jonas Scholar honor
by Susan Maas
Working as a float nurse at Regions Hospital in St. Paul a decade ago, Blessing Azonwu had a revelation. She’d wanted to work in health care since her childhood in Nigeria, when she was frequently ill with typhoid fever. But during Azonwu’s first shift in a mental health unit, a light bulb went off as she remembered a long-suffering aunt who’d died years earlier. “It took me back to my auntie,” Azonwu says. “And I began to reflect back and realize, oh, this is what was going on! She would take off, and sometimes we wouldn’t know where she was, and then she would come back and seem very, very paranoid. All these major symptoms were present,” Azonwu recalls. “And then, when I was working in that mental health unit, everything connected ... I’m like, ‘oh my God, this a treatable illness.’” Her career path crystallized then and there.
Azonwu, who came to the U.S. in her late 20s, had been accepted to medical school in Nigeria. Her family couldn’t afford the tuition, consequently she completed a less-costly communications degree. After arriving in the states, she began working in home care — work that
affirmed her original attraction to health care. Azonwu’s husband urged her to consider returning to school. “He would watch the baby [their second] and drop me off at class,” she says. Azonwu earned a nursing diploma at continued on page 28 www.nursing.umn.edu | 27
continued from page 27
Minneapolis Community and Technical College, then tested her way to be an LPN. On her way to completing her bachelor’s degree at Metro State University, the family welcomed their third child. A GIFT FOR CONNECTION Azonwu — who’d always loved learning so much that in childhood, her mother would warn her “you won’t go to school in the morning if you don’t do your chores” — came to class five days after giving birth via C-section. She didn’t know her professor would happily accommodate her recovery period. “I just really wanted to graduate that year,” Azonwu laughs. In 2011, she began working at Regions part time, while continuing her nursing home position.
There, Azonwu’s passion for mental health was ignited. She believes her first name — Ngozi in Nigerian, which means blessing — drew some patients to her. “It seemed therapeutic to a lot of patients. They say, ‘Can you sit down and talk to me?’ Sometimes that’s what people need, to have somebody sit and listen.” In 2018, Azonwu, now a mom of four, was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. After her successful surgery, she concluded that her educational journey wasn’t finished. “I’ve always admired the University of Minnesota because of their tremendous research work,” she says. “I thought, ‘Yeah, let me try my luck. Maybe I can get my doctorate in nursing in psychiatric mental health at the U of M.’” Azonwu applied to the psych-mental health DNP and was awarded a prestigious Jonas Scholarship; she’s now in the second year of the four-year, parttime program.
28 | MINNESOTA NURSING
CARING FOR THE WHOLE PERSON She also began developing mental health education programming at her church, a parish of mainly West African immigrants, after noticing that the subject seemed off limits to some members of older generations. “In some immigrant communities, people are just beginning to understand that this is not something that happens to somebody as a result of their own fault,” Azonwu says.
Moreover, she adds, many immigrant parents are working so hard for their families’ survival that they’re at a loss about how to respond to their kids’ struggles. “When you come here, it’s like you’re starting life afresh,” Azonwu says. “The parents are busy working, trying to pay the bills, trying to put food on the table and provide shelter, and maybe you don’t have that time to sit down and understand that these kids are going through” trauma, depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues. This, Azonwu has realized, is her life’s mission: to help promote mental health, with a special focus on immigrant families and youth. Her dream — “if I can find the resources” — is to someday open her own clinic with a whole-person emphasis. “If you’re not mentally stable, the rest of your body is not stable either. And you can only take care of your whole body when you are in a sound state of mental health,” Azonwu says. “When one system goes wrong, it affects all other systems. It’s all interconnected. “We have to shift from just focusing on one part of the body and move to looking at the whole body as one.”
Blessing Azonwu listens to a parishioner at Restoration Chapel, where Azonwu is developing mental health education programming.
Photo: Darin Kamnetz
www.nursing.umn.edu | 29
DRIVEN BY DATA Knoo Lee, PhD ’21, uses nursing informatics to aid vulnerable populations
As a young nurse in South Korea, Knoo Lee, PhD ’21, saw glimpses of the influence technology could wield on nursing, particularly by harnessing the power of data analytics. To fully satisfy his curiosity, he decided he needed to travel half a world away to build a foundational knowledge in the area of nursing informatics at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. Thanks to that move, Lee is now applying big data analytics to better inform patient care in vulnerable populations such as children and older adults. After earning his PhD, he’s advancing his research as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Missouri.
30 | MINNESOTA NURSING
“Nowadays, the usage of technologies or analytics such as machine learning are very ubiquitous,” says Lee. “But what I really relish is that in the field of nursing, there is still room for improvement. And I strongly believe that I can be a part of that so that I can help people who are in need.” Lee studied mechanical engineering before pivoting to nursing following his mandatory military service in the South Korean Navy. While working in the gastroenterology unit of a hospital in Seoul, though, he found himself restless to apply skills from his engineering background. A move back to his hometown of Busan, a port city, gave him the chance to work in telemedicine for crew members on commercial ships while also dipping his toes into data as a clinical research nurse.
•••
“When you work in the private sector, you definitely learn a thing or two, but in terms of what’s really out there, the knowledge itself, in my own opinion, starts from academia,” he says. “So I wanted to see what’s really happening in terms of informatics.” His search led him to the School of Nursing, which offers the second-ranked nursing informatics program in the United States, according to the U.S. News and World Report graduate school rankings. When Lee arrived, he says he found a supportive, inclusive environment that allowed him the time to get acclimated to a new place—he discovered a new appreciation for sunlight in the fall and winter and enjoyed the balance of natural beauty and culture in the Twin Cities—and provided the resources to explore his interest in informatics. The School of Nursing houses the Center for Nursing Informatics, connecting emerging research to patient care, and collaborates in interdisciplinary efforts with the Institute for Health Informatics, which brings together faculty and students from across the University of Minnesota. Lee leveraged those resources while working on his dissertation under the direction of Professor Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP, dean of the School of Nursing and co-director of the Center for Nursing Informatics. Lee collaborated with multiple organizations including the National Association of School Nurses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Minnesota Department of Education to collect data and apply machine learning techniques to examine the causes
“ We need a person who brings a perspective of nursing, who knows how to interpret the results, and have the interpretation in the perspective of nursing, so that when we are seeing the data, we know how to use this data to improve patient care.” – Knoo Lee, a recent PhD grad
behind chronic absenteeism in schoolchildren. That’s the type of relevant research the School of Nursing strives to produce. “When I first got here, my sole focus and interest was sitting in the methodologies,” says Lee. “I was fortunate enough to work with people who actually work in the real world, and that really helped me a lot to proceed with my research. I’ve done some focus group interviews with school nurses, and that helped me attach what I’m doing with the real world.” He says his PhD program has allowed him to fuse his nursing background with his interest in datadriven research. And he’s eager to use that powerful combination to help those in need. “We need a person who brings a perspective of nursing, who knows how to interpret the results, and have the interpretation in the perspective of nursing,” he says, “so that when we are seeing the data, we know how to use this data to improve patient care.”
IN HIS OWN WORDS Hear more about how Knoo Lee is using his PhD degree to improve patient care by watching a video at z.umn.edu/KnooPhD.
www.nursing.umn.edu | 31
O U T R E AC H
Robin Austin, Rebecca Wurtz and Priya Rajamani are leading a consortium that aims to advance health equity by creating pathways to careers in public health informatics and technology for underrepresented students.
