Nursing Research Day focuses on addressing health disparities

Faculty, students and community partners gathered in person and virtually April 14 for the school’s Nursing Research Day, Addressing Health Disparities and Promoting Social Justice through Nursing Research.

“Nurse scientists possess both knowledge and experience of the context of care and a robust education,” said Dean Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP. “We are joy-filled that we are together for this remarkable day celebrating innovative research and evidence-based practice projects that empowers health, improves lives.”

Bridgette M. (Brawner) Rice, PhD, MDiv, APRN, FAAN, delivered the keynote Bitten by the Bug: The Joys and Impact of Nursing Research. “We are really at a key and pivotal time in our nursing history,” said Rice. “I think we are in a reparations period of nursing research where we can no longer ignore the fact that racism, poverty and the way we mistreat people who migrate and immigrate to this country, all of those things matter and people will continue to get sick and die unless we start to tackle those root issues.”

Cognizant of the role of geography in health, Rice spoke about her spatially-based research that explicates and intervenes in factors such as neighborhood disadvantage to prevent disease and promote health equity.

Research posters and oral presentations showcased findings from innovative research and evidence-based projects representing the school’s four research areas of focus, including health promotion among vulnerable populations, prevention and management of chronic health conditions, symptom management, and health/nursing informatics and systems innovation.

Ursula Wolf took first place in the in-person People’s Choice Award for her poster Psilocybin as a Treatment for Depression. Josie Williams received second place for the poster Improving Nursing Knowledge and Confidence in Assessing for Pressure Injuries Across All Skin Tones. Sean Fleming and Cierra Lindbergy received third place for MIAHTAPS: A Summary of 5 Years of Acute Agitation Prevention.

Online People’s Choice Award winners were Abigail Mundschenk for The Efficacy & Safety of High-Flow Nasal Cannula for Preterm Infants with Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Ashton Haake for COVID-19: The frontline caregiver's journey, Mollie Ness for Gender-Diverse Patient Simulation for Pre-Licensure Nursing Students: A Pilot Project, and Samantha Woehrle for Development of a Student-Led Mentorship Program to Engage the Clinical Nurse Specialist Community.