Minnesota Nursing ss07 - School of Nursing - University of Minnesota

minnesota
nursing
spring/summer 2007
A publication of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing
Research
Hearing protection for construction workers
Easing the pain of trauma victims
Reshaping nursing in Central Asia
Reducing teen pregnancy
Alums
Celebrate
Spring!
RESEARCH DAY

spring/summer 2007
features
4 Help for the Naked Ear
Hearing protection for construction workers
7 Finding the Strength Within
Helping refugees deal with stress
10 A Whole New Attitude
Reshaping nursing in Central Asia
12 Reducing Teen Pregnancy
Prime Time project to help Twin City girls
has “breakthrough potential”
on the cover: Franc Garcia, community volunteer,
was an actor in Dr. Madeleine Kerr’s hearing protection
video for Hispanic workers. Garcia is the owner of
Verona, Inc. Story on page 4.
You can read Minnesota Nursing online. Go to
www.nursing.umn.edu and click on
the picture of the magazine.
Dear reader,
departments
1 From the Dean
2 School News
14 Publications
16 Grant Awards
18 Honors and Awards
20 Events: Research Day
21 Center News
27 School of Nursing Foundation
29 Alumni News
editor’s note
A few weeks ago I was describing our new Doctor of Nursing Practice degree (see story
on page 3) to an acquaintance who is not a nurse. She asked me: Why would anyone go to
the trouble of getting a DNP when she could simply become a physician?
This is clearly a person who sees nursing as a subset of medicine, instead of its own
rich discipline, with its own science and a collaborative, integrative orientation toward the
other health disciplines.
The exchange reminded me of the importance of using precise language when we
talk about nursing vis à vis health care—for example, what happens when the word
medicine is used as synonymous with health care. Meaning becomes muddy; accuracy
and nuance about specific disciplines are lost. Nursing focuses on caring and takes a
systemic, holistic approach to health. Medicine focuses on disease and illness, often using
drugs and surgery. Pharmacy is about drugs and medicines, and public health about the
overall health of a community. Each discipline deserves language that sheds light on its
unique contribution.
Language is power. Language shapes thought…and thought shapes reality. That’s
why I’d argue that words positioning nursing as a medical subset contribute to shaping
not only the thinking of my acquaintance, but also large realities that affect the
profession—for example, sparse representation of nurses on health policy boards, the
fact that reporters seek out physicians, not nurses, to quote in their stories, and the
under-funding of the National Institute of Nursing Research.
What would happen if nurses insisted on precision? Electronic health records, alternative
health care, preventive health care?
Language is power, and it’s ours to claim!
Dean, School of Nursing
Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI
Editor and Communications Director
Mary Pattock
Assistant Editor
Aneisha Tucker
Contributing Writers
Amy Barrett, Linda Bearinger, Connie White
Delaney, Joanne Disch, Ann Garwick,
Nancy Giguére, Barbara Leonard, Laurel Mallon,
Mary Pattock, Christine Seitz, Aneisha Tucker,
Jean Wyman
Photographers
Sandra Edwardson, Pat Moga, Mary Pattock,
Cheryl Robertson, Tim Rummelhoff,
Aneisha Tucker
Graphic Design
Rima Bueno Design
Graphic Identity System
Yamamoto Moss
Minnesota Nursing is published by the
University of Minnesota School of Nursing for
alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the school.
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University of Minnesota School of Nursing
5-140 Weaver-Densford Hall
308 Harvard Street S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Telephone us:
612-624-0939
Visit us on our Web site:
www.nursing.umn.edu
The School of Nursing seeks to admit and
educate a diverse student body, both in
order to enrich the students’ educational
experience and to prepare them to meet the
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©2007 Regents of the University of Minnesota.
All rights reserved.
Mary Pattock, Editor

from the dean
Dear Friends:
PHOTO: TIM RUMMELHOFF
The School of Nursing is boldly positioning for its next Century! Yes, we will celebrate
our Centennial—as the oldest continuously operating university-based school of nursing
in the world—in 2009.
This historical marker appears, auspiciously, at a time when monumental changes are
taking place both within higher education and health care, literally offering a once-in-ahundred-years
opportunity to re-vision how our school can make signal contributions to
health care. An important part of our Centennial observance will be a re-visioning of our
contributions to science, academic programs and practice, which we are undertaking both
internally and together with our practice and corporate partners. We are also fortunate to have
synergy among our initiatives and those of the University and the Academic Health Center.
Several themes pervade our work, three of which I will highlight here. The first is the
University’s tri-mission: research, education and practice. The second is the integration of
those missions: scientific discovery is taught in the educational programs and used to
improve practice. The third is resonance with realities of our global culture. Let me share a
few examples of recent changes in our School related to these themes.
Tri-Mission: We launched the Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) program in January
2007. It parallels and complements our PhD program, which focuses on generating knowledge
through research. We celebrate the contributions both degrees make—one from a
research perspective, the other from a practice perspective—to inform the discipline with
state-of-the-art science. A second change is that we are implementing a new faculty role,
the clinical track, further empowering the collaborative synergy of the three missions.
Integration: The theme of this year’s Nursing Research Day is “Pathways to Health:
Integrating Research and Practice.” The day offers clear evidence of the practice innovation
and excellence that results from translating scientific discoveries to nursing care—care
that may be delivered at the intensive care bedside, or in the clinic, home, school or work
environment, or the community. Topics address a broad spectrum: cognition and functional
independence in older adults, perceptions of the benefits and challenges of family meals
in 8–10 year-old children, tea tree oil and wound treatment, delirium in ICU patients, mother’s
milk feeding, public health nursing across countries, nurse manager interventions, seeking
help from a rapid response team. Research Day is April 20; see page 20 for more information.
Global: This issue of Minnesota Nursing provides great examples of how the school
works in a truly global dimension, with stories on hearing loss among Latino construction
workers, the Health Realization model among Somali and Oromo immigrant women, and
the nursing education project in Central Asia. Working in today’s world means incorporating
global perspectives and integrating diverse views and cultures as we work in partnership
to improve health care.
Connie Delaney
Professor and Dean
spring/summer 2007
1

school news
Clinical track
SoN faculty whose focus is nursing education and practice can now
become clinical instructors, and assistant, associate and full clinical
professors by pursuing a new clinical track. This faculty role reflects
the School’s emphasis on clinical expertise, and is consistent with
the recent launch of SoN’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree
program and clinic, Minnesota Continence Associates.
Clinical faculty will teach, practice and engage in scholarship,
and will be able to benefit by the collaborative opportunities that
come with academic rank.
The University of Minnesota’s
Center for Spirituality & Healing has
created a free-of-charge, interactive
Web site that provides tools and
resources to help consumers make
informed health care choices. The
site, Taking Charge of Your Health,
educates consumers on integrating
conventional care with therapies
that address their emotional, physical
and spiritual needs. Found at
www.csh.umn.edu, Taking Charge
of Your Health is written in easyto-understand
language by top
University of Minnesota and community
experts. The site covers
three main topics: exploring complementary
therapies, navigating
the health care system and creating
health lifestyles.
distinguished!
The Scholars Walk, the University’s newly constructed memorial
pathway cutting through the Minneapolis campus, celebrates
four School of Nursing faculty as distinguished teachers: Laura
Duckett, PhD, MPH, RN; Donna Bliss, PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA; Cynthia
Peden-McAlpine, PhD, RN; and Mary Rowan, PhD, CNM, RN.
The kiosks honoring distinguished teachers are located between
Walter Library and Smith Hall. For more information, go to
www.alumni.umn.edu/scholarswalk.
Hartford Leadership Conference: SoN
students Mo Ceesay (center) and Jennifer
Kish (far right) received Creating Careers in
Geriatric Nursing Scholarship Awards, funded
by The John A. Hartford Foundation. At the
conference, students had the opportunity to
meet Loretta Ford (second from left), founder
of the first nurse practitioner program.
2 minnesota nursing

school news
changes
Jaime Gearhart, MA, the new admissions and enrollment coordinator for the graduate
programs, came to us from the School of Dentistry where she served for four years as admissions
coordinator. She previously worked in public relations. Jaime earned her bachelor’s
degree at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, and a master’s of liberal studies here at
the U, specializing in American Art History.
Debra Vogt, MBA, joined the School of Nursing as its first Chief Operating Officer (COO)
in December. Debra previously worked at the University of Iowa College of Nursing where
she was the Assistant Dean of Operations and Finance.
Assistant Professor Joe Gaugler, PhD, worked with DNP
student Marcia Rosenstahl, Austin, Minn., to critique
research she will use in her clinical leadership project.
Corrections:
In the last issue of Minnesota Nursing,we
misspelled the name of SoN graduate Wendy
Kochevar, who received the top score in the
nation on the 2005 Pediatric Nursing Certification
Board exam. We are sorry for the error, and
take the opportunity to highlight her accomplishment
once again!
First DNP class convened
The School’s first Doctor of Nursing Practice program launched in January.
Thirty-one students from six states including Minnesota gathered for a
three-day intensive—one of three this semester that complement the Web–
enhanced curriculum. Phase I, a completion program for those holding
a master’s degree in a nursing specialty, can be completed in one year of
full-time study and will continue as long as there is sufficient demand.
Phase II has also launched, with current MS students encouraged to take
courses toward a DNP—a cost- and time-effective path to a career in
clinical leadership at the cutting edge of the profession.
For more information and to apply, go to www.nursing.umn.edu.
In the last issue of Minnesota Nursing,Linda
Lindeke was identified as an assistant professor.
She is an associate professor.
spring/summer 2007
3

nursing research
BY MAME OSTEEN
madeleine kerr
helpforthenakedear
hearing protection for construction workers
Chain saws…pile drivers…roaring bulldozers
…Just thinking of them may give you a
headache! Imagine what their 99 decibels
do to the delicate ear cilia of the construction
workers exposed to them every day.
It’s no wonder that, according to some researchers,
today’s 25-year-old construction
worker has the hearing of a 50-year-old.
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is
the most common occupational disease in
the U.S. It affects more than 10 million U.S.
workers, impairing their quality of life and
contributing to work-related accidents. It
takes a particular toll on the nation’s five
million construction workers, who generally
experience the highest level of noise,
and who, unlike workers in the field of
manufacturing, are minimally protected
by the Occupational Health and Safety
Administration (OSHA).
Associate Professor Madeleine Kerr
has worked for the last 17 years to protect
the hearing of these vulnerable workers.
In fact, by the time noise and hearing loss
was named a national research priority by
the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 1996, she had
been researching the subject for seven
years. Her efforts have been nationally
recognized. In 2006, she received the Honor
a Researcher Award from the Midwest
Nursing Research Society, acknowledging
her important contribution to public health
nursing research.
Kerr’s interest in health-promoting
lifestyles, including nutrition, stress management
and physical activity, began to
focus on hearing loss during her graduate
work with Dr. Sally Lusk at the University
of Michigan. “I became totally captured by
the problems of hearing loss in workers,”
said Kerr.
PHOTO: CHERYL ROBERTSON
Madeleine Kerr on a construction site with Pat
Moga, coordinator of the Roofers and Waterproofers
Apprenticeship program. Moga identified noisy
roofing activities for Kerr to document for a
multimedia hearing-protection education program.
4 minnesota nursing