Photo: Darin Kamnetz
32 | MINNESOTA NURSING
FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND PARTNERSHIP AIMS TO DIVERSIFY INFORMATICS WORKFORCE $7.9 million grant will advance health equity by training students to use data to improve public health by Charlie Plain
The University of Minnesota is leading a first-of-its-kind partnership to help minority students and professional trainees harness the power of public health data to develop disease-prevention and wellbeing improvement initiatives in their communities. The TRaining in Informatics for Underrepresented Minorities in Public Health (TRIUMPH) Consortium is led by the University of Minnesota’s School of Nursing and School of Public Health and includes Bethune-Cookman University, Georgia Southern University and the University of South Florida. The five-school consortium aims to advance health equity by creating sustainable pathways to careers in public health informatics and technology for underrepresented students and individuals already in the public health workforce. TRIUMPH is funded by a fouryear, $7.9 million grant from the U.S. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology as part of its Public Health Informatics & Technology Workforce Development Program. Informatics, defined as “the science of how to use data, information and knowledge to improve human health and
the delivery of healthcare services” has been identified as a critical skillset for the public health workforce. TRIUMPH is led by School of Nursing Clinical Associate Professor Priya Rajamani, PhD, MPH, MBBS, FAMIA, and School of Public Health Associate Professor Rebecca Wurtz, MD, MPH, who are both national experts in using information technology and data to improve the health of large populations. The School of Nursing is a leader in nursing informatics and was the first school to offer a Doctor of Nursing Practice specialty in nursing informatics. It is home to the Center for Nursing Informatics and annually hosts the Nursing Knowledge: Big Data Science Conference “COVID-19 has shown us that we don’t have easily accessible, real-time health data for people severely impacted by the pandemic,” says Wurtz. “In response, this consortium is part of a national workforce development initiative to help public health build back better to address the health challenges re-identified by the pandemic.” “The pandemic exposed two big chasms in public health: under-resourced public health agencies that are relying on outdated technology and a workforce not tech savvy and not representative of the population being served,” says Rajamani. “TRIUMPH hopes to address both by providing public health informatics training and funding for underrepresented minorities.” continued on page 34 www.nursing.umn.edu | 33
••• continued from page 33
Over the four years of the grant, members of the TRIUMPH consortium plan to train more than 600 students and public health professionals at universities that have historically served Black, Hispanic and Native American people. “It’s important to start on the ground level with people who are beginning their education,” says TRIUMPH manager Yasmin Odowa. “It’s also essential to include people who have been historically underrepresented in informatics — especially in managing data — because they approach it from new, beneficial and often overlooked perspectives.” The consortium will teach informatics through a variety of avenues, including workshops, webinars, certificates, university courses and degrees, and stipend-supported practice opportunities. Consortium members will share curriculum, course designs and other educational resources with one another. Each of the five TRIUMPH Consortium member schools serve minority communities and are conducting their own regionally-relevant informatics project: •B ethune-Cookman University – Building public health data visualization lab and developing a health informatics and health equity curriculum. •G eorgia Southern University – Creating an online public health informatics MPH concentration and adding in a public health informatics course to its public health programs. •U niversity of Minnesota School of Nursing – Creating a population health informatics certificate program. •U niversity of Minnesota School of Public Health – Creating an informatics track open to any student, with a focus on Native American students in the Public Health Administration & Policy distance program. •U niversity of South Florida – Developing and enhancing public health informatics coursework in its College of Public Health. The schools are also working with the following practice partners who will provide guidance and opportunities for students to use informatics on real-world projects: •F lorida Department of Health-Volusia County •G eorgia Coastal Health District •H ealthHIE Georgia •M innesota Department of Health •P ublic Health Informatics Institute
34 | MINNESOTA NURSING
“ It’s also essential to include people who have been historically underrepresented in informatics — especially in managing data — because they approach it from new, beneficial and often overlooked perspectives.” – Yasmin Odowa, TRIUMPH manager FOCUS ON INFORMATICS AND NATIVE AMERICAN HEALTH IN MINNESOTA The University of Minnesota has a long and continuing history of serving minority communities in the state. To help bring the benefits of informatics to those communities, Rajamani and School of Nursing Assistant Professor Robin Austin, PhD, DNP, DC, RN-BC, FAMIA, FNAP, are developing a population health informatics certificate, with courses in the School of Nursing and School of Public Health, to attract minority students to the program.
“The population health informatics certificate will provide the skills necessary for students to facilitate a data-driven perspective of public health,” says Austin. Austin is the incoming director of the Center for Nursing Informatics, which is leading cutting-edge research through discovery and application of informatics research methods to improve the health of individuals and communities and has a long history of providing graduate and professional development academic offerings. The School of Public Health is focusing on providing learning opportunities on population and public health informatics more accessible for Native American public health students. The school is adapting its existing online Public Health Administration & Policy MPH to offer a track tailored to providing informatics education to Native American students living and working in their home communities. The track will feature placing up to four students in learning circles and teaming them with a local Native American informatics or public health professional to mentor them in their education. Students will also have the opportunity to take informatics courses from other University schools and colleges. The Minnesota Department of Health and other practice partners will provide the students from both of the University programs with hands-on applied practice experiences working on informatics projects. Rajamani and Wurtz are currently developing the curriculum and content for their programs with plans to begin offering courses and the optional workbook by fall 2022.
U.S. News & World Report placed the University of Minnesota No. 7 in its 2023 Best Nursing Schools ranking of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs. The School of Nursing was tied for seventh with the University of Michigan, University of Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt University. The U.S. News ranking of 158 DNP programs was based 14 indicators including quality assessment, faculty resources, DNP student selectivity and program size, and research activity. Supported by expert faculty, the University of Minnesota’s DNP program is known for graduating innovative systems-based nurse leaders who promote positive change across the globe. “Our program is unique as we actively partner with members of our community to ensure student experiences are rich and relevant,” says Judith Pechacek DNP, RN, CENP, assistant dean. “Each semester we bring all of our students together to participate in programing related to leadership, planetary health, social justice and diversity, and it is through this enhanced programming
that we enable our students to be prepared to lead in this global society.” The School of Nursing’s DNP program offers 12 specialties including nurse-midwifery, which was No. 2 when last ranked by U.S. News, nursing informatics, health innovation and leadership, and integrative health and healing.
SCHOOL NEWS
DNP PROGRAM RANKED NO. 7 BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
The University of Minnesota continues to have the largest full-time program in the country.
