Discover nursing research at the Minnesota State Fair

In addition to enjoying a Pronto Pup or Sweet Martha’s Cookies, Minnesota State Fairgoers have the opportunity to advance nursing research by visiting the University of Minnesota’s Driven to Discover Research Facility (D2D).

D2D allows researchers to reach a more diverse pool of participants and meet recruitment goals in a matter of hours or days. More than 60,000 fairgoers visited D2D during the 2018 “Great Minnesota Get-Together.”

Four School of Nursing research projects will be conducted at the fair this year. Assistant Professor Barbara Beacham, PhD, RN, will be recruiting families for her CLIMB the pathway to better illness management study on the fair’s opening day as well as on Aug. 26, Aug. 28 and Sept. 1.

Also on Aug. 22, Professor Wendy Looman, PhD, APRN, CPNP-PC. Looman will be asking teens and parents of younger kids to draw a line to show us the ups and downs of their quality of life for her Tip Top Kids research. Looman will also be at the D2D facility on Aug. 26 and Labor Day.

Two School of Nursing research projects will be taking place on Saturday, Aug. 24 and Sunday, Aug. 25. Assistant Professor Carrie Neerland, PhD, APRN, CNM, FACNM and Assistant Professor Sarah Hoffman, PhD, MPH, MSN, RN are interested in learning about the experiences of healthcare employees and healthcare students in relation to the #metoo and #timesup movements. Associate Professor Casey Hooke, PhD, APRN, PCNS, CPON, FAAN is looking to interview parents of children ages 2 to 7 years who are meeting developmental milestones for her How Does Your Child Mooove? study.

A complete schedule of research being conducted each day can be found here. Most studies take under 20 minutes and are done in a fun, innovative and convenient way.

The Driven to Discover Research Facility is located at 1367 Cosgrove St. on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.

The CLIMB Child Registry

Assistant Professor Barbara Beacham, PhD, RN

This registry includes families of children with or without a lifelong (chronic) health condition. The registry will be used by researchers at the University of Minnesota to conduct research with these children and their families. Joining the registry does not commit the family to future studies, but provides information for contact in the future.

Eligibility:  Adults with children younger than 18

Tip Top Kids

Professor Wendy Looman, PhD, APRN, CPNP-PC

We want to know how kids are feeling about their life in general, and how much this changes over time. We’re asking teens and parents of younger kids to draw a line to show us the ups and downs of their quality of life over the past year, and to answer a few survey questions.

Eligibility:  Kids & adolescents ages 2 – 17

How Does Your Child Mooove?

Associate Professor Casey Hooke, PhD, APRN, PCNS, CPON, FAAN

We are developing a new research questionnaire to measure parents’ report of physical activity in their young children. We are asking parents of young children to provide us with their input on what physical activities their children do.

Eligibility:  Parents of children ages 2 to 7 years who are meeting developmental milestones

#Time's Up Healthcare

Assistant Professor Carrie Neerland, PhD, APRN, CNM, FACNM and Assistant Professor Sarah Hoffman, PhD, MPH, MSN, RN

The #metoo and #timesup movements have gained extensive recent media attention, however, most of the conversations around sexual harassment have been in regard to the entertainment industry. Sexual harassment in healthcare has received little media attention and has not been studied extensively or in a way that is inclusive of all roles and genders. We are interested in learning about the experiences of healthcare employees and healthcare students in relation to the #metoo and #timesup movements.

Eligibility:  Age 18 and over. Currently employed in healthcare (providing direct patient care or contact) or a health professions student