esearch
PHOTOS BY MARY PATTOCK
1 Kerr and video engineer Karl Demer, taping a
video for Latino workers
1 2
2 Construction worker Xavier Escobedo—who
uses earplugs on the job every day—enjoying his
volunteer stint on the silver screen
3 Construction worker Jeannette Quiros
demonstrating for the camera how to roll down
a protective foam earplug
4 The cast for the Latino construction worker
video: (l to r) Franc Garcia, Kerr, Xavier Escobedo,
Jeannette Quiros, Juan Montoya, Sam Saucedo,
José Navejas
3 4
WORKING WITH WORKERS
With help from the Minneapolis Building
and Construction Trades Council, an umbrella
group representing 20 Twin Cities
unions, Kerr has built a strong network of
resources and connections to fuel her
ongoing research.
Her recently completed study involved
723 Twin Cities carpenters, laborers and
roofers. They participated in half-hour sessions
with computers Kerr had programmed
with audio, video and graphics of real-life
construction situations, paired with educational
messages about workplace noise,
the threat it poses to hearing, and how
to protect against NIHL. The sessions were
interactive, with users asked, for example,
to determine the safety of noises made by
various machines from chop saws to snowmobiles.
The computer responded with
data about each specific noise.
Some workers also received personalized
messages that addressed their perceived
barriers to the use of hearing protectors. For
example, if they told the computer they
thought they’d have difficulty communicating
with co-workers while wearing them,
they were shown a video clip explaining
that, assuming normal hearing, they would
actually be able to communicate better if
they wore the protection.
“An algorithm built into the program
automatically tailors the message based on
previous responses,” said Kerr. “The content
is the same but it is more individualized.”
Results of Kerr’s study will be published
in the March 2007 issue of Canadian Journal
of Nursing Research.
THE LATINO STUDY
While reviewing the ethnicity distribution
of the construction study, Kerr found that
Latinos comprised a growing segment—
23 percent—of construction workers. “I realized
that there were Latinos participating
in my research who would have preferred
to do so using Spanish language,” said Kerr.
She decided to reach out to them directly.
In 2004, she secured a $548,000 grant from
the National Institute on Deafness and
other Communication Disorders (NICD) to
build on her previous work.
Researching hearing loss among Latino
workers was a natural for Kerr, who speaks
conversational Spanish and has previous
research experience with Mexican-American
migrant farm workers. A week at a Spanish
immersion camp last summer helped Kerr
prepare for her new challenge.
With the help of a Denver-based Spanish
consultant and a multi-media developer,
she is adapting her previous study to new
circumstances. ˘
spring/summer 2007
5

esearch
Madeleine Kerr, PhD, Associate Professor
• Worker health-promotion and protection
• Intervention effectiveness research
• Preventing noise-induced hearing loss, Pender Health Promotion Model
“For example, we learned that the six-point
Likert scale—from strongly disagree to
strongly agree—doesn’t translate well into
Spanish,” said Kerr. To eliminate barriers
to understanding, the English language
intervention will undergo a transculturation
as it’s converted to Spanish.
“We want not only to represent it in
the correct language, but we want the
concepts to be relevant culturally,” said Kerr.
When complete, the interventions will
include on-screen prompting in both Spanish
and English, as well as male and female
voice-overs in both languages.
Once the study is complete, Kerr plans
to test the intervention in a randomized,
controlled trial with 250 bi-lingual or monolingual
Spanish speaking workers.
Up to a dozen workers at a time will
participate in a simple 30-minute intervention
in a union classroom or a worksite.
Bi-lingual assistants will assist workers
viewing the interactive program on portable
laptops. Each subject will leave with new
knowledge and some hearing protection
to take home. “We want workers to learn
that they do not have to suffer hearing loss
in order to have a job. We want to empower
them to take care of their own health,”
said Kerr.
Kerr’s use of computerized algorithms
promises to further nursing informatics,
a relatively new field which combines
Professor Cheryl Robertson, left, with Kerr at a
roofers training facility
computer science, information science and
nursing science to manage and communicate
data, information and knowledge in
nursing practice. Informatics allows her to
create increasingly sophisticated health
intervention tools such as the personalized
interventions.
Perhaps, she says, the construction
worker model will have broader application—in
the delivery of personalized health
education.
“The knowledge we gain and perhaps
even the actual tool we develop can have
huge impact nationally,” she said. “We hope
that with tools and training like the one
we’re developing, employers will make them
readily available to workers.”
PHOTO: PAT MOGA
PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
6 minnesota nursing

esearch
linda halcón and cheryl robertson
finding the
strength within
helping refugees deal with stress
BY NANCY GIGUÈRE
spring/summer 2007
7

esearch
“We were a nation; we were people who
had jobs. But now we have been tortured
and tormented, and this great impact
hit us. It is not forgettable. But thanks to
you, we have tools to understand and go
forward. Now we are learning how to lock
the box on some of those memories.”
— Participant in Health Realization pilot study
CHANCE PLUS PREPARATION
Louis Pasteur said,“Chance favors only the
prepared mind.” And it was this combination
of chance and preparation that led Halcón
and Robertson to discover Health Realization.
Early into the study, Halcón happened
to attend a presentation on the model
along with several undergraduate students.
“I was astounded by the effect the presentation
had on the students. One of them
told me,‘This changes everything about how
I view myself and my patients,’” Halcón
says. Intrigued, she enrolled in a community
training to learn more about the model.
According to conservative estimates,
Minnesota is now home to about 35,000
Somali and Oromo refugees. Both groups
have known instability and trauma: Somalis
have experienced civil war and a lack of
formal government for more than a decade,
and Oromos have suffered ongoing political
oppression in their home country of
Ethiopia for over a century.
WIDESPREAD TRAUMA
Within these communities, the prevalence
of torture ranges from 25 to 69 percent,
according to the Refugee Population Study,
a five-year, community-based epidemiological
study led by James Jaranson, MD,
MPH, adjunct assistant professor of epidemiology
in the School of Public Health. The
study found that women were tortured as
often as men. Survivors tended to have
more health problems, including posttraumatic
stress.
But less than one percent of highly
traumatized participants requested or
followed up a referral to Western mental
health services. That’s because refugees
have limited access and ability to pay for
mental health services. In addition, many
are reluctant to use these services for
cultural reasons, says School of Nursing
Associate Professor Linda Halcón, PhD,
MPH, RN, a co-investigator in the study.
For these refugees, nothing can ever
undo the past. But an innovative intervention
called Health Realization appears to
help, according to Halcón and her colleague
in the School of Nursing, Assistant Professor
Cheryl Robertson, PhD, MPH, RN. Halcón
and Robertson, also a co-investigator in the
Refugee Population Study, recently assessed
the feasibility and acceptability of Health
Realization in Somali and Oromo women.
WHAT IS HEALTH REALIZATION?
The Health Realization model is based on
three elements that create our human experience:
mind, thought, and consciousness.
In the model, mind is the universal life
force that animates all beings. It is like
the electricity running a movie projector.
Thought is our mental activity, much
like the images on the movie screen. And
consciousness is our ability to experience
thought through our senses. It’s like
the light that throws the images onto the
screen, making them seem real.
When negative thoughts arise, we can
simply acknowledge them and choose
not to react. In other words, we understand
that our thoughts are simply thoughts—
nothing more. And as our minds become
quiet, more positive feelings emerge.
These positive feelings are a manifestation
of our innate health, something every
one of us possesses. By quieting our minds
and opening our hearts, we rediscover our
innate health.
COMMUNITY-BASED RECOVERY
After finishing the Refugee Population
Study, Robertson and Halcón wanted to
give something back to participants. They
8 minnesota nursing

esearch
Linda L. Halcón, PhD, MPH, RN, Associate Professor
• Antimicrobial/anti-infective properties of essential oils (tea tree oil)
• Sustainable/healthy lifestyles
Cheryl Robertson, PhD, MPH, RN, Assistant Professor
• Refugee family health; prevalence of torture, war trauma and
associated factors; stress and coping
• Community-based, strength-based interventions
• Global public health
searched the literature for research on how
people heal after trauma and found that
most studies were based on the Westernstyle
therapeutic process. None was appropriate
to Somali or Oromo culture.
But they also discovered a body of
literature that looks at community-based
recovery.“When entire groups of people have
suffered, people recover by reconnecting
with neighbors and rebuilding the community,”
Robertson says.
WHAT SURVIVORS WANTED
Robertson had interviewed Somali and
Oromo women about their needs. She knew
the women wanted opportunities to get
together, parenting support and help with
problem-solving. They also wanted to learn
new skills that were presented in their own
language and in ways that were respectful
of their beliefs.
Halcón and Robertson realized that
Health Realization seemed to meet these
needs. It is presented in a series of group
education sessions, during which participants
can connect with each other as
a community.
DETERMINING CULTURAL FEASIBILITY
First of all, though, Halcón and Robertson
wanted to find out whether Health Realization
would be culturally acceptable. A
small grant from the Park Nicollet Foundation
allowed three interpreters to attend
a community training. Their response was
enthusiastic.
In the meantime, with funding from a
University grant-in-aid, Robertson developed
an instrument to measure the women’s
internal coping resources. A Densford Clinical
Scholarship and a Faculty Multicultural
Research Award allowed Robertson to test
the effectiveness of parenting-support classes
based on the Health Realization model.
PILOTING THE INTERVENTION
In September 2004, Halcón and Robertson
received a grant from the National Institutes
of Health to pilot an intervention using the
Health Realization model. The goal was to
lower stress among Somali and Oromo women
who had experienced torture and violence.
The intervention consisted of a threehour
educational session one evening a
week for eight weeks, presented to separate
groups of Somali and Oromo women. All
the women had participated in the Refugee
Population Study. All had reported high
scores on either a post-traumatic checklist or
on psychological and social problem scales.
TOOLS TO GO FORWARD
In a post-intervention focus group, many
women reported using new strategies
to calm down, quiet their minds and make
healthier decisions. Said one woman,
“I used to feel overwhelmed … my mind was
busy. Now I start to organize myself. When
thoughts come to my mind, I let it go.”
Some took their knowledge back to their
communities. “We have bi-weekly meetings
of all tenants in my building—the first thing
I am going teach is how to calm yourself
down,” one participant said.
For the participants, Health Realization
became a powerful force for change. One
woman described the experience this way:
“We were a nation; we were people who
had jobs. But now we have been tortured
and tormented, and this great impact hit
us. It is not forgettable. But thanks to you,
we have tools to understand and go
forward. Now we are learning how to lock
the box on some of those memories.”
CONTINUING THE RESEARCH
“The pilot study confirmed that the use of
Health Realization with refugee trauma
survivors was feasible, culturally acceptable,
and relevant to the participants,”
Robertson says.
She is now applying for funding for a
larger study that will explore the long-term
effects of Health Realization on the mental
health of refugees. “This is a promising
intervention that doesn’t involve the use of
highly trained personnel. And it can be done
in the community,” she says.
spring/summer 2007
9

