The School of Nursing advances health discoveries through nursing research and scholarship. It is nurse-driven, ecological in philosophy, and has equitable health for all people, populations and the planet at its core.
Breaking distance barriers for brain health
A telerehabilitation study, led by Associate Professor Dereck Salisbury, PhD, FAACVPR, in partnership with the Center for Community Engaged Rural Dementia and Alzheimer’s Research and Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team, brought exercise programs directly into the living rooms of rural Minnesotans with cognitive decline. The Minnesota Rehabilitation Intervention for Dementia Evasion (MN RIDE) pilot study tested and assessed whether an online, real-time exercise program — delivered remotely — was practical and safe for people in rural areas who feel they are experiencing early memory problems.
Virtual reality may offer a natural escape for young cancer patients
New research led by Assistant Professor Erica Timko Olson, PhD, RN, aims to improve physical and psychosocial symptoms of children and adolescents undergoing a hematopoietic stem cell transplant with a nature virtual reality intervention. Nature virtual reality utilizes a VR headset to explore audio-guided nature scenes.
Closing the menopause data gap
Associate Professor Robin Austin’s research is building a standardized, whole-person approach to improve how menopause symptoms are documented, studied and understood. Austin, PhD, DNP, DC, RN, NI-BC, FAMIA, FAAN, led a study to identify validated menopause system checklists and map those to Omaha System signs/symptoms terms. “The study lays the groundwork for creating a more standardized, data-driven approach for assessing menopause symptoms,” says Austin.
Strengthening professional identity to address the nursing workforce crisis
A multi-site study involving the University of Minnesota, Rutgers University, and California State University-Fresno evaluated educational interventions designed to strengthen nursing students’ professional identity and facilitate their transition to practice. The research addresses a critical workforce challenge: high turnover rates among new nurses, many of whom leave the profession within their first year. Associate Professor Erica Schorr, PhD, RN, led the study in Minnesota that examined whether intentionally connecting students’ clinical observations to the Nine Practice Domains of Acute and Critical Care Nursing as outlined in the Nursing Outlook article Call to action: Blueprint for change in acute and critical care nursing could strengthen their professional identity and facilitate their transition to practice.
A climate knowledge gap in cancer care
A new study by Clinical Assistant Professor Ryne Wilson, DNP, RN, OCN, CNE, reveals most oncology nurses are concerned about climate’s effects on patient health, yet lack the tools to respond. The study was published in the December 2025 issue of Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing.
Using wearable data to anticipate relapse, strengthen prevention
Assistant Professor Esther (Seol Ju) Moon, PhD, RN, is examining ways to incorporate wearable technology into opioid use disorder (OUD) research to facilitate symptom monitoring to prevent relapse. Moon’s recent research, A brief report: Lessons learned using wearable technology to collect data from adults receiving medications for opioid use disorder published in the Journal of Substance Abuse, assessed adherence patterns to a wrist-worn wearable device. It provided insight from incorporating wearable technology to collect physiological data from adults with opioid use disorder.
White Delaney co-edits Bridging Artificial and Human Intelligence
Springer published Bridging Artificial and Human Intelligence: Implementation Strategies and Case Studies in Healthcare, co-edited by Dean Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP, Ursula H. Hübner, PhD, Giovanni Rubeis, PhD, and Marion Ball, EdD, FLHIMSS, FCHIME, FAAN, FACMI.
Nursing Research Day focuses on collective power of nurses
The theme of the 2026 Nursing Research Day was Inquiry, Equity, and Action: Harnessing Nursing Science for a Collective Impact on Health. Keynote speaker Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MBA, RN, FADLN, FAONL, FAAN, senior vice president of Equity and Engagement at the American Nurses Association, discussed how nurses can harness research and collective power to improve the profession and build a stronger, more just world. Throughout the day, faculty, students and community members participated in breakout presentations and discussed research posters that showcased findings from innovative research and evidence-based projects.
Wilkie serves as guest co-editor of Creative Nursing’s issue focused on Indigenous voices
The August issue of Creative Nursing focused on Indigenous Voices Sharing Our Stories and Leading Change, with Clinical Professor Misty Wilkie, PhD, RN, FAAN, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa/Métis, serving as guest co-editor.