#7
DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE PROGRAM
U.S. News and World Report
ESSENTIA HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FORGE NURSING PARTNERSHIP Essentia Health and the University of Minnesota School of Nursing announced a new partnership aimed at fostering creativity and innovation and improving the nursing pipeline. The partnership, or collaboratory, is designed to be a nursing think tank and incubator for creativity and innovation to engage nursing faculty, staff and students. It will foster innovative educational experiences for University of Minnesota nursing students at Essentia, advance nursing knowledge to improve and support the health of individuals and their families, address workforce needs at Essentia by supporting a smooth transition of graduates into practice, and address shared problems as they emerge. “The nursing collaboratory is a co-creation that formally acknowledges the interdependence of education and practice,” says Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP, dean of the School of Nursing. “By linking together we partner to directly and indirectly benefit our patients, their families and communities.” The partnership is part of Essentia Health’s pursuit of Journey Towards Magnet Nursing, which honors health
care systems for creating and sustaining a culture of excellence, “with contented nurses at its heart.” “This is a really innovative way to ensure we maintain adequate staff levels to continue providing high-quality care to our patients,” says Rhonda Kazik, DNP, RN, CENP, Essentia’s chief nursing officer. “By sitting at the same table as the University of Minnesota, this establishes a critical pipeline, not only to address staffing needs, but also to ensure we have some of the most skilled nursing students working in our facilities after graduation.” www.nursing.umn.edu | 35
CHILDREN’S MINNESOTA, U OF M FORM COLLABORATORY TO IMPROVE PEDIATRIC OUTCOMES The University of Minnesota School of Nursing and Children’s Minnesota formed a partnership to generate, disseminate and apply knowledge for the improvement of nursing practice, education and patient outcomes. The Collaboratory will serve as a nursing think tank and incubator for creativity and innovation that will engage nursing staff, faculty and students to enhance nursing education, research, practice, and diversity, inclusion and equity, while recruiting top talent into pediatric nursing. “We celebrate this Collaboratory focused on the health of children and their families and look forward to communitycreating with Children’s Minnesota the best practices to advance it,” says Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP, dean of the School of Nursing. “This is about honoring our future that is held with children, and this partnership will have a profound impact on all of the School of Nursing’s Collaboratories.” “As the kid experts, at Children’s Minnesota we are committed to improving children’s health by providing the highest-quality, family-centered care, advanced through research and education. This Collaboratory is very exciting as it will strengthen our partnership with the School of Nursing by co-creating evidence-based pediatric nursing practice through research,” says Caroline Njau, MBA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Children’s Minnesota.
Children’s Minnesota is the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, with two freestanding hospitals, nine primary care clinics, multiple specialty clinics and seven rehabilitation sites. Among the Collaboratory’s initial areas of focus will be fostering innovative educational experiences in both organizations, supporting the health of children and their families through research and evidence-based practice, and addressing nursing workforce trends and finding collaborative ways to support a smooth transition of graduates into practice.
FAITH COMMUNITY NURSE NETWORK, SCHOOL OF NURSING ANNOUNCE COLLABORATORY Faith Community Nurse Network and University of Minnesota School of Nursing announced the formation of a collaboratory to enhance nursing education, research and practice. This nursing think tank engages faculty, staff and students with the Faith Community Nurse Network and serves as an incubator for creativity and innovation. “FCNN’s mission of providing a whole-person approach to individual and population health aligns well with the School of Nursing’s,” says Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP, dean of the School of Nursing. “Adding their focus brings expanded opportunities for engagement of our students throughout Minnesota as well as enhanced collaboration with our other four collaboratories.” “Through this partnership, we look forward to advancing faith community nursing practice as we invite and walk alongside students, staff and faculty within the circles of health promotion and education we provide in community,” 36 | MINNESOTA NURSING
says Jess Drecktrah, MHA, MN, RN, chief nursing officer of FCNN. The parties aim to create innovative and high-quality curricula tailored for multiple delivery modes and to increase health care delivery and policy. An additional goal of the collaboratory is to serve as a national and international leader in advancing planetary health through systems thinking, leadership, and the teaching and practice of populationbased health.
KREITZER NAMED INAUGURAL HOLDER OF THE MARY JO KREITZER CHAIR IN WELLBEING LEADERSHIP Mary Jo Kreitzer, PhD, RN, FAAN, Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing founder and director and School of Nursing professor, was named the inaugural holder of the Mary Jo Kreitzer Chair in Health and Wellbeing Leadership. It is the first endowed Bakken Center chair. Kreitzer has authored more than 150 publications and is the co-editor of the text Integrative Nursing, 1st and 2nd editions, published by Oxford University Press. Plans for the third edition are underway. Kreitzer was named one of the 100 most influential health care leaders in Minnesota by MN Physician, is a distinguished policy fellow in the National Academies of Practice and is a Fellow Ad Eundem of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Kreitzer has served as the principal investigator or coprincipal investigator of numerous clinical trials focusing on mindfulness meditation for people with chronic disease, including studies focusing on solid organ transplant, cardiovascular disease, chronic insomnia, diabetes and caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Recent studies include the use of social technology to enhance healing and wellbeing and the impact of mindfulness on brain-computer interface performance. “Throughout my career, I have been passionate about advancing wellbeing. It has been the joy and privilege of a lifetime to be the founder and director of the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing at the University of Minnesota,” says Kreitzer. “For more than 27 years, we have worked with national and international leaders to advance integrative health and healing by conducting interdisciplinary research, developing innovative models of care, creating transformative curricula, and engaging with policy makers to create more accessible and equitable health care.”
www.nursing.umn.edu | 37
DEEPENING GLOBAL COLLABORATION WITH NURSING PARTNERSHIPS The University of Minnesota School of Nursing deepened its global partnerships with recent signings of agreements with the Peking University Health Science Center in China, Hanoi Medical University in Vietnam and Pal College of Nursing and Medical Sciences in India. The agreements will foster collaboration and exchange to promote wellbeing.
“We are both resonating with the ideas of how we can cooperate in research and foster the growth of PhD education. We are honored to partner with you.”
PEKING UNIVERSITY IN CHINA The School of Nursing and the Peking University Health Science Center in China signed a 10-year agreement for cooperation and exchange to promote wellbeing
HANOI MEDICAL UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM The School of Nursing and the Hanoi Medical University in Vietnam signed a 10-year agreement with the goal of establishing reciprocal exchanges and cooperative activities.
Dean Shaomei Shang, PhD, said that while she is hopeful to meet face to face, in the meantime exchange can occur remotely. “It is great that we can work together,” said Shang.
“Today is a special marker of a formal signing of an agreement that we’ve been planning and developing over a number of years. We are delighted to partner with you, the most prestigious medical university in Vietnam,” said Delaney, at a virtual signing ceremony in October. “We are committed to developing specific plans that bring this agreement to life.”
Virtual signing with Hanoi Medical University
in China and the United States. Areas for potential collaboration include exchange of faculty members and students, joint research activities and organization of joint conferences. “Thank you for this opportunity to partner with you,” said Dean Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP, at a virtual signing ceremony in October.
38 | MINNESOTA NURSING
The agreement for cooperation and exchange is based on friendship, equality, mutual assistance and community interests to promote wellbeing of the people of both countries. Areas for potential collaboration include exchange of faculty and students, joint research activities and joint conferences. Truong Quang Trung, PhD, vice dean of faculty of nursing and midwifery at Hanoi Medical University, shared his enthusiasm for the partnership. “We have the commitment to improve not only for quality of nursing care but for the profession,” said Trung.
Virtual signing with Peking University
potential collaboration include a teaching faculty competency enhancement program, post graduate research, joint research activities, public health ventures and joint conferences.
Virtual signing with Pal College
PAL COLLEGE IN INDIA The School of Nursing and the Pal College of Nursing and Medical Sciences in India signed a 10 year agreement for academic and research association.