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Sandra Edwardson, PhD, FAAN, RN, Professor
• Elderly self-care behavior
• Administrative and health policy issues,
especially related to outcomes
1
sandra edwardson
a whole new attitude
reshaping nursing in central asia
2
3
4
10 minnesota nursing

esearch
BY AMY BARRETT
Everywhere they looked, the visitors from Central Asia saw nurses doing things only
doctors would do back home in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, like teaching
courses and using stethoscopes.
They went home with a whole new attitude toward nursing—and that was the goal,
says Sandra Edwardson, PhD, RN, FAAN, as she and her SoN team concluded the school’s
involvement in the Nursing Education and Leadership Project. Funded by the U.S. Agency
for International Development, the project began in 2004 with the aim of improving how
nursing is taught and how nurses are perceived in these Central Asian countries.
“The most effective thing we did, in terms of changing perspective and attitude, was
bringing the representatives from the Ministries of Health to Minnesota,” Edwardson says.
Following the Kazakhstani representative’s visit to the School of Nursing, the government
of Kazakhstan adopted a new nursing curriculum that approximates the baccalaureate
degree program common in U.S. schools of nursing and will be used across the country.
Officials there had also expressed interest in implementing a master’s program,
but Edwardson said it will occur sometime in the future, if at all, because funding has
disappeared. Although the project was supposed to continue for three years, it ended
prematurely in August, when USAID diverted funds to other priorities.
“It has been a big frustration,” Edwardson says. “We felt as if we had gotten to this stage
where the group of educators we were working with were seeing a new way of doing
nursing education and had begun to implement some changes. They were just beginning
that process, and we were hoping we could help them with the next step.
“We haven’t heard anything from them,” she says, “but we left the door open. They expressed
an interest in a continuing relationship if we can find the funds necessary to support it.”
Due to corruption and frequent changes in leadership in the three countries they were
trying to help, Edwardson and her colleagues frequently found themselves backtracking and
starting over with a whole new cast of characters. Nevertheless, she cites several positive
changes they were able to make during the two-and-a-half years they worked on the project.
• Using grant funds, they purchased better equipment, such as computers, presentation
software and faster Internet connections for use in the overseas classrooms;
• They had up-to-date curriculum materials translated into Russian and provided to
instructors. Previously, instructors either used very outdated materials or dictated
information to students.
• They helped instructors shorten the time between classroom presentation on given
content and when students had the opportunity to apply it in a clinical setting;
previously, a month or even a year could separate them; and
• At workshops in May 2005 and May 2006, they presented in-depth content on issues
such as physical assessments, research, HIV and evidence-based practice, which the
instructors integrated into their curriculum almost immediately.
Gratifying as these accomplishments were, Edwardson and her colleagues had hoped
to do more.
In the meantime, Edwardson has been focusing on her new role as Director of International
Programs for the School of Nursing. “What we’re trying to do is figure out, of the
multiple invitations we have to collaborate with foreign universities, how do we decide
which ones we accept,” she says.
There is, after all, a world of opportunity!
THE TEAM
In addition to Edwardson, the principal investigator,
the project team included Professor Donna
Bliss, associate professors Laura Duckett and
Linda Lindeke, assistant professors Carol O’Boyle
and Cheryl Robertson, instructor Margaret Plumbo,
senior teaching specialists Cathy Juve and Cecilia
Wachdorf, teaching specialist Scott Harpin and
retired associate professor Marilee Miller.
5
1 A nursing student practices physical
assessment skills.
2 This nursing school in Bukhara, Uzbekistan,
prepares high-school age girls to be nurses.
The SoN group decided early in the project
to work instead with schools that offer programs
more at the U.S. baccalaureate level.
3–4 At a hospital in Kazakhstan: outdated
equipment
5 Nurse educators—wearing their new
stethoscopes—came from three countries
to meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Learn more about this project in the Spring
2006 Minnesota Nursing, available online at
www.nursing.umn.edu/News/Magazine.
spring/summer 2007
11

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renee sieving
reducing teen
pregnancy
Renee Sieving
BY MARY PATTOCK
prime time project to help
twin city girls has
“breakthrough potential”
Why does the teen pregnancy rate in the U.S.
remain one of the highest in the industrialized
world? Associate Professor Renee
Sieving, PhD, MSN, RNC, has received a $3
million federal grant to help find the answer.
Sieving, leading a multi-disciplinary
team of other University researchers, will
use specific strategies to steer a group
of 125 Twin City teens—all of whom are
attending school and community health
clinics—away from risky behaviors that can
lead to pregnancy. At the end of 18 months
in a program called Prime Time: Health
Promotion for Multiple Risk Behaviors, the
group will be compared with a similar
group of girls who have not participated in
Prime Time, but have continued to receive
usual health clinic services.
MODEL HAS PROVED EFFECTIVE
“Previous research has shown that many
factors contribute to teen pregnancy,”
says Sieving. “They include inadequate
education, risky sexual behavior, involvement
in violence and not enough contact
with adults who can provide resources
and positive role models. The Prime Time
intervention addresses all these factors—
intensively and over a long enough period
of time to have a lasting effect.”
Prime Time involves girls in 22-week
health promotion and youth leadership programs,
and then pays them to share health
information with others. The girls will also
take on community service projects, and
meet at least monthly with a case manager
with the goal of establishing a one-on-one
relationship with an adult.
In the process, Sieving says, they will
become better connected at school, get help
in coping with any violence they are dealing
with in their lives, and become educated
about risks of sexual behavior. “Our goal is
to help participants build the skills, confidence,
motivation, opportunities and social
support that every teen needs to succeed,”
she says.
Sieving and her colleagues tested
Prime Time strategies in a 1999–2004 pilot
study, and found the results encouraging.
At the end of 12 months participants were
reporting fewer sexual partners, and at the
end of 18 months they were more consistently
using contraception. “We also found
that the program itself is highly acceptable
to girls from resource-poor urban neighborhoods,”
Sieving says.
The current project is a more stringent
test of the Prime Time intervention than
the 1999 study, since it randomly assigns
girls to either Prime Time or a comparison
group. Random assignment is considered
a “gold standard” in intervention research.
DESIGNED FOR USE IN CLINICS
Another goal of Prime Time is to improve
the capacity of health clinics to prevent risky
behaviors among their teen-age patients
by promoting healthy youth development.
The project represents one of the first times
such a youth development model has been
adapted and tested for use by health clinics.
“We are excited—we think Prime Time
has breakthrough potential,” says Sieving.
“Because many adolescent girls at high
risk for early pregnancy do go to health
clinics, it stands to reason that boosting
clinics’ ability to provide help that is proven
to be effective could make a profound
difference in the nation’s teen pregnancy
problem—and in the lives of thousands
of young people.”
Prime Time is funded by a five-year grant
from the National Institute of Nursing
Research, which is part of the National Institutes
of Health.
12 minnesota nursing

esearch
Renee Sieving, PhD, MSN, RNC, Associate Professor
• Youth health promotion
• Prevention of multiple health risk behaviors (sexual risks, violence
involvement, school drop-out) among adolescents
Besides Sieving, who is the principal investigator,
the multi-disciplinary research team includes
School of Nursing professors Linda Bearinger, PhD,
MS, RN, FAAN, and Ann Garwick, PhD, RN, FAAN;
and Medical School Department of Pediatrics
Professor Michael Resnick, PhD.
STOCKBYTE PLATINUM/GETTY IMAGES

