New Mary Lou Willard French Professor of Oncology Nursing
UMSN welcomes Debra Barton, Ph.D., RN.
The University of Michigan School of Nursing is proud to announce the appointment of Debra L. Barton, Ph.D., RN, AOCN, FAAN, as the second Mary Lou Willard French Professor of Oncology Nursing. The French Professorship was established by the French family in 1997 to honor their beloved wife and mother Mary Lou Willard French, who was a member of the School of Nursing Class of 1952. The French Professorship supports world-class research in oncology nursing with the appointment of an endowed professor whose work is dedicated to cancer care research.Dr. Barton received her Master of Science in Nursing (adult health) from the University of Illinois in 1991 and her Ph.D. in nursing from Indiana University in 2002. She held the title of assistant professor of oncology at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN from 2003-2007, and was promoted to associate professor of oncology in 2007. She has been a clinical research scientist at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center since 2005, and a nurse administrator in the Division of Nursing Research at the Mayo Clinic since 2011.
Dr. Barton is a consummate researcher who is highly committed to advancing the science of symptom management in patients with cancer. She has furthered the frontier of knowledge by examining the underlying physiology of symptom presentation, and she has tested pharmacologic, behavioral, and complementary treatments for reducing a variety of symptoms, including chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, hot flashes, and fatigue. In the last 11 years Dr. Barton has conducted over 25 studies funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), its National Cancer Clinical Trials Network, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and the Department of Defense.
Dr. Barton has published more than 85 papers in a wide array of journals, including some of the most respected journals in oncology: Journal of Clinical Oncology, Journal of National Cancer Institute, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Cancer, Supportive Care in Cancer, and Oncology Nursing Forum. She has a reputation for excellence as a researcher, and her work is recognized by her peers at the national and international level. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, an honor that is based on her contribution to the field. Dr. Barton’s expertise as a scientist is recognized by her appointment to multiple National Institutes of Health (NIH) federal review panels and her current role as Editor-in-Chief for the NCI PDQ® Supportive and Palliative Care information summaries.
Dr. Barton began work at the University of Michigan on January 1, 2014.
“Dr. Barton is one of the top 1% cancer care researchers in the country with a depth of understanding of the clinical treatments and impacts on patients,” said U-M School of Nursing Dean Kathleen Potempa. “She has done many clinical trials related to interventions to improve patient's symptoms and quality of life during cancer treatment. We are so pleased to have her join the University of Michigan as the French Professor. Please join me in welcoming her to our Michigan community.”