The agreement will promote wellbeing of the people of both institutions, states and countries. Areas for
“The key areas of this partnership are vibrant professional development, advancing education in both of our environments and our commitment to fostering joint research,” said Delaney, at a virtual signing ceremony in September. “It’s also about relationship. The relationship and connection between head and heart are what define us here at the University of Minnesota. This is a very significant point in the history of this school to be able to enter into a partnership with you.” Dean Ratna Prakash, PhD, said the signing comes at a critical moment. “We feel very fortunate to be connected with you in collaboration to improve the human situation,” said Prakash. “Health means the body, mind, spirit relationship. So it’s not only the physical, we also take care of mind, body, spirit. With this friendship, I hope we find a way to enhance our health care situation mutually.”
www.nursing.umn.edu | 39
PRESERVING THE PAST TO INFORM THE FUTURE by Steve Rudolph Marie Manthey, MNA ‘64, BS ‘62, hated history as a student at the University. Now retired, she finds herself gathering twice a month with her fellow School of Nursing Heritage Committee members, curating and sifting through the archives to ensure future generations can appreciate the University of Minnesota’s impact on nursing, and why that matters, earlier than she did. “If we can help students understand the context of the culture in health care I think that gives them a head start,” says Manthey, who discovered the relevance of the past while developing the nursing care delivery model Primary Nursing. Manthey is one of seven volunteer members of the committee that includes alumni, past faculty and even a former dean. One of the country’s preeminent nurse historians and MS ‘75 alum, Laurie Glass, PhD, RN, FAAN, also serves as an adviser to the committee. The Heritage Committee’s own history can be traced back to the demolition of Powell Hall in 1980. Worried the loss of the School of Nursing’s longtime home would erase connections to its past, then Assistant Dean Fran Dunning and Maryjane Telchow, BSN ’47, led the efforts to create a dedicated room and archival system to preserve the school’s history. A fireplace mantle from Powell Hall is among the historical artifacts that today
40 | MINNESOTA NURSING
adorn the History Center for the Future of Nursing in Weaver-Densford Hall. The committee, which is committed to best practices for historical preservation, has of late been telling the school’s story through the creation of videos chronicling historical periods. Hosted on YouTube and the school’s website, the most recent described the school’s active role in World War II. Narrated by member Susan Lampe, MSN ‘77, it highlights the school’s contributions to the war efforts including faculty member Lucille Petry becoming the founding director of the Nurse Cadet Corp and the University training more cadets than any other school. Another area of focus for the committee has been illustrating the changes in the school’s curriculum over its history. To aid the work of those who will follow them, the committee has been encouraging retiring faculty members to add their documents to the University’s archives. PRIDE IN THE PAST Lampe hopes connecting with the school’s rich history will generate a sense of pride for Minnesota students and alumni, just as it did for her upon learning of the amazing nurses who came before her who led change that has lasted for decades.
From left, Susan Lampe, MSN ‘77, Marilyn Bach, MSN ‘95, BSN ‘74, Sharon Ridgeway, PhD ‘95, MSN ‘83, Marie Manthey, MNA ‘ 64, BS ‘62, Jeanette Mefford, BSN ‘82, Laura Duckett and Sandra Edwardson.
“We stand on the shoulders of those who came before and who have put in place so many useful, important ideas, projects and curriculum so that we are able to be where we are today,” says Lampe. Glass agrees it is important that this legacy is carried forward. “Anybody that has gone away from Minnesota to someplace else runs into ‘Oh, Minnesota!’ because they know Minnesota and the history books,” says Glass. “As we talk to some of the young nurses I find they have no idea who some of the nursing leaders of our generation are.”
Glass hopes their work will help students and alums be able to add detail when conversations on the University’s place in nursing history arise. She and the committee also hope their work will serve as a model for others nursing schools to chronicle their impact on the profession and nursing education. “Minnesota leadership one more time,” adds Committee Member and Professor Emeritus Laura Duckett.
LEARN MORE Learn more about the Heritage Committee’s work and the School of Nursing’s history at z.umn.edu/NursingHistory.
www.nursing.umn.edu | 41
BRIEFLY New collaboration between nursing, public health supports healthy aging A new collaboration, the Clinical Science and Practice Core, between the School of Nursing’s Center for Aging Science and Clinical Innovation and the School of Public Health’s Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation was created to lead jointly-developed activities and objectives.
Dean testifies in support of Nurse Licensure Compact Dean Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP, provided testimony to the Minnesota Senate Health & Human Services Finance and Policy Committee in support of the Nurse Licensure Compact. The compact would allow Minnesota-licensed nurses to practice in the other 39 member states of the Nurse Licensure Compact and would allow nurses from other states in the compact to practice in Minnesota.
Faculty testify at house committee hearing The Minnesota Youth Sex Trading (MYST) team, led by Associate Professor Lauren Martin, PhD, FNAP, and Associate Professor Barb McMorris, PhD, was invited to present research to the Minnesota House of Representatives Education Policy Committee. Martin and Nic Rider presented on behalf of the team, with other team members there to answer questions. They presented data from the Minnesota Student Survey on youth sex trading and mental health.
Dean Connie White Delaney
“While 39 other states have supported a modern, flexible, dynamic model of nurse licensure, the State of Minnesota is among those few states that still must function under a 100-year-old nurse licensure model that is not flexible, adaptable, nor nimble enough to address the needs of Minnesotans, our nursing education programs, and modern health care delivery,” Delaney testified.
Associate Professor Lauren Martin
The MYST project uses actionable research to identify prevention opportunities, guide systems change and promote wellness among youth. The project is a collaborative of faculty, staff and students at the University of Minnesota working in partnership with non-profits, government entities and people with lived experience. For more than 15 years, members of the MYST team have translated research findings into tangible actions for policy and program development.
42 | MINNESOTA NURSING
She said the compact would not only assist in addressing the national nursing shortage but provide relief for the national nursing faculty shortage. When the school partners with clinical training sites in other states to provide clinical experiences for University of Minnesota students, the faculty who supervise them must be separately licensed in those states using a process that she said is slow, costly and inefficient.
BSN, MN, DNP programs re-accredited for 10 years The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) has reaccredited all of the University of Minnesota’s programs eligible for CCNE accreditation, including the school’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice and post-graduate certificate programs. The programs were accredited for 10 years, which is the maximum period they can be re-accredited. “Achieving a 10 year re-accreditation for all of our academic programs is a testament to our faculty and staff’s commitment to excellence and student success,” says Christine Mueller, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, senior executive associate dean for academic programs.
AWARDS AND HONORS Adjunct Faculty Eilon Caspi, PhD, was invited to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Gerontology.
The abstract Resilience and Wellbeing: Youth Perceptions of Protective Factors During Normative and Non-Normative Stressors written by Professor Wendy Looman, PhD, APRN, CPNP-PC, was named a Distinguished Abstract among all abstracts submitted for paper presentation to the Midwest Nursing Research Society 2022 Annual Research Conference.
Minnesota Youth Sex Trading Team, led by Associate Professor Lauren Martin, PhD, and Associate Professor Barb McMorris, PhD, received the Ally Award from the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
Associate Professor Siobhan McMahon, PhD, MPH, APRN, GNPBC, was selected to be a Residential Fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Advanced Study in fall 2022.
Professor Christine Mueller, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, was inducted into the Academy for Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. The Academies for Excellence recognize outstanding faculty in the areas of scientific research, educational scholarship, clinical practice and team science. Mueller also received designation as a Distinguished Educator in Nursing from the National Hartford Center for Gerontological Nursing Excellence and was elected to the Board of Directors for the National Hartford Center for Gerontological Nursing Excellence.
Clinical Assistant Professor Erica Timko Olson, PhD, RN, was accepted to the 2022 cohort of the Environmental Health Research Institute for Nurse and Clinician Scientists.
Clinical Associate Professor Barb Peterson, PhD, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, was inducted into the National Academies of Practice. In addition, she was appointed chair of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Child and Adolescent Council Steering Committee.
Professor Carolyn Porta, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, FNAP, was appointed to serve as a member of the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice of the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Clinical Professor Teddie Potter, PhD, RN, FAAN, FNAP, is serving on the National Academy of Medicine‘s Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the U.S. Health Sector.