faculty and staff
publications
Arling, G., Lewis, T., Mueller, C., & Kane, R. L. (2006).
Nursing home quality indicators: Implications
for residents with Alzheimer’s and related
disorders. In B. Vellas (Ed.), Research and practice
in Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline
(Vol. 11, pp. 316–321). Toulouse, France: Serdi.
Avery, M. D., & Howe, C. (2007). The DNP and
Entry into Midwifery Practice: An Analysis.
American College of Nurse-Midwives, 52(1), 14–22.
Bearinger, L. H., Sieving, R. E., Ferguson J.,
Sharma V. (2007). Global perspectives on the
sexual and reproductive health of adolescents:
patterns, prevention, and potential. The Lancet.
369 (9566):993–1004.
Bliss, D. Z., Savik, K., Harms, S., Fan, Q., & Wyman,
J. F. (2006). Prevalence and correlates of perineal
dermatitis in nursing home residents. Nursing
Research, 55(4), 243–251.
Boutelle, K. N., Fulkerson, J. A., Neumark-Sztainer,
D., Story, M., & French, S. A. (2007). Fast food
for family meals: Relationships with parent and
adolescent food intake, home food availability and
weight status. Public Health Nutrition, 10(1), 16–23.
Canales, M., Youssef, P., Spong, R., Ishani, A.,
Savik, K., Hertz, M., & Ibrahim, H. N. (2006).
Predictors of chronic kidney disease in long-term
survivors of lung and heart-lung transplantation.
American Journal of Transplantation, 6(9),
2157–2163.
Cheung, C., Wyman, J., Gross, C., Peters, J.,
Findorff, M. Stock, M. (2006). Exercise behavior
in older adults: A test of the transtheoretical
model. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity,
15(1): 103–118.
Chevalier, C., Steinberg, S., Lindeke, L. (2006).
Perceptions of barriers to psychiatric-mental
health CNS practice. Issues in Mental Health
Nursing, 27(7), 753–763.
Park, Hyeoun-Ae, Murray, P., & Delaney, C. (Eds.).
(2006). Consumer-Centered Computer-Supported
Care for Healthy People: Proceedings of NI2006,
The 9th International Congress on Nursing Informatics.
Amsterdam: IOS Press.
Weaver, C., Delaney, C., Weber, P., & Carr, R. (2006).
Nursing and Informatics for the 21st Century:
An International Look at Cases, Practice, and the
Future, First Edition. Healthcare Information and
Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Chicago,
IL: HIMSS.
Delaney, C., Brennan, P., McDaniel, A., Jones, J.,
Keenan, G., and Abdoo, Y. (2006). Building Informatics
Capacity through Virtual University
Consortium. In Nursing and Informatics for the
21st Century: An International Look at Cases,
Practice, and the Future, First Edition.Weaver,C.,
Delaney, C., Weber, P., & Carr, R. (Editors). Healthcare
Information and Management Systems
Society (HIMSS). Chicago, IL: HIMSS.
Strachan, H., Delaney, C., & Sensmeier, J. (2006).
Nursing Informatics—The Challenge of Finding
a Professional Home. In Nursing and Informatics
for the 21st Century: An International Look at Cases,
Practice, and the Future, First Edition.Weaver,C.,
Delaney, C., Weber, P., & Carr, R. (Editors). Healthcare
Information and Management Systems
Society (HIMSS).Chicago, IL: HIMSS.
Goossen, W., Delaney, C., Coenen, A., Saba, V.,
Park, H., Casey, A., & Oyri, K. (2006). Towards the
International Nursing Minimum Data Set. In
Nursing and Informatics for the 21st Century:
An International Look at Cases, Practice, and the
Future, First Edition.Weaver,C.,Delaney, C., Weber,
P., & Carr, R. (Editors). Healthcare Information
and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
Chicago, IL: HIMSS.
Delaney, C. (2006). Nursing Minimum Data
Set (NMDS) Systems. In V. Saba & K. McCormick
(Eds.), Essentials of Nursing Informatics, 4th
Edition. (pp.249–261) New York: McGraw-Hill.
Clancy, T.& Delaney, C. (2006). The Benefits of
Standardized Nursing Languages in Complex
Adaptive Systems such as Hospitals. JONA, 36(7/8).
Disch, J. (2007). Extending your influence:
Serving on the AARP Board. In D. J. Mason, J. K.
Leavitt & M. W. Chaffee (Eds.), Policy and politics
in nursing and health care (5th ed., pp. 778–781).
St. Louis. MO: Saunders Elsevier.
Disch, J., Chlan, L., Mueller, C., Akinkuotu, T., Sabo,
J., Feldt, K., & Bjorklund, D. (2006). The Densford
Clinical Scholars Program: Improving patient care
through research partnerships. Journal of Nursing
Administration, 36(12), 567–574.
Edwardson, S. R. (2006). Securing successful
funding for nursing research through the Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality. Nursing
Economics, 24(3), 160–161.
Fulkerson, J. A., J. Strauss, et al. (2007). Correlates
of psychosocial well-being among overweight
adolescents: The role of the family. Journal of
Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75(1): 181–86.
Fulkerson, J. A., Story, M., Mellin, A., Leffert, N.,
Neumark-Sztainer, D., & French, S. A. (2006).
Family dinner meal frequency and adolescent
development: Relationships with developmental
assets and high-risk behaviors. Journal of
Adolescent Health, 39(3), 337–345.
Garcia, C. M., & E. M. Saewyc (2007). Perceptions
of mental health among recently immigrated
Mexican adolescents. Issues in Mental Health
Nursing, 28:37–54.
Garcia, C., Skay, C., Sieving, R., Naughton, S., &
Bearinger, L. (2007). La Familia Y Salud Mental:
Examining the Relationship of Protective Family
Factors and Mental Health Indicators Among
9th and 12th Grade Latino Adolescents [abstract].
Journal of Adolescent Health, 40(2), S30
Garcia, C. (2007). Commentary on “Implementation
and Evaluation of the Empower Youth
Program.” Journal of Holistic Nursing, 25, 37–38.
Garcia, C. (2007). Book Review: David E. Cooper,
Ethics for Professionals in a Multicultural World.
Nursing Philosophy, 8(1), 66–67.
Gaugler, J. E. (2006). Family Involvement and
Resident Psychosocial Status in Long-Term Care.
Clinical Gerontologist, 29(4), 79–98.
Gaugler, J. E., & Teaster, P. (2006). The Family
Caregiving Career: Implications for Community-
Based Long-Term Care Practice and Policy. Journal
of Aging & Social Policy, 18(3/4), 139–152.
14 minnesota nursing

publications
O’Boyle, C., Robertson, C., & Secor-Turner, M.
(2006). Public health emergencies: Nurses’
recommendations for effective actions. AAOHN
Journal, 54(8), 347–353.
Gerdner, L. A., & Beck, C. K. (2006). Impact of
Arkansas state regulations for certification of
Alzheimer’s special care units. Alzheimer’s Care
Quarterly, 7(4), 251–257.
Gerdner, L. A., Xiong, X. X., & Yang, D. (2006).
Working with Hmong American families. In G.
Yeo & D. Gallagher-Thompson (Eds.), Ethnicity
and the dementias (2nd ed., pp. 209–230). New
York: Routledge.
Gray, M., Bliss, D. Z. et al. (2007). Incontinenceassociate
dermatitis: A consensus. Journal of
Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing, 34(1):
45–56.
Gross-Forneris, A. and Peden-McAlpine, C. (2007).
Evaluation of a reflective learning intervention to
improve critical thinking in novice nurses. Journal
of Advanced Nursing, 57(4): 410–21.
Hellerstedt, W. L., Peterson-Hickey, M., Rhodes,
K. L., Garwick, A. (2006). Environmental, social,
and personal correlates of having ever had sexual
intercourse among American Indian youths.
American Journal of Public Health, 96(12),
2228–2234.
Kane, R. L., Rockwood, T., Hyer, K., Desjardins, K.,
Brassard, A., Gessert, C., Kane, R., Mueller, C.
(2006). Nursing home staff’s perceived ability to
influence quality of life. Journal of Nursing Care
Quality, 21(3), 248–255.
Kreitzer, M., L. Zhang, et al. (2006). Transformative
professional development: Outcomes of the
inner life renewal program. Complementary
Health Practice Review, 11(1): 1–6.
Kreitzer, M., V. Sierpina, et al. (2006). Consortium
expands with the addition of the University
of Wisconsin and the Mayo Medical Center.
EXPLORE, 2(5): 457–58.
Kubik, M. Y., Fulkerson, J. A., Story, M., & Rieland,
G. (2006). Parents of elementary school students
weigh in on height, weight, and body mass index
screening at school. Journal of School Health,
76(10), 496–501.
Lindeke, L. L. (2006). A reimbursement action
plan. Advance for Nurse Practitioners, 14(2), 18–19.
Lindeke, L. L. (2006). An action plan for coding.
Advance for Nurse Practitioners, 14(8), 21.
Lindeke, L. L. (2006). The key to payment: DPT.
Advance for Nurse Practitioners, 14(11), 18.
Lindeke, L., Nakai, M., & Johnson, L. (2006).
Capturing children’s voices for quality improvement.
MCN: The American Journal of Maternal
Child Nursing, 31(5), 290–295.
Looman, W. S. (2006). Development and testing
of the social capital scale for families of children
with special health care needs. Research in
Nursing & Health, 29(4), 325–336.
Lytle, L. A., Kubik, M. Y.et al. (2006). Influencing
healthful food choices in school and home
environments: Results from the TEEN study.
Preventive Medicine.
McCormick, K. A., Delaney, C. J., Flatley-Brennan,
P., Effken, J. A., Kendrick, K., Murphy, J., et al.
(2007). Guideposts to the Future—An Agenda
for Nursing Informatics. Journal of the American
Medical Informatics Association, 14,19–24.
McSteen, K., & Peden-McAlpine, C. (2006). The
role of the nurse as advocate in ethically difficult
care situations with dying patients. Journal of
Hospice and Palliative Nursing, 8(5), 259–269.
Moss, M. P. (2006). “Thinking inside the box”:
Zuni Indian elders’ construction of aging. Journal
of Religion, Spirituality & Aging, 19(1), 37–56.
Moss, M. P., Schell, M. C., & Goins, R. T. (2006).
Using GIS in a first national mapping of functional
disability among older American Indians and
Alaska Natives from the 2000 census. International
Journal of Health Geographics, 5(37).
Mueller, C. (2006). Nursing home staffing
standards: Do they increase staffing? American
Journal of Nursing, 106(10), 71.
O’Boyle, C., Robertson, C., & Secor-Turner, M.
(2006). Nurses’ beliefs about public health
emergencies: Fear of abandonment. American
Journal of Infection Control, 34(6), 351–357.
Robertson, C. L., Halcon, L., Savik, K., Johnson, D.,
Spring, M., Butcher, J., Westermeyer, J., &
Jaranson, J. (2006). Somali and Oromo refugee
women: Trauma and associated factors. Journal
of Advanced Nursing, 56(6), 577–587.
Saewyc, E. M., Bearinger, L. H., McMahon, G., &
Evans, T. (2006). A national needs assessment of
nurses providing health care to adolescents.
Journal of Professional Nursing, 22(5), 304–313.
Secor-Turner, M., & O’Boyle, C. (2006). Nurses and
emergency disasters: What is known. American
Journal of Infection Control, 34(7), 414–420.
Sierpina, V., Kreitzer, M. et al. (2006). CAM
selective at St. George’s Medical School.
EXPLORE, 2(3): 269–70.
Torkelson, C., I. Harris, Kreitzer MJ (2006).
Evaluation of a complementary and alternative
medicine rotation in medical school. Alternative
Therapies, 12(4): 30–4.
Westra, B. L., Solomon, D., & Ashley, D. M. (2006).
Use of the Omaha System data to validate
Medicare required outcomes in home care.
Journal of Healthcare Information Management,
20(3), 88–94.
Williams, D. R., & Avery, M. D. (2006). Preserving
vaginal birth: A call to action. Journal of
Midwifery & Women’s Health, 51(4), 239–241.
Yu, F., & Kolanowski, A. M. (2006). Improving
function through research. Journal of Gerontological
Nursing, 32(12), 4–5.
Yu, F., Kolanowski, A. M., & Litaker, M. (2006).
The association of physical function with
agitation and passivity in nursing home residents
with dementia. Journal of Gerontological
Nursing, 32(12), 30–36.
Yu, F., Kolanowski, A. M., Strumpf, N. E., &
Eslinger, P. J. (2006). Improving cognition and
function through exercise intervention in
Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of Nursing Scholarship,
38(4), 358–365.
spring/summer 2007
15

