News at a Glance (Oct. 2016): Faculty Receive National Honors, Plus News on Campus Diversity and Alumni Achievements

University of Michigan School of Nursing (UMSN) Professor Marita Titler, PhD, RN, FAAN, was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). This is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. Formerly known as the Institute of Medicine, members represent outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. Dr. Titler is internationally known for her research on outcomes effectiveness and implementation science, largely focused on improving care for older adults in areas such as pain management, cancer care, heart failure and fall prevention. Her work in outcomes effectiveness research has demonstrated the unique contributions of nursing care to outcomes of hospitalized older adults. Dr. Titler also serves chair of UMSN’s Department of Systems, Populations and Leadership. U-M now has more 50 NAM members on faculty, including UMSN professor and former dean Kathleen Potempa, PhD, RN, FAAN.

 

UMSN Associate Professor Ellen Lavoie Smith, PhD, APN-BC, AOCN, was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). To receive this high honor, potential fellows are reviewed by a panel and must demonstrate significant contributions to nursing and health care, and be sponsored by two current Academy fellows. UMSN alumni Martha Funnell, a U-M Medical School associate research scientist, Mary Burman, a University of Wyoming dean and professor, and Colleen Corte, a University of Illinois-Chicago associate professor, were also inducted.

 

UMSN’s Jody R. Lori PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, was named the winner of this year’s Nursing Outlook Excellence in Policy Writing Award. She received the award during AAN’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. The winning publication “Forced migration: Health and human rights issues among refugee populations” was co-authored by Joyceen S. Boyle, PhD, RN, FAAN. Dr. Lori is UMSN’s Associate Dean for Global Affairs, Director of UMSN’s WHO/PAHO Collaborating Center, and has conducted extensive research on human rights, maternal mortality, and community-based interventions, often focused in Sub-Saharan Africa.

 

UMSN faculty joined the rally on U-M’s Diag as a show of support for minority students. "We are visibly standing for the African-American students who are feeling isolated," Assistant Professor Emerita Patricia Coleman-Burns, PhD, MA, told The Detroit News. "We, the faculty at U-M, stand strong for your right to exist on this campus. This is one of our core values. We know what we stand for." The rally came in response to racist posters that were posted around several campus buildings. The events came were days before U-M released its five year strategic plan to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus for students, faculty, and staff. UMSN also has its own strategic plan to support those initiatives within the nursing community.

 

 

Alumna Suzanne Miyamoto (BSN ’02, MS ’04, PhD ’09) was appointed Chief Policy Officer for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Dr. Miyamoto previously served as AACN’s Senior Director for Government Affairs and Health Policy, and she is credited for successful initiatives including the Student Policy Summit, Faculty Policy Intensive, and the Health Policy Advisory Council. 

 

“We know that caregivers are vital to cancer patients’ well-being,” UMSN Professor Emerita Laurel Northouse, PhD, RN, FAAN, told the National Cancer Institute in regard to new findings that caregivers do not feel adequately prepared for their responsibilities. The study found many caregivers also felt high levels of stress and have concerns about performing health care tasks, such as changing wound dressings, without proper training. “Fewer resources are directed to help caregivers,” says Dr. Northouse. “As researchers, we need to identify the essential needs of caregivers and then build those into care.”