Clinical Associate Professor Sripriya Rajamani, PhD, MPH, MBBS, FAMIA, is serving as co-chair of Pathways Sub-Committee, a part of the Women in AMIA Initiative to bring more diverse talent to the American Medical Informatics Association. In addition, she will participate in recruitment efforts of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Clinical Assistant Professor Sasha Skendzel, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, ACRP-CP, was selected by the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Survivorship SIG Steering Committee to receive the 2022 Early-Career Survivorship SIG Achievement Award.
Laurissa Stigen, MS, RN, coordinator of system campus partnerships, received the Minnesota Department of Health 2021 Rural Health Hero Award.
www.nursing.umn.edu | 43
NEW APPOINTMENTS Aimee Cloutier, AAS, joined the school in the Office of Dean as an office assistant. She previously served as an administrative specialist for the School of Dentistry and the Minnesota Rural Collaborative Oral Health Project. She earned an associate degree in veterinary technology from the Minnesota School of Business. Donna Eull, PhD, RN, CHPPN, joined the school as a clinical associate professor. Eull is a pediatric nurse with a clinical and research focus on pain management, palliative care and integrative medicine. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a PhD in Nursing with a minor in integrative therapies and healing practices from the University of Minnesota. She earned a master’s degree in organizational management from Concordia. Madeline Folstein, BA, joined the school in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations and the Office of Strategic Communications as a program/ project specialist. She previously served as the communications and administrative associate for Charities Review Council. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Minnesota.
Andrew McIlree, MA, joined the school as chief development officer. Most recently, he served as a senior development officer at Abbott Northwestern Hospital & Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, Allina Health System. Previously, he served as a foundation officer at Children’s Minnesota and held roles at Macalester College and the Philadelphia Committee to End Homelessness. He earned a master’s degree in organizational leadership and ethics from St. Catherine University and a bachelor’s degree in history from St. Norbert College. Mary Whipple, PhD, RN, PHN, CCRP, joined the school as an assistant professor on the tenure track. She recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Divisions of General Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine at the University of Colorado in Aurora, focused on sedentary behavior, glucose tolerance and microvascular function in women with Type 2 diabetes. Whipple earned a PhD and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree from Luther College. Misty Wilkie, PhD, RN, FAAN, joined the school as an adjunct clinical associate professor. She is a tenured professor at Bemidji State University. Wilkie earned an associate degree in nursing from Hibbing Community College, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Bemidji State University, a master’s degree in nursing from University of North Dakota and a PhD in nursing from the University of Minnesota. Read an alumni profile about Wilkie by visiting z.umn.edu/MistyWilkie.
44 | MINNESOTA NURSING
CENTER DIRECTORS: Karen Monsen, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAMIA, FNAP Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP
CENTER DIRECTOR: Renee Sieving, PhD, RN, FAAN, FSAHM
CENTER FOR
CENTER FOR
NURSING INFORMATICS
ADOLESCENT NURSING
Issue focus: burnout and Large-scale study uncovers patient-centeredness insights about transgender, While the severe nursing workforce shortage and gender-diverse high school pandemic-related burnout envelope Minnesota and the nation, questions about what factors have a negative students who trade sex impact nurse stress, fatigue and burnout have been raised. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic recently published a review in Applied Clinical Informatics of 18 studies focused on evaluating the time health care clinicians spend using the EHR. They found that nurses in the studies spent on average 22% of their Jenna Marquard workday interacting with the EHR. Unfortunately, the EHRs that nurses interact with are often inefficient and can interfere with patient care, with problems ranging from difficult to navigate user interfaces to notes containing excessive and potentially irrelevant information. All of these issues have a negative impact on nurse stress, fatigue and burnout. Professor Jenna Marquard’s research background in human factors makes her both a technology enthusiast and technology-wary. Nursing work is information-intensive and the EHR has significant potential to support the work. We have a long way to go, but the health informatics and human factors design communities are forming partnerships to develop technologies and interventions that improve system safety and performance and increase end user satisfaction. Marquard, PhD, partners with clinicians across the country to answer questions like “How can we design clinical notes to support the efficient information search?”, “What are the implications of using free-text non-medication orders in the EHR, for the individual placing the order and the one carrying out the order?”, and “How can we efficiently display patientgenerated data like home blood pressure readings and medication-taking behaviors in the EHR in ways the support decision making?” In each case, her research teams seek to better understand clinicians’ current behaviors and desires regarding the use of health information technologies, and make design changes that increase efficiency, safety, and user satisfaction, alleviating burnout rather than adding to it.
Sex trading affects people of all genders, although most studies focus on cisgender girls and women. The Institute for Sexual and Gender Health’s G. Nic Rider, along with School of Nursing faculty Barbara McMorris, Lauren Martin, Camille Brown and colleagues, conducted a study on mental health and potential protective factors among transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth who trade sex compared to cisgender students.
Sex trading, a behavior-based term, refers to engaging in sexual activity in exchange for something of value. It does not indicate a young person’s experience of that behavior, which can include instances such as survival sex, exploitation, violence and trafficking. In their American Journal of Public Health article Mental Health and Protective Factors for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youths Who Trade Sex: A Minnesota Statewide School-Based Study, 2019, the team analyzed data from 67,806 high schoolers who completed the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey. TGD students self-reported trading sex at a rate five times higher than cisgender students. Mental health concerns were highest among TGD students who traded sex, with almost 80% reporting attempted suicides. Relative to peers, TGD students who traded sex tended to be youth of color, identify as LGBQ+ and experience unstable housing. Youth who trade sex, regardless of gender, also reported protective factors related to school and health care services. “Many myths and misconceptions exist. We must acknowledge that systemic oppressions are at the root of study results. There’s a story of resilience here for TGD youth who trade sex,” says Rider. Rider notes adults in school and clinical contexts, including health and mental health providers, can be sources of safety and support for students who trade sex. This is the first large-scale, school-based study to compare students who traded and never traded sex. “Findings challenge misconceptions and highlight opportunities for intervention and prevention,” says McMorris. Increased awareness regarding gender identity and sex trading among professionals in school and clinical settings may help to reduce health disparities among TGD youth. READ MORE Read the article Mental Health and Protective Factors for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youths Who Trade Sex: A Minnesota Statewide School-Based Study, 2019 in the March issue of American Journal of Public Health and learn more about this work at z.umn.edu/myst. www.nursing.umn.edu | 45
CENTER DIRECTOR: Wendy Looman, PhD, APRN, CPNP
CENTER FOR
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS
CENTER DIRECTOR: Jayne Fulkerson, PhD
CENTER FOR
CHILD AND FAMILY HEALTH PROMOTION RESEARCH
A community of pediatric care Novel research on direct breastfeeding for infants coordinators Children and youth with special health needs often have several care coordinators and care managers from within different systems. Often this care can be fragmented or duplicative. Wendy Berghorst, coordinated care systems specialist with the Minnesota Department of Health Children and Youth with Special Health Needs (CYSHN) Wendy Berghorst division, helped to spearhead the Pediatric Care Coordination Community of Practice (PCC CoP) in an effort to facilitate communication and collaboration across care coordinators and the multiple systems of care serving youth and families. “We hope that by participating in the community of practice, professionals can grow their confidence and strengthen their capacity to serve families and youth with special health needs,” says Berghorst. “As professionals increase their confidence and capacity, we believe that these families will receive the quality of care that they want and deserve.” The PCC CoP was launched in January 2020 under a grant funded by the Minnesota Department of Health. Members of the CoP include care coordinators, primary and specialty care providers, care navigators, school nurses, case managers and social workers. The program was the result of a statewide assessment of care coordination needs in Minnesota in 2015, which revealed that stakeholders across the state desired a mechanism to connect with one another to share best practices and resources for supporting CYSHN and families. The PCC CoP facilitates communication and collaboration among professionals engaged in pediatric care coordination across Minnesota to better serve children and youth with special health needs. The CoP supports regional convenings, a website, webinars and a quarterly newsletter. Berghorst notes that the PCC CoP website is a one-stop shop for information and resources. A searchable directory of resources includes archived webinars, reports, research briefs, grant opportunities, and links to statewide resources for youth and families. The CoP site also houses a directory of organizations and services in Minnesota serving CYSHN and their families. The CoP statewide conference will be held virtually on May 12, 2022, and will include opportunities for networking, selfcare and collective learning. Membership in the PCC CoP is free. LEARN MORE Learn more about the Pediatric Care Coordination Community of Practice by visiting mnpedcares.com.
46 | MINNESOTA NURSING
with critical congenital heart disease
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect, with nearly 1 in 100 infants affected. Infants with critical CHD (CCHD) require surgery within the first year of life and are typically hospitalized after birth. These infants often experience significant feeding Kristin Elgersma problems, which impact health outcomes and are extremely concerning to families. Human milk feeding and direct breastfeeding rates are particularly low in this population, with challenges related to infant-parent separation, the baby’s clinical course and high levels of parent stress. Kristin Elgersma, PhD candidate and center member, is the parent of an infant born with CCHD and has firsthand experience with feeding issues in this population. Together with Samantha Sommerness, DNP, APRN, CNM, (Clinical Associate Professor and PhD student), Nellie Swanson (DNP ’21), and Lynn Tanner (PhD student) and supervised by Associate Professor Anne McKechnie, PhD, RN, Elgersma is leading a qualitative study to investigate how lactating parents establish a direct breastfeeding relationship with infants who are hospitalized for CCHD. “This study is the first to focus on parents who have been able to achieve a direct breastfeeding relationship with their child with CCHD,” says Elgersma. “This is an important step forward as, traditionally, many health care providers did not think direct breastfeeding was possible for these infants. We have interviewed 30 parents from 26 cardiac centers nationwide who describe that direct breastfeeding is definitely possible for these vulnerable infants.” Strikingly, 53% of the infants represented in this study have single ventricle physiology, considered the most severe form of CCHD. Elgersma noted that there was high interest in the study, with initial recruitment goals met in only one day, which highlights the critical need for research in this area.
CENTER DIRECTORS: Christine Mueller, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN Siobhan McMahon, PhD, MPH, GNP-BC
CENTER FOR
AGING SCIENCE AND CARE INNOVATION
Faculty create innovative educational resources for the Minnesota North Star Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program The Minnesota North Star Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) is a five year, $3.74 million project funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration. In collaboration with key partners in the geriatrics field, the goals of the Minnesota North Star GWEP is to provide greater access to community education in aging and dementia, improve geriatrics training in health professions, and transform primary care clinical training and practice sites to provide age-friendly care. This Kristine Talley interdisciplinary initiative is co-directed by James Pacala, MD, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Joseph Gaugler, PhD, School of Public Health, and Kristine Talley, PhD, APRN, GNP-BC, FGSA, School of Nursing. Faculty from the School of Nursing have been engaged in the development of a number of innovative education resources designed for educators to teach age friendly care. Talley oversees the Age-Friendly Care and Education Collection, Kathleen Krichbaum which is a curated and fully searchable online repository of educational, clinical, and research resources for educators, health professionals, learners, and others interested in improving care for older adults. This highly accessed and impactful resource contains over 900 existing geriatric educational resources. Talley also created an online tool kit to teach learners how to assess, treat, and educate older adults about urinary incontinence. Talley is also leading the highly successful annual inter-University Interprofessional Geriatric Case Competition proving a unique opportunity for health professional students to develop a comprehensive, interprofessional plan of care for an older adult. This successful educational competition is a collaboration between St. Louis University and the University of Minnesota. The University of Minnesota competition hosted 90 students, 16 faculty and 23 community experts. School of Nursing Professor Kathleen Krichbaum, PhD, RN, ANEF, FGSA, FAAN, developed a creative toolkit to provide instructors with ideas, examples and guidelines to design interactive lectures on geriatrics with alternative learning techniques. A series of GeriPreceptor Tipsheets provide up-to-date, concise resources for teaching specific geriatric care content, as well as teaching tips to engage health professional students in practice settings. LEARN MORE These innovative digital activities for learners and resources for educators are freely available and easily accessed on their website https://mngwep.nexusipe.org.
www.nursing.umn.edu | 47
ALUMNI NEWS
ALUMNI SOCIETY RECOGNIZES NURSES FOR THEIR EXCELLENCE The School of Nursing Alumni Society named the recipients of its annual awards — Rising Star, Distinguished Alumni Humanitarian and Excellence in Innovation. The awards were presented at the All School Reunion held in April.
Nasra Giama
Barbara Peterson
48 | MINNESOTA NURSING
RISING STAR AWARD: NASRA GIAMA, DNP ’13, BSN ’07 Nasra Giama, DNP, RN, PHN, exemplifies the Rising Star Award with her noteworthy successes in career trajectory, scholastic accomplishments and distinguished service to the School of Nursing, the nursing profession, and the larger community. Giama is an associate clinical professor at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing and her education service is based in both the Twin Cities and Rochester, where she is involved with the Mayo clinic system. She is a Global Health Scholar and has participated as a cohort fellow in Internationalizing Teaching and Learning. Giama’s scholarship is rooted in public health nursing practice with a strong focus on health promotion, community engagement and the social determinants of health. She also serves the profession and community as assistant director of Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity for the School of Nursing. For the past nine years, Giama has served as the coordinator for the Somali Health Advisory Committee (SHAC), a community-led and driven organization that serves as the voice for African communities in southeastern Minnesota. DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI HUMANITARIAN AWARD: BARBARA PETERSON, MS ’98 Barbara Peterson, PhD, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, FNAP, maintains a commitment to improving mental health services, advocating for youth and families, and improving health equity and social justice. She was an active participant and exemplary contributor in the local community and university during COVID-19. Peterson wrote the position statement Mitigating the stress and mental health trauma of COVID-19 for nurses and health care providers, which was published in Archives of Psychiatric Nursing. Her research includes studies on trauma in African American children and Iraqi refugee children, and her dissertation focused on the impact of trauma on sleep, nightmares and quality of life in African American youth. She is a clinical associate professor and director of Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity at the School of Nursing. In addition, Peterson is an active volunteer with the Medical Reserve Corp. Through this service, she has provided mental health and social support services after Daunte Wright’s killing the spring of 2021 and following the Afghan evacuee resettlement since October 2021.
NURSING ALUMNI SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Judy Pechacek
EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION AWARD: JUDITH PECHACEK, DNP ’09, MS ’96 Judy Pechacek’s innovation is evident in her design of transformative systems change processes. Her work has led to a quality-focused leadership culture across the Veteran’s Administration (VA) health care system, which has in turn created improved outcomes for veteran’s health nationally and internationally. Since 2018, Pechacek, DNP, RN, CENP, has been the Senior Quality Scholar and Faculty for the Veterans Administration Quality Scholars Program. She uses her exceptional quality and safety expertise to develop and deliver curriculum on executive leadership, quality care, just culture and human-centered design. She mentors Interprofessional VAQS fellows at the Minneapolis VA and across all sites in the US and Canada. Pechacek is nationally recognized for her innovative leadership in the education of DNP prepared advanced practice nurses. She is co-editor of The Doctor of Nursing Practice Essentials: A New Model for Advanced Practice Nursing, now in its 4th edition. Pechacek has been the program director of the School of Nursing’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program since 2015. In 2021, she was appointed assistant dean of the DNP program, a program that has the largest enrollment of full-time students in the country and is ranked 7th by U.S. News & World Report.
If you know an alum who should be considered for one of these awards, contact Matthew Opitz at opitz068@umn.edu.
Jean A Carraher, DNP ’16, MS ’03, BSN ’95, BS ’91 Past President Fairview Health Services, Nursing Professional Practice Leader Yumi Davis, MN ’16 Natividad County Medical Center, Pediatric RN Connie White Delaney, PhD University of Minnesota School of Nursing, Professor and Dean Ann Gershone, DNP ‘17 Calla Health private practice, Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Megan Holle Whipps, BSN ‘12 Secretary DNP Student Representative Park Nicollet Health Services, Pre and Post-Operative Registered Nurse Aaron Kilyun BSN Student Representative Laura Kirk, PhD ’08, MS ’97, BSN ’95 Faculty Representative University of Minnesota School of Nursing, Clinical Associate Professor Susan Lampe, MS’77 Heritage Committee Representative Retired Cheryl Lanigan, BSN ’73 President Grace University Lutheran Church, Faith Community Nurse Kate Leddy, BSN ‘18 M Health Fairview – UMMC East Bank, Registered Nurse Jonathan Nghiem, BSN ’20 M Health Fairview – UMMC East Bank, ICU Registered Nurse Nick Schuler, BSN ‘18 M Health Fairview – UMMC East Bank, Cardiovascular ICU Registered Nurse Kathryn Schwartz Eckhardt University of Minnesota School of Nursing, Director of the Office of Student & Career Advancement Services Susan Strohschein, DNP ’16, MS ’80, BSN ‘68 Public Health Nurse Consultant, Retired Teri Verner, DNP ‘12 Walker Methodist Health Center, Director of Nursing Earl E Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing, Graduate Faculty Jacob Wager, BSN ‘12 M Health Fairview, Director of Perioperative Services
www.nursing.umn.edu | 49
TOLLEFSRUD, A LUMINARY IN NURSING EDUCATION AND SERVICE, PASSES AWAY AT 96 Valborg Tollefsrud, a luminary in nursing education and service, passed away Oct. 22 at the age of 96. Known for her selfless sharing of herself and her gifts, Tollefsrud was a professor of nursing at St. Olaf College for 44 years and served as a colonel in the U.S. Army Nurse Corp for 29 years. “Valborg is an absolute icon in Minnesota nursing,” says Dean Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP. “She was a true visionary who recognized the profession’s possibilities, both locally and globally, by advancing a whole person approach to health.” After earning a diploma from the Fairview Hospital School of Nursing, she earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota School of Nursing and a bachelor’s degree in nursing education from the College of Education and Human Development in 1950. She later earned a master’s degree in nursing education in 1955. When the four-year baccalaureate program began at St. Olaf in 1952, Tollefsrud became the third faculty member. “She was a perpetually upbeat and exacting presence when it came to shaping and enacting the curriculum and guiding individual students,” says Sandra Edwardson, dean emerita of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing who was both a student of Tollefsrud at St. Olaf and a colleague when they both served as faculty there. “She was a champion for her students, encouraging me to continue with my master’s studies immediately after graduation, which just wasn’t done at that time.” As a professor at St. Olaf, she was instrumental in developing a study-service experience in Vellore, India for nursing majors and made 18 trips to India. “Students who went on her India trips experienced life-changing adventures,” says Edwardson. Tollefsrud published articles on patient education, care of adults and transcultural nursing. She served on the Minnesota Board of Nursing for 10 years, including four
50 | MINNESOTA NURSING
Dean Connie White Delaney and Valborg Tollefsrud in conversation at the school’s 110 anniversary celebration in 2019.
as president, and held numerous Minnesota Nurses Association positions, including secretary and on the program and convention committees. She received the President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Professional Nursing from the Minnesota Nurses Association. In the U.S. Army Nurse Corp Reserves, Tollefsrud served as the chief nurse for the 5501 U.S. Army Hospital at Fort Snelling. There she was responsible for the training of 250 enlisted personnel and more than 70 officers. She earned two Army Commendation Medals and received the coveted Legion of Merit Award when she retired in 1985. After she retired from St. Olaf in 1995, she served as a parish nurse at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. Edwardson said she visited her patients during the day and “well into the wee hours of the morning,” driving herself to their homes. She became a member and leader of the Faith Community Nurse Network and other parish nurse groups. A funeral service was held Nov. 1 at Minnehaha Communion Lutheran Church.
IN MEMORY IN REMEMBRANCE Shirley J. Small, BSN ‘45 Bernadine T. Thompson, BSN ‘45 Mary Ann Johnson, BSN ‘46 Louise B. Mills, BSN ‘46 Barbara S. Cashman, BSN ‘47 Pearl R. Hoover, BSN ‘47 Armintha G. La Rue, BSN ‘47 Olive M. Weatherman, BSN ‘47 Joan Courture Goering, BSN ‘48 Jacquelyn V. Miesbauer, BSN ‘48 Rosina Treacy, BSN ‘48 Caroline Robinson, BSN ‘50 Marjorie A. Auld, BSN ‘51 Gloria H. Ruschmeyer, BSN ‘52 Carol M. Peterson, BSN ‘53 Hazel J. Schweiger, BSN ‘54 Helen K. Bjorlin, BSN ‘55 Lois Fielding, BSN ‘56 Barbara D. Struyk, BSN ‘56 Sandra L. Cragg, BSN ‘58 Etheldreda “Ethel” Daly, BSN ‘59 Laverne Holmes, BSN ‘59 Sarah “Sally” Parsons, BSN ‘59 Caroline Foss, BSN ‘60 Helen Wells, MN ‘61 Adeline C. Leraas, MSN ‘62, BSN ‘54 Patricia L. Jenkins, BSN ‘65 Trudy F. Welander, BSN ‘66 Sandra J. Kneissel, BSN ‘68 Mary C. Arbisi, MN ’69, BSN ‘69 Judith Anderson, BSN ‘70 Gladys Anne LaBree, MPN ‘70, BSN ‘53 Luna “Beatrice” Cooper, BSN ‘78 Joanne Melloh, BSN ‘78 Glenys A. Butler, MN ‘79, BSN ‘75 Kathleen B. Kolias, MSN ‘80, BSN ‘59
Ruth Stryker-Gordon, BSN ’48, passed away on Dec. 17, 2021. She pioneered long-term care administration curriculum and influenced the field of rehabilitation nursing through courses and publications. She had an unwavering commitment to the advancement of public health nursing and aging. Stryker-Gordon continued to champion improvements in health care after retirement through work with Stratis Health, a quality improvement organization. Eugenia “Gene” R. Taylor, BSN ’49, faculty emeriti, passed away on October 20, 2021, just three months shy of her 103rd birthday. She was instrumental in advancing the School of Nursing service to rural Minnesota. Among her many accomplishments was her service in public health nursing in rural Montana and her pioneering service in gerontological nursing, developing the first elective in gero nursing that drew students from dentistry and medicine. Furthermore, she represented and promoted professional nursing in interdisciplinary work on legislation toward Universal Health Care.