faculty and graduate student
grant awards
active grants
Avery, Melissa
Technology-enhanced Learning in
Graduate Nursing (TELIGN)
Health Resources and Services
Administration / U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
Avery, Melissa
Development of an Exercise
Intervention for American Indian
Women with Gestational Diabetes:
A Community-based Approach
A.C.N.M. (American College of Nurse
Midwives) Foundation
Bearinger, Linda
Adolescent Health Protection
Research Training
Center for Disease Control / Health
Resources and Services Administration /
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services
Bearinger, Linda
Center for Adolescent Nursing
Maternal and Child Health Bureau /
Health Resources and Services
Administration / U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
Bliss, Donna
Smart Seal Ostomy Appliance:
Further Testing
National Institutes of Health /
National Center for Research Resources;
Korosensor
Bliss, Donna
Evaluation of Characteristics
and Typical Usage of Incontinent
Products for Fecal Incontinence
Kimberly-Clark
Bliss, Donna
The Impact of Fiber Fermentation
on Fecal Incontinence
National Institutes of Health / National
Institute of Nursing Research
Bliss, Donna
Use of ARD Anoperineal Dressing
for Fecal Incontinence
Birchwood Laboratories, Inc.
Chlan, Linda
Patient-controlled Sedation
Feasibility Study
University of Minnesota / Academic
Health Center
Chlan, Linda
Reducing Sedative Exposure in
Ventilated ICU Patients
National Institutes of Health / National
Institute of Nursing Research
Delaney, Connie
Advanced Education Nursing
Traineeship Program
Health Resources and Services
Administration / U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
Disch, Joanne
Improving Patient Safety Through
Effective Nurse-Physician Partnerships
Sigma Theta Tau International,
Zeta Chapter
Disch, Joanne
Improving Patient Safety Through
Physician-Nurse Partnerships
AONE (American Organization of
Nurse Executives) Institute for Patient
Care Research & Education
Edwardson, Sandra
NIS Multi-Country Partnerships
Program for Nursing Education
and Leadership Development
American International Health Alliance /
U.S. Agency for International Development
Fulkerson, Jayne
Healthy Home Offerings via the
Mealtime Environment (HOME)
National Institutes of Health / National
Institute of Diabetes & Digestive &
Kidney Diseases
Fulkerson, Jayne
Validation of a Self-administered
Tool to Assess the Types of Foods
Served at Family Meals for the
Prevention of Childhood Obesity
University of Minnesota Graduate School
Garcia, Carolyn
An Instrument to Measure
Latino Mental Health Knowledge
Sigma Theta Tau International,
Zeta Chapter
Garcia, Carolyn
Development of an Instrument
to Measure Latino Mental Health
Knowledge Using Communitybased
Participatory Action Research
Midwest Nursing Research Society /
Sigma Theta Tau International
Garcia, Carolyn
Understanding Culturally-based
Perceptions of Mental Health
among Mexican-Origin Immigrant
Latino Adolescents and Parents:
A Pilot Study
Sigma Theta Tau International
Garwick, Ann
Web-based Asthma Education for
Urban Head Start Program
National Institutes of Health / National
Institute of Nursing Research
Gaugler, Joseph
The Memory Club: Providing
Support to Persons with Early-
Stage Alzheimer’s Disease and
Their Care Partners
University of Minnesota Office for
Public Engagement
Gaugler, Joseph
Caregiver Training in South India
Fogarty International (FIC) / National
Institutes of Health
Gaugler, Joseph
Comprehensive Support for
Alzheimer’s Disease Caregivers
National Institutes of Health / National
Institute on Aging
Gaugler, Joseph
Developing and Testing a Hispanic
Caregiver Training Program
Alzheimer’s Association
16 minnesota nursing

grant awards
Gaugler, Joseph
The Cancer Caregiving Career:
Pilot Study
University of Minnesota Cancer Center
Gross, Cynthia
Impact of Mind-Body Interventions
Post Organ Transplant
National Institutes of Health / National
Institute of Nursing Research
Halcón, Linda
Innovative Stress Intervention in
Refugees: Pilot Test
National Institutes of Health / National
Institute of Nursing Research
Halcón, Linda
Recruitment Strategy for Testing
Tea Tree Oil Treatment of Bacterial
Infections
University of Minnesota School of Nursing
/ Center for Health Trajectory Research
Henly, Susan
American Indian MS-to-PhD
Nursing Science Bridge – Phase 2
National Institutes of Health / National
Institute of General Medical Sciences
Henly, Susan
NRP and Neonatal Outcomes
in Rural Hospitals
American Academy of Pediatrics
Jones, Ann
Nursing Residency: Ensuring
Minnesota’s Future Workforce
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services
Kerr, Madeleine
Latino-based Multimedia to
Prevent NIHL
National Institutes of Health /
National Institute of Deafness and
Other Communication Disorders
Kreitzer, Mary Jo
Residential Eating Disorders Grant
Park Nicollet Institute; Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Minnesota Foundation
Kubik, Martha
A Clinic-based Intervention
Targeting Primary & Secondary
Prevention of Childhood Obesity
Allina Hospitals & Clinics
Kubik, Martha
A School-based Body-Mass Index
Screening Program: Phase II
University of Minnesota / Academic
Health Center
Kubik, Martha
Team COOL Pilot Study
National Institutes of Health / National
Institute of Diabetes & Digestive and
Kidney Diseases
Leonard, Barbara
Center for Children with Special
Health Care Needs
Maternal and Child Health Bureau /
Health Resources and Services
Administration / U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
Lindeke, Linda
Service Use and Outcomes of
Prematurity at Adolescence
National Association of Pediatric Nurse
Practitioners, Minnesota Chapter
Lindquist, Ruth
Acupuncture for Prevention
and Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation
in CABG Surgery Patients
University of Minnesota School of Nursing
/ Center for Health Trajectory Research
Lindquist, Ruth
Neuropsychological Functioning,
Delirium, and Health Related Quality
of Life of Patients Following On- and
Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass
Surgery: A 3-Year Follow-up Study
Minnesota Nurses Association Foundation
Looman, Wendy
Hmong Translation of the Social
Capital Scale for CSHCN
Midwest Nursing Research Society
Moss, Margaret
Native Nursing Careers Opportunity
Program (NNCOP)
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services
Mueller, Christine
Geriatric Nursing Education
Project: Creating Careers in Geriatric
Advanced Practice Nursing
The John A. Hartford Foundation
Mueller, Christine
Multicultural Health and
Wellness Services for Seniors in
Independent Housing
University of Minnesota Office for
Public Engagement
O’Boyle, Carol
Minnesota Emergency Readiness
Education and Training (MERET)
Health Resources and Services
Administration / U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
Peden-McAlpine, Cynthia
Extending Pediatric Critical Care
Nurses’ Expertise in Family Settings
American Association of Critical-Care
Nurses
Peden-McAlpine, Cynthia
Understanding Dying in Critical
Care: A Qualitative Study
University of Minnesota Graduate School
Robertson, Cheryl
Modeling Psychological Functioning
in Refugees
University of Minnesota School of Nursing
/ Center for Health Trajectory Research
Sieving, Renee
Prime Time: Health Promotion for
Multiple Risk Behaviors
National Institutes of Health / National
Institute of Nursing Research
Talley, Kristine
Fear of Falling and Disability
Trajectories in Older Women
National Institutes of Health / National
Institute of Nursing Research
Treat-Jacobson, Diane
Interdisciplinary Clinical Research
Scholar Program
University of Minnesota / Academic
Health Center
Treat-Jacobson, Diane
Predictors of a Successful Response
to Exercise Training
American Heart Association
Westra, Bonnie
Improving Informatics Competencies
for Minnesota Nursing Leaders
University of Minnesota Office for
Public Engagement
Westra, Bonnie
Developing Predictive Models for
Improving Home Care Patients’
Ambulation and Oral Medication
Management Outcomes
University of Minnesota Graduate School
Westra, Bonnie
Leadership through Nursing
Informatics
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (prime)
/ Regents of the University of California
Westra, Bonnie
Using Electronic Health Record
Data to Predict Medical Emergencies
for Homecare Patients
University of Minnesota Digital
Technology Center
Wyman, Jean
(P20) Center for Health
Trajectory Research
National Institutes of Health / National
Institute of Nursing Research
Yu, Fang
The Effect of Aerobic Fitness
Exercise Functioning and
Function in Community-Dwelling
Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease
American Nurses Foundation
Yu, Fang
The Impact of Aerobic Exercise
on Cognition and Function in Older
Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease
The John A. Hartford Foundation
spring/summer 2007
17

honors and awards
faculty
Donna Bliss, PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA, Professor, received the Best Research Poster Award from
the Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurse’s Society
Connie Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, professor and SoN dean, along with three co-editors,
received the 2006 Book of the Year Award from the Healthcare Information and Management
Systems Society (HIMSS) with Nursing and Informatics for the 21st Century. Co-editors are
Charlotte A. Weaver, PhD, RN, Patrick Weber, MA, RN, and Robyn Carr, RGON. HIMSS says the
book “is destined to become the quintessential anchor in nurse leadership classes as well
as basic informatics competencies for practicing nurses and university curriculum.”
Joanne Disch, PhD, RN, FAAN received the 2007 GE Healthcare-AACN Pioneering Spirit Award
from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
Mary Findorff, PhD, RN, research associate, received the 2006 Aetna/Susan B. Anthony Award
for Excellence in Research on Older Women and Public Health, from the Gerontological Health
section, American Public Health Association.
Carolyn Garcia, PhD, MPH, RN, received the University of Minnesota President’s Multicultural
Faculty Award for her project, “Using Health Realization with Latino Adolescents: Piloting
the ‘No Te Quebres El Coco’” Program.
Susan Henly, PhD, RN, professor, has been named an editorial adviser to Nursing Research,
the world’s premier nursing research journal.
Linda Olson Keller, MS, APRN, BC, senior research scientist, received a Robert Wood Johnson
Executive Nurse Fellows Alumni Association Seed Grant for “A Public Health Nurse/Population
Ratio for the 21st Century” project.
Joan Liaschenko, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor, was named Maria Goeppert Mayer Visiting
Professor at the University of Osnabrueck, Germany. Liaschenko is the first nurse and one
of only a few Americans to receive this professorship, which honors women scholars across
disciplines. She will teach a graduate and undergraduate course in nursing ethics and give
the keynote address at a conference marking the professorship at Osnabrueck. She will
also be a visiting scholar at the Graduate School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health, Victoria
University of Wellington, New Zealand, this fall.
Liaschenko is one of 25 nationally and internationally pioneers and noted scholars in
nursing ethics from across North America invited to convene at Creighton University,
Omaha, Neb., this April in a funded conference, Nursing and Health Care Ethics: A Legacy
and A Vision. The scholarly work of the participants served as the beginning knowledge
base of nursing ethics and continues today as its foundation.
18 minnesota nursing

