American Academy of Nursing names Marjorie McCullagh as Edge Runner
The American Academy of Nursing named University of Michigan School of Nursing Professor Marjorie McCullagh, Ph.D., RN, APHN-BC, COHN-S, FAAOHN, FAAN, as an Academy Edge Runner for her innovative program, Quiet4Healthy Farm. Edge Runners are nurses who have designed innovative models of care or interventions which improve health, impact cost, and influence policy.
Dr. McCullagh’s Quiet4Healthy Farm intervention promotes changes in farmers’ behaviors to prevent hearing loss caused by exposure to work-related hazardous noise. The estimated 3,281,000 farm operators in the United States suffer among the highest prevalence rates of hearing loss across all categories of workers. Additionally, 2 million children have an increased prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss from either working on or visiting farms. Noise exposure also causes other serious health conditions including increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adults and decreased reading skills and memory in children.
“Most Americans give little thought to the arduous and dangerous work farmers do each day to produce food for our grocery stores and markets,” said Academy President Karen Cox, Ph.D., RN, FAAN. “Dr. McCullagh’s interactive, readily available program provides farmers and farm youth with the information necessary to prevent one of this occupation’s hazards: permanent and irreversible hearing loss.”
Recognizing the success of the intervention, the American Farm Bureau, the Progressive Agriculture Foundation, and the University of Iowa are partnering with Dr. McCullagh to incorporate, promote, and disseminate Quiet4Healthy Farm to the farming community nationwide.
“One of the most gratifying aspects of my work is when others use the knowledge, strategies, and tools I share with them through my program to make behavior changes which improve their health,” acknowledged Dr. McCullagh, professor and director of the Occupational Health Nursing Program at the University of Michigan. “I thank the Academy for recognizing the value of Quiet4Healthy Farm by designating me an Edge Runner.”
***Content lightly edited from press released issued by AAN.***