Mary Jean Vickers, DNP ’09, passed away on Sept. 10, 2021. She began her career providing compassionate patient care as a registered nurse. She combined her love of teaching and her clinical skills to serve the next generation of nurses at Ohio State and the University of Minnesota, culminating in her role as director of nursing practice and education for the University of Minnesota Medical Center. She was in full partnership with the school during her time at University of Minnesota Medical Center and was involved in expanding recruitment of nurses of diverse backgrounds. John “Sean” Spillane passed away April 16, 2021. Spillane was a deeply committed member of the School of Nursing community and a strong advocate for nursing along with his father Jack (a Richard Olding Beard Award recipient) and wife Deb.
Florence M. Schubert, BSN ’54, passed away on June 26, 2021. Schubert was a full colleague of the School of Nursing since 1978. She was instrumental in the founding of the nursing major at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and was dedicated to serving her profession as a practitioner and educator in the areas of psychiatric nursing, sexual assault, alcoholism and Alzheimer’s disease. Schubert was a key contributor to the relationship between the School of Nursing and the Mayo Clinic.
Stephen C. Sheie, BSN ‘84 Marva L. Thurston, MN ‘86 Janice C. Blanski, BSN ‘90 Debra M. Smith, MN ’97 Kathleen A. Nelson, MN ‘06, BSN ‘93 Renee A. Steffen, DNP ‘09 Catherine A. Erickson, DNP ‘15
www.nursing.umn.edu | 51
DEVELOPMENT
DEVELOPMENT, ALUMNI RELATIONS WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Andrew McIlree leads the team as chief development officer Spring has come to symbolize a season of growth, fresh starts and progress anew. The Office of Development and Alumni Relations at the School of Nursing has taken this to heart, as three new staff members joined Major Gift Officer Maria McLemore, while another existing team member transitioned into a new role. Andrew McIlree joined the school as the chief development officer in February and leads the department’s five-member team following the successful completion of the Empowering Health campaign. “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the crucial importance of nurses and has brought this professional calling to an inflection point,” McIlree says. He most recently served as the senior development officer for Allina Health’s Abbott Northwestern Hospital Foundation, Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Foundation, and on health system-wide fundraising initiatives. “Now more than ever, our community and world need the best nurses. In partnership with the school’s alumni, friends, faculty and professional staff, I am eager to advance the School of Nursing’s land-grant university mission,” he says. In addition to advancing philanthropic initiatives for the School of Nursing and the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing, McIlree will oversee the school’s
52 | MINNESOTA NURSING
alumni relations program and develop a common grateful recipient program. “We are excited to have Andrew as a team member,” says Dean Connie White Delaney. “His leadership will continue to move our fundraising and alumni relations programs forward.” Virginia Kaczmarek served in leadership roles at the YMCA for 22 years before becoming the development officer for the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. The Bakken Center is an interdisciplinary Universitywide center, which has had an administrative home in the School of Nursing since 2020. As its lead development professional, Kaczmarek will secure funding for the center’s programs and faculty, and will partner with colleagues in the School of Nursing in areas of mutual interest. “I have always been an advocate for physical, spiritual, and mental health and wellbeing,” says Kaczmarek. “The Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing is a true asset to the University of Minnesota and beyond. I look forward to building on the center’s success and helping to connect passions with possibilities.”
SCHOOL OF NURSING FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Matthew Opitz was promoted to associate development officer and transitioned into his new role last December. As one of three fundraisers, Opitz will identify, cultivate and steward individual and corporate donors for the School of Nursing. He joined the school as a program/project specialist in 2020. “I am thrilled to be able to grow within the School of Nursing, and in turn partner with our community to advance the vital work of nursing,” says Opitz. “It is an honor to continue to advance what Richard Olding Beard knew when he advocated for the school’s founding in 1909, that educating nurses would help society recognize the worth of human life, conserve human health and provide for social justice.” Madeline Folstein joined the school as a program/project specialist in February and will assist in the engagement of alumni, donors, faculty and staff. As a member of both the Office of Development and Alumni Relations and Office of Strategic Communications teams, Folstein also will help craft communications across the school’s various audiences. “I’m a proud former School of Nursing student worker,” says Folstein. “I’m happy to be back on campus contributing to and supporting such a vibrant learning community.” Prior to the School of Nursing, Folstein served as the communications and marketing coordinator at Charities Review Council.
Bernie Aldrich Treasurer Rimage Corporation, Retired Jeannine Bayard UnitedHealth Group, Retired Ann Garwick University of Minnesota School of Nursing, Retired Allysia Jenkins Humana Cynthia Jurgensen Past Chair UnitedHealth Group, Retired Lisa Martin University of Minnesota School of Nursing Christine Mueller University of Minnesota School of Nursing Nancy Olson Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Retired Marjorie Page Chair Elect M Health Fairview, Retired David Rothenberger Secretary University of Minnesota Department of Surgery Sharyn Salmen Salmen Consulting Nancy DeZellar Walsh Chair DeZellar Walsh Consulting LLC
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS (WITH VOTING PRIVILEGES)
Jean Carraher Nursing Alumni Representative Alumni Society Board of Directors Andrew McIlree Chief Development Officer University of Minnesota School of Nursing Maria McLemore Major Gift Officer University of Minnesota School of Nursing Connie White Delaney Professor and Dean University of Minnesota School of Nursing
TRUSTEE EMERITI Sandra Anderson Dawn Bazarko Mary Lou Christensen Susan Forstrom Patricia Kane Marilee Miller Carolyn Schroeder Jack Spillane
www.nursing.umn.edu | 53
PHOTO FINISH
SCHOOL NEWS
Minnesota Nursing Student Board members from Twin Cities and Rochester met with Dean Connie White Delaney and faculty members Carol Flaten, Christine Mueller, Samantha Sommerness and Susan O’Conner-Von in November.
Clinical Assistant Professor Stephanie Gingerirch, Clinical Professor Mary Benbenek, Professor Karen Monsen and Communications Director Steve Rudolph perform Readers Theater, a theatrical piece created from submissions from faculty and staff about what it’s like to be a member of the School of Nursing community. The project was designed to foster meaningful discussions, bring about healing and strengthen community.
The school celebrated the graduation of Master of Nursing, Master of Arts in Integrative Health and Wellbeing Coaching and Doctor of Nursing Practice students at a commencement ceremony in December.
54 | MINNESOTA NURSING
PhD student Kristin Elgersma won first place for her poster Wayfinding through the “ocean of the great unknown”: How lactating parents establish a direct breastfeeding relationship with an infant hospitalized for complex congenital heart disease at the Midwest Nursing Research Society conference in April.
PHOTO FINISH
Master of Nursing student Bella Xiong and PhD student Natalie Yaeger attended the American Association of College of Nursing student policy summit in March.
Kathleen Potempa delivered the keynote Technology, Informatics and Data Analytics in an Era of Chronic Disease — Why? at Nursing Research Day in April. The theme of this year’s event was Health Behavior Change in a Digital World. www.nursing.umn.edu | 55
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Twin Cities, MN Permit No. 90155 5-140 Weaver Densford Hall 308 Harvard Street S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455 www.nursing.umn.edu
#7
DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE PROGRAM
#10
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING PROGRAM
U.S. News and World Report