honors and awards
Ruth Lindquist, PhD, RN, FAAN, APRN, BC, professor, received a University of Minnesota
2006–2007 Distinguished Teaching Award for Outstanding Contributions to Graduate
and Professional Education. She will be inducted into the Academy of Distinguished
Teachers on Monday, April 23, at the McNamara Alumni Center. The Distinguished Teaching
Awards are sponsored by the Senate Committee on Educational Policy, the Office of the
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, and the University of Minnesota
Alumni Association.
Linda Lindeke, PhD, RN, CNP, associate professor, received the 2006 American Journal of
Maternal Child Nursing article of the year award for two articles—“Capturing Children’s Voice
for Quality Improvement” and “HIV and Pregnancy: Considerations for Nursing Practice.”
Margaret Moss, DSN, RN, JD, associate professor, received the Nurse Competency in Aging
Award from the National Alaska Native American Indian Nurses Association. Margaret was
also named to the Board of Directors of the new Inter-Tribal Elder Services, a program that
will provide home health services to inner-city American Indian elders of different tribes.
Christine Mueller, PhD, RN, BC, CNAA, associate professor and chair
of the Adult and Gerontological Health Cooperative, received the
2006 Geriatric Faculty Member Award from the American Association
of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Awards for Baccalaureate Education
in Geriatric Nursing.
She was also named 2006 Educator of the Year by the Minnesota
Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Her Faculty Teaching Resources Web site provides links to information
on 38 topics of relevance to nursing care of older adults, and her
Web site on Long-term Care Nursing Leadership/Management provides
extensive resources to promote best practices for nurse leaders in
nursing homes. Both are available at www.nursing.umn.edu/CGN.
Jean F. Wyman, PhD, RN, FAAN, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National
Gerontological Nursing Association’s Board of Directors “for outstanding contributions to
the care of the older adults.”
In her 35-year career, Wyman has become an internationally recognized expert on
urinary incontinence outcomes and management, fall prevention, and exercise among the
elderly. In collaboration with interdisciplinary colleagues in behavioral management of
urinary incontinence, she has made a difference in the type of treatments that are now
recommended as the preferred first-line therapies. Her work on fall prevention in older
women will have an impact on reducing falls and serious injuries, especially in Minnesota,
a state that has twice the rate of falls and fall-related deaths as other states.
Wyman, who holds the Cora Meidl Siehl Endowed Chair in Nursing Research, directs
the Center for Gerontological Nursing, the Minnesota Center for Health Trajectory Research
and Minnesota Continence Associates.
Chris Mueller displaying
her Hartford
Award, with Jean
Wyman (left) and
Dean Connie Delaney
(center).
Fang Yu, PhD, MSN, RN, assistant professor, received a K12 Career Development Award from
the National Institutes of Health.
spring/summer 2007
19

events
Celebrate! Rejuvenate! Learn!
… this spring with friends and colleagues!
April 20
SCHOOL OF NURSING
research day
Pathways to Health: Integrating Research and Practice
Presentations by researchers from the University of Minnesota
School of Nursing and community. Poster displays, including
student posters throughout the day
Keynote by Janet Larson, PhD, RN, FAAN, expert in the pulmonary
rehabilitation of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD)
9 a.m.–4 p.m. Research Day presentations; keynote at 9:15 a.m.
4–5:30 p.m. Reception for School of Nursing alumni, retired and
current faculty and Sigma Theta Tau members
McNamara Alumni Center
Register by April 13. For more information, go to
www.nursing.umn.edu/ResearchDay
nursing heritage reception
Heritage Gallery, McNamara Alumni Center
4–5:30 p.m.
Join Dean Delaney, reunion classmates, current and former faculty
and members of Sigma Theta Tau for appetizers in the grand and
historic Heritage Gallery. Enjoy historical University and School of
Nursing memorabilia while reconnecting and relaxing with friends.
April 21
SCHOOL OF NURSING
alumni spring celebration
Ethical Decision-Making During Crisis
Join friends and colleagues to examine ethical issues that arise in
crisis situations and how nurses have negotiated this complex terrain.
9 a.m. Registration and silent auction
9:30 a.m. Welcome, introduction of reunion classes
(1947, 1957, 1967, 1982) and reflections
10 a.m. Brunch buffet
10:40 a.m. Introductory remarks: Katharine Densford
and Ethics, Laurie Glass, PhD, RN, FAAN
10:45 a.m. Panel discussion: Ethical Decision-Making during
Crisis, led by Joan Liaschenko, PhD, MS ’75, RN,
FAAN, with Hans-Peter deRuiter and Scott Harpin
11:35 a.m. Awards Presentation
Noon
Photos of reunion classes, School of Nursing tour
McNamara Alumni Center
Cost: $30 UMAA member, $35 Non-UMAA member, $15 Student
Register by April 10. For more information, go to
www.nursing.umn.edu/SpringCelebration
20 minnesota nursing

center news
CENTER DIRECTOR:
Jean Wyman, PhD, APRN-BC, GNP, FAAN
MISSION:
Develop and test innovative interventions
that help individuals and families
create optimal pathways to health.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Linda Dahle, Program Administrator
Phone: 612-626-9443
Email: dahle081@umn.edu
www.nursing.umn.edu/CHTR
MINNESOTA CENTER FOR
health trajectory research
The Minnesota Center for Health Trajectory
Research, established in 2005 with a $1.5
million grant from the National Institute of
Nursing Research, is developing and testing
innovative interventions that will help
individuals and families create optimal pathways
to health. Center researchers are
exploring the interrelationships among the
many biological, behavioral, psychosocial
and environmental factors responsible for
health or illness and how to manage them
over time.
The Center provides funding to faculty to
conduct one-year pilot studies. Projects funded
for 2007–08 are to:
• Refine and evaluate a Web-based educational program designed
to prepare early and middle adolescents (ages 10 to 16 years)
for pain and other negative consequences of cancer treatment
(Dr. Susan O’Conner-Von)
• Develop predictive models for outcomes of incontinence and
pressure ulcers in homecare using a cutting-edge methodology
of knowledge-discovery in data bases (KDD) (Dr. Bonnie Westra)
• Examine the experiences of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients
who are undergoing surgery to determine the consequences
of withholding medication on PD symptoms. (Drs. Lisa Carney-
Anderson and Kathy Fagerlund)
Several regional, national and international
presentations and publications have resulted from
pilot studies funded during the first and second
year of the Center. These include:
PRESENTATIONS:
Halcon, L., Lillehei, A. Tea tree oil and wounds: Recruitment pilot
study. Abstract accepted for oral presentation, Midwest Nursing
Research Society’s Annual Meeting, Omaha, NE. March 2007.
Kubik, M.Y., Story, M. School-based obesity prevention: Opinions, beliefs
and current practices of licensed school nurses. American Public
Health Association Annual Conference, Boston, MA. November, 2006.
Lewis, M., Kirk, L., Narayan, S., Hepburn, K. Perspectives of persons with
early stage dementia. 17th International Nursing Research Congress,
Sigma Theta Tau International, Montreal, Canada. July 2006.
Lewis, M., Kirk L., Narayan S., Hepburn, K. Psychoeducational needs
of early stage dementia families: Caregiver and care recipient
perspectives. Gerontological Society of America’s Annual Scientific
Meeting. Dallas, TX. November, 2006.
Lewis, M., Kirk, L., Narayan, S., & Hepburn, K. Listening to the voices
of Hispanic family caregivers and elders with memory problems.
Gerontological Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting.
Dallas, TX. November 2006.
Robertson, C., Savik, K. Modeling psychological functioning in
refugees. Midwest Nursing Research Society’s Annual Meeting,
Omaha, NE. March 2007.
PUBLICATIONS:
Kubik, M.Y., Story, M., Davey, C. (In press). Obesity prevention in schools:
Current role and future practice of school nurses. Preventive Medicine.
spring/summer 2007
21

center news
CENTER DIRECTOR:
Linda H. Bearinger, PhD, RN, FAAN
MISSION:
To educate nurses to be expert clinicians,
teachers, researchers, leaders and
policymakers who will serve the health
needs of young people.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Linda H. Bearinger
Professor and Director
Phone: 612-624-5157
Fax: 612-626-2359
E-mail: beari001@umn.edu
www.nursing.umn.edu/CAN
PHOTO: TIM RUMMELHOFF
CENTER FOR
adolescent nursing
Engaging Young People, Engaging
Parents, Engaging Scholars
Engaging…Is it a gerund or an adjective? At the Center for Adolescent
Nursing we are working to make sure that engaging is both! We
want it to be a gerund (Do you remember? A gerund is a noun
formed by adding “ing” to a verb) because nouns are substantives.
That means they can name the specific programs we use to go
about engaging young people, parents and future scholars. But we
also work to make engaging an adjective, describing a style and
tone of “capturing the attention and interest”…of students, community
partners, and potential stakeholders.
In summer 2006 our Center’s annual three-day institute with
its 90 participants and faculty were engaging youth in multiple
directions, from enlisting them as full-time teachers to hearing
how programs and clinics, theatre troupes and community groups
get teens involved and in the driver’s seat—laying plans, leading
initiatives, and learning to be of service to others. Our 2007 institute
(July 30–August 1), “Working Together with Parents and Families,”
continues the focus.
This description speaks to the heart of next summer’s institute:
“… with today’s challenging environments, nearly all who work
with teens ask the question, “How do we get parents and families
engaged?” Hear answers and insights and learn first-hand from
schools, clinics and youth programs that have successfully linked
young people with their families. Listen to stories of success—
new ways to engage all kinds of families—in communities rural
and urban, in the workplace, health clinics and all types of schools,
in youth organizations, residential centers, and park programs …”
Engaging future scholars in adolescent health is our forte. We
have seven post-doctoral fellows and 17 MS, MPH and PhD students
currently on board. Funds to support stipends and tuition come
from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (HRSA, DHHS), and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This past year we successfully
competed for another $2.4 million that assures support
until 2010. Our students have also experienced the thrill of writing
winning grant proposals: PhD candidate Terry Ann Clark received a
highly competitive Dissertation Fellowship Award from the Graduate
School. With this support she is pursuing research on the mental
health needs of Maori young people, the indigenous youth of
New Zealand. She is one of several whose scholarship in adolescent
health has been recognized for its quality and value in addressing
the unique health needs of particularly vulnerable adolescents.
And, our faculty are engaged in community, state, and national
efforts directed at promoting and protecting the health of adolescents.
Dr. Linda Bearinger, professor, has joined the Institute of
Medicine’s (of the National Academies) Committee on Adolescent
Health Care. Dr. Martha Kubik, assistant professor, researches
ways of motivating young people in alternative schools to exercise
and eat right. When her work went to print, the media’s interest
overwhelmed us. Renee Sieving, associate professor, leads a
research team of youth experts who are strategizing new ways
of improving outcomes in community and school clinics. The work
of Dr. Carolyn Garcia, assistant professor, reaches out to Latino/a
youth through charter schools, clinics and community programs
designed just for them.
To learn more about the Center’s work—engaging
young people, parents, and scholars—visit our Web site:
www.nursing.umn.edu/CAN.
22 minnesota nursing

center news
CENTER DIRECTOR:
Joanne Disch, PhD, RN, FAAN
MISSION:
To improve health and health care
worldwide through the education,
collaboration and promotion of nurses
as strong leaders and good partners.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Arlene Birnbaum
Administrator Coordinator
Phone: 612-625-1187
E-mail: birnb023@umn.edu
http://densfordcenter.ahc.umn.edu
KATHARINE J. DENSFORD INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR
nursing leadership
Nurse – Physician Relationships
Some of the most rewarding aspects of being a nurse are the relationships that can be developed between nurses
and physicians. Even in times of shortage, the positive experiences that can occur when working collaboratively can
offset the stress of insufficient resources. Much research has been done on the importance of the nurse-physician
relationship and how it significantly impacts nurse satisfaction and retention.
What is perhaps less well-known is that nurse-physician relationships can affect patient outcomes, such as
satisfaction with care, and even whether patients live or die. The Institute of Medicine’s report, Crossing the Quality
Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century (2001, 2), has asserted that “tens of thousands of Americans die
each year from errors in their care, and hundreds of thousands suffer or barely escape from nonfatal injuries that
a truly high quality care system would largely prevent.”
While these deaths are not solely attributable to nurse-physician collaboration, the number-one factor cited
in these events has been lack of communication among caregivers.
While much of the research focuses on the relationships between nurses and physicians in general, what has
been almost ignored is the relationship between nurse and physician leaders of a clinical team. Do they function
as partners? Do they clearly communicate with each other? Do they model the appropriate behaviors associated
with open and respectful communication, trust, collaboration?
Densford Center Director Joanne Disch recently completed a study on this topic. Working with doctoral student
Laura Senn, Disch examined the perceptions of medical directors and nurse managers who are providing joint
leadership to a patient care area regarding the experience of being clinical leaders, and the factors that help or
hinder them in being effective co-leaders. Five pairs of nurse-physician dyads who functioned as co-leaders of
patient care areas were interviewed and their responses analyzed for common themes.
Common themes that the medical directors and nurse managers discussed were 1) role clarity, 2) interpersonal
relationships, 3) socialization into the role, including orientation and ongoing professional development and 4)
organizational support, such as clear position descriptions and expectations of them in their roles.
What was fascinating to Disch and Senn were the varied experiences that the individuals described, ranging
from almost no relationship to one which was mutually satisfying and productive. Another outcome was a
videotape of a conversation with a pair of co-leaders who described the challenges and benefits to patients, other
care providers and themselves when the two leaders create an effective partnership in co-leading a clinical area.
The ultimate goal of the study is to design an organizational intervention that could help nurse and physician
co-leaders be maximally effective in executing their roles.
spring/summer 2007
23

center news
CENTER DIRECTOR:
Jean Wyman, PhD, APRN-BC, GNP, FAAN
MISSION:
To improve the health, quality of life
and delivery of quality nursing care to
aging adults of diverse cultures.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
or to join the University of
Minnesota gero nursing listserv:
Jan Marie Lundgren
Phone: 612-626-0926
E-mail: geronursing@umn.edu
www.nursing.umn.edu/CGN
CENTER FOR
gerontological nursing
In the last nine months, faculty from the Center for Gerontological
Nursing have been collaborating with the Payne-Phalen Living-at-
Home Block Nurse Program to establish two Multicultural Wellness
Centers for older adults, one at the Edgerton High Rise and one at
Parkway Gardens on the East Side of St. Paul. Christine Mueller, PhD,
RN, and Mary Dierich, MS, RN, CNP, have worked closely with Kim
Zemke, MS, RN, Director of Practice and Business Development, to
develop the clinics to enhance options for faculty practice.
The Edgerton High Rise is a public housing building serving the
elderly, chronically mentally ill people of all ages and low-income
residents under 65. Parkway Gardens is a privately owned building
serving low income people over 55. Both buildings have racially and
ethnically diverse communities. Many residents are recent immigrants
to this country or belong to the Hispanic community and are
not comfortable seeking care in a traditional system. Most residents,
many of whom have mobility issues, are uninsured or are seen at
one of the overcrowded federally funded health care clinics in the
neighborhood. Unfortunately, by the time they are seen, often times
their minor acute problem has developed into a major problem with
complications necessitating attention through the emergency room.
The Payne-Phalen Living-at-Home Block Nurse Program, when
contacted in June, 2006, was able to facilitate obtaining these two
practice sites, help set up the clinics, introduce our staff to community
partners and orient our staff and students to the nuances
of community care in these types of environments. The School of
Nursing provides care at the clinics through Mary Dierich, a geriatric
nurse practitioner, assisted by undergraduate and graduate nursing
students. They provide health, risk factor and environmental
assessments, screening clinics, home visits, group educational programs
and other wellness services to augment care given by the
client’s primary care provider. In addition, care not typically provided
in the primary provider’s clinic such as foot inspections, nutritional
counseling, medication assessment and care coordination occur in
the Wellness Centers. Initially the services were targeted for older
adults, but the need is so great that all adults are served. The clinics
allow fragile clients, who might not have the physical or financial
ability to be followed closely, to be seen regularly in order to prevent
health problems from consuming their resources.
The Payne-Phalen Living at Home Block Nurse Program collaborates
with the School of Nursing to coordinate services and
community resources while also providing health and social
services when the faculty and students are not present. They also
supplement those services not provided by the School such as
transportation and shopping assistance, advocacy for medical and
social services, friendly visitors and callers, and Spanish translation
for Latino seniors. Additionally, both programs collaborate closely
with the social workers caring for these clients, frequently making
joint visits with a client’s social worker. The development of
this joint program has provided students with the opportunity to
see elders in their environment, and to understand the issues in
providing culturally sensitive care and the importance of the very
basics when serving a low-income clientele. The option to augment
care for seniors, whether they are already insured, underinsured
or uninsured is part of the ever more important safety net for
those who need so much, but ask for so little.
24 minnesota nursing

center news
CENTER DIRECTOR:
Barbara Leonard, PhD, RN, FAAN
MISSION:
To prepare advanced practice nurses to
fulfill leadership roles in interdisciplinary
clinical primary and specialty care, in the
organization and delivery of nursing services,
in policy and research arenas, and
in educational and advocacy settings, in
response to the growing population of
children with chronic illness and disability.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Andrea Christy
Phone: 612-626-7085
E-mail: chri1446@umn.edu
www.nursing.umn.edu/CCSHCH
CENTER FOR
children with special
health care needs
The focus of the current five-year Maternal
and Child Health (MCH) grant is on
education of PhD-prepared MCH Nursing
faculty. Nine doctoral students have an exciting range
of research topics addressing the concerns of CSHCN
and their parents—from foreign adoption to music
therapy in premature infants to fatigue in children with
cancer. Now in our 14th year of funding, we will conduct
a needs assessment in the coming months in preparation
for the upcoming competitive grant review in 2008.
The needs assessment will focus on the new Doctor of
Nursing Practice competencies and their place in MCH
Nursing Leadership. We anticipate that the DNP will
replace the MS program in the next five-year grant cycle,
which runs 2008 to 2013.
Admissions to the master’s degree in
the PNP/CSHCN area of study are robust.
Students will be encouraged to consider the DNP as a
post-master’s degree. Several pediatric nurse practitioners,
many of whom graduated from the CSHCN/PNP
program are in our first class of DNP students; Center
faculty member Chris Poe is among them. These individuals
are in a one-year post-master’s program to obtain
their DNPs.
Graduates from our program are leaders
in promoting the health of children with special health
care needs and their families as they provide evidencebased
primary and specialty care, educate future nurses,
create innovative programs and lead program evaluation
and research initiatives in a variety of settings.
Center director Barbara Leonard, PhD,
RN, FAAN, is overseeing a new grantwriting
seminar this spring. This one-credit course,
Nurs5800, is a self-paced Web-based course that teaches
grant writers how to create top-ranking grant proposals.
Through faculty-monitored online explorations,
students learn how to find the best sources for funding
and prepare polished grant proposals for programs and
research by critiquing as well as creating core components
of actual grant applications. This grant-writing
course will be offered every spring semester.
Dr. Susan O’Conner-Von, DNSc, RNc, will
be offering her popular one-week seminar
Nurs5800 “Palliative Care for Children”
yet again this May session 2007. The course examines
the physical, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs
of children facing life-limiting conditions.
For more information about these and other Center class offerings, please contact the
Center for Children with Special Health Care Needs program coordinator, Andrea Christy,
at (612) 626-7085 or cshcn@umn.edu.
spring/summer 2007
25

center news
CENTER DIRECTOR:
Ann Garwick, PhD, RN, FAAN
MISSION:
To improve the health of infants,
children, adolescents, parents and
families in the context of their
communities. Center members develop
and disseminate evidence-based
interventions and best practices in
primary and secondary prevention.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
See Web site:
www.nursing.umn.edu/CCFHPR
E-mail: CCFHPR@umn.edu
CENTER FOR
child and family health
promotion research
Welcome new center members
OUR RESEARCH
FOCUSES ON
THE FOLLOWING
FIVE GOALS:
Promoting the
health of couples, and
childbearing and
childrearing families,
Improving the quality
of life for children with
special health care
needs and their families,
Assessing risk and
promoting resilience in
vulnerable adolescents,
Increasing the access
and quality of care for
children and families
from diverse cultural
backgrounds, including
recent immigrant and
refugee populations,
and
Developing community-based,
populationfocused
interventions
related to topics such
as gestational diabetes,
infection control,
and the prevention of
hearing loss.
CCFHPR-sponsored sessions
at School of Nursing Research Day
The breadth of research interests and collaborations among Center
members with interdisciplinary colleagues is illustrated in the topics
and co-presenters who will be presenting their research findings at
the School of Nursing Research Day on April 20, 2007.
Laura Duckett, PhD, RN; Sue Meeks, RN; Richard Lussky, MD
• Mother’s milk feeding (MMF) for very low birth weight infants
while in the NICU
Jayne Fulkerson, PhD; Mary Story, PhD RD; Dianne Neumark-Sztainer,
PhD RD; Sarah Rydell, MPH • Family Meals: Perceptions of the
benefits and challenges among parents of children 8 to 10-years old
Carolyn Garcia, PhD, RN; Renee Sieving, PhD RN; Carol Skay, PhD;
Sandy Naughton (Health Start); Linda Bearinger, PhD, RN
• Family and racial factors associated with suicide and depressive
symptoms among Latino high school students
Barbara Leonard, PhD, RN • The relationship of metabolic control in
type 1 diabetes and youth behavior: Self-report by youth and parents
Susan O’Conner-Von, DNSc RN; Barbara Leonard, PhD RN;
Carol Skay, PhD • Students’ spiritual perspectives and confidence
in providing spiritual care
Mary Regan, PhD, RN • In the mind of the beholder: Intrapartum
nurses’ cognitive frames of childbirth
The Center plays an important role in
mentoring doctoral students and postdoctoral
fellows, who in turn contribute
their expertise in promoting the health
of children and families.
DOCTORAL STUDENTS
Mary Benbenek is focusing her research on
identifying dietary and lifestyle factors
which may affect bone health in Minnesota’s
early adolescent East African female
immigrant population.
Sarah Stoddard is interested in school and
community health promotion interventions
targeting adolescents and their families,
such as interventions that promote physical
activity and nutrition.
Scott Harpin’s research focus is on adolescent
social behaviors, especially social connections
with peers, school and community environments
and the wellbeing of foster youth.
POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS
Mary Regan, PhD, RN: She is researching
the influence that nursing care has on
the utilization of childbirth technologies—
most specifically cesarean section.
DenYelle Baete Kenyon, PhD: Research
interests include adolescent development
and health, parent-adolescent relationships
and transition to adulthood.
26 minnesota nursing

u of m school of nursing
foundation
Walter E. Olson
and Adela J. Olson
Scholarship
Heritage Society
Welcomes
Karen Rothenbuhler
The late Adela J. Olson gave a $300,000 bequest to establish the
Walter E. Olson and Adela J. Olson Scholarship for students who
demonstrate strong academic progress and who have a passion for
becoming nurses.
Adela always wanted to be a nurse but never had the opportunity
to pursue her dream. Born in Sweden and residing in Minneapolis for
most of her life, she passed away peacefully in May at the age of 92.
According to William R. Miller, personal representative of Adela’s
estate, “Both Mr. and Mrs. Olson were hard-working, frugal people
who lived modestly. Adela took pride in her efforts to put her son
Dick through medical school at the University of Minnesota, and
further was grateful for the care and treatment she received at the
University Hospital many years ago when she suffered a brain
aneurysm. This is a fitting gift which will assist deserving students
to obtain an education in a much needed field of study.”
We are grateful for Adela’s generosity in leaving this wonderful
legacy. In recognition of her commitment to nursing, Adela was
honored in 2001 as member of the University’s Heritage Society.
Gauthier Leaves Legacy
for Nursing Innovation
The late Claire M. Gauthier gifted $150,000 to establish a named
fund that will support advancements in technology and innovations
in nursing research, education and practice. The fund is established
with the goal of improving patient care through strategic student
and faculty lead initiatives.
A native of Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada, Claire came to the
University of Minnesota in the 1950s to study nursing and public
health. She went on to become a professor of nursing at the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where, according to Dr. Laurie
Glass, she had a long and productive career. After moving to senior
housing, Claire continued to make use of her nursing skills by
caring for neighbors and friends. She passed away in March 2006
at the age of 92.
Karen Johnson Rothenbuhler made a leadership planned gift to
create the Karen L. Johnson Rothenbuhler Nursing Scholarship Fund.
She attended the University of Minnesota School of Nursing
in the late ’50s, and because of financial concerns was never able
to complete her nursing degree. Putting her higher education
aspirations aside, she married Larry Rothenbuhler and worked in
accounting throughout her career.
She hopes that through the establishment of this endowed
scholarship deserving students will receive the support they need
to become nurses and benefit patient care. “I am glad to be able
to do it,” Rothenbuhler said.
The Rothenbuhler Nursing Scholarship will provide scholarships
for undergraduate nursing students who are in good academic
standing, have demonstrated financial need and a passion for
pursuing nursing as a career. We are delighted to welcome Karen
as one of the School’s newest members of the Heritage Society.
Kalow Fellowship Honors
Professor Leonard
Eileen Kalow, BSN ’71, has established a new fellowship for doctoral
students who are in the dissertation phase of their program.
The intent of the Eileen Vinnes Kalow Fellowship in Children’s Health
is to support graduate students who demonstrate passion for
the nursing profession and who are planning careers dedicated
to serving children through health care research or teaching.
After receiving her undergraduate degree from the School of
Nursing in 1971, Eileen returned to the University of Minnesota
to pursue her Master’s degree in Public Health Nursing. Prepared
as a pediatric nurse practitioner, she is making this gift in honor
and appreciation of her former public health nursing professor,
Dr. Barbara Leonard. “Eileen’s generous support for graduate
nursing education in the care of children is consistent with her
remarkable career of service to children and their families,”
reflects Professor Leonard.
spring/summer 2007
27

nursing foundation
memorial and tribute gifts
The School of Nursing welcomes gifts made in recognition of family members, friends, alumni
and colleagues. Tribute and memorial gifts provide a thoughtful way to celebrate life,
commemorate special occasions and express appreciation. Gifts may be given in memory
and honor of friends and loved ones at any time. You will receive a receipt acknowledging
your contribution for tax purposes, and your honorees (or a family member in the case of
memorials) will also be notified of your kind remembrance.
We invite you to use one of the accompanying reply cards to make commemorative
gifts. Please make your check payable to our parent organization, the University of
Minnesota Foundation, and send to the School of Nursing Foundation, 5-138 Weaver-Densford
Hall, 308 Harvard Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455.
Please keep the extra reply cards on hand for your future use. A gift to the School of
Nursing in honor or memory of someone special will be a productive and powerful tribute.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.
Memorials & Tributes to the School of Nursing
Honoree:
Purpose of your tribute gift:
● Anniversary
● Birthday
● Graduation
● Holiday Remembrance
● Memorial
● Retirement
● Other
Comments
Please send an acknowledgement card to:
Name
Relationship to Honoree
Address
City, State, Zip
Name of Donor
Address
City, State, Zip
Phone H ( ) W ( )
Memorials & Tributes to the School of Nursing
Honoree:
Purpose of your tribute gift:
● Anniversary
● Birthday
● Graduation
● Holiday Remembrance
● Memorial
● Retirement
● Other
Please send an acknowledgement card to:
Name
Relationship to Honoree
Address
City, State, Zip
Name of Donor
Address
City, State, Zip
Phone H ( ) W ( )
clip and enclose with your gift.
clip and enclose with your gift.
Recent gifts for nursing
scholarships and program
support have honored:
IN MEMORIAM:
Tanya V. Ash
Robert J. Boone
Margaret Clipper
Harriet Hager
Kimi Hara
Albert T. Lalim
Martha Makepeace
Betty M. Pederson
Jane Scroggins
Roxanne Struthers
IN TRIBUTE:
Julia Cross
Kathy Furey
Hennepin County Nurse-Midwives
Michelle James
Carol Kelsey
Ruth Knollmueller
Barbara Leonard
Mary Malosky
Kari Michalski
Claire Nelson
Susan Nixon
Kaydi Novak
Rita O’Reilly
Maggie Pastarr
Karlyn Peterson
Michael Petty
Kate Pfaff
Jenny Ramsey
Laurel Riedel
Nancy Schamber
Jane Skjerven
Kathy Turi
Karen Von Ruden
Ruth Weise
For additional information regarding
giving opportunities, please
contact Laurel Mallon, 612-624-2490,
or mallo001@umn.edu.
Comments

alumni news
class notes
Jean Antonello, BSN ’73, published her fourth and fifth books
in 2006. Getting Kids to Talk concerns adolescent support groups
made safe. Her fifth book, Naturally Thin Kids, discusses the
prevention of obesity and eating disorders in children and teens.
Lyn Ceronsky, MSN ’78, Fairview System director of palliative care,
accepted the prestigious national Circle of Life Award for programs
to improve care of patients near the end of life or with life-threatening
conditions. The awards are supported by the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation in Princeton, N.J. Lyn accepted the award on
behalf of all the exceptional caregivers throughout the Fairview
system who provide end-of-life care.
Muriel Ryden, BSN ’53, PhD, faculty emerita, was one of 100 graduates
honored at the U of M College of Education’s 100th Anniversary
celebration. Muriel, who earned her PhD from the College in 1982,
received a Distinguished Alumni Award for developing and implementing
a model for integrating ethics education in undergraduate
nursing curricula and for her research regarding care of individuals
and families affected by Alzheimer’s Disease.
Sandra Sathre, BSN ’88, received her MSN degree from the University
of Phoenix. In June, she was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau.
Victoria (Vicki) Kyarsgaard, BSN ’75, MS ’05, has accepted a position as
an assistant professor of nursing with Crown College in St. Bonifacius,
Minn., which is just opening a baccalaureate nursing program.
Kristine Talley, BSN ’99, MSN ’05, will receive a one-year National
Research Service Award Predoctoral Fellowship from the National
Institute of Nursing Research for her dissertation, Fear of Falling
and Disabilities Trajectories.
Betty M. Johnson, BSN ’55, PhD, RN, received the 2006 Sister
Bernadette Armiger Award from the American Association of Colleges
of Nursing in recognition of her leadership and significant contributions
to the AACN and its goals, to nursing education and to
the advancement of the profession. Johnson is professor emerita
at the University of Virginia College at Wise.
Lois (Loi) Thompson Carlson, BSN ’64, has begun a new position as
associate vice president for academic affairs at Central New Mexico
Community College (formerly Albuquerque Technical Vocational
Institute), Albuquerque, N.M. Carlson was dean of the Business and
Information Technology Division and former Business Occupations
Department for 10 years.
class of 1960 shines
It took a dream, a leap of faith and a
commitment to giving back when the Class
of 1960 embarked upon a quest to create
an endowed scholarship in honor of its
45th reunion. The goal was a steep one—
$25,000—that, once reached, would trigger
matching funds from the President’s
Scholarship Program, creating an endowed
scholarship and leaving a lasting legacy
to the class.
With Mary Lou Christensen taking the
lead, a spirit of generosity shared by her
classmates and a matching gift from Carol
Kelsey and husband Don propelled the
class to its goal in early March. The first
nursing class to accomplish this feat,
members hope that in addition to helping
undergraduate nursing students realize
their dreams, the Class of 1960 Scholarship
will inspire additional reunion classes
to give back and create opportunities for
nursing students.
Congratulations, Class of
1960, for your astounding
accomplishment and
spirit of giving!
join the alumni
association today
As a member of the University of
Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA)
you’ll be able to take advantage of its
many rewards! They include access to
Library Publications Online and the
M Alumni Online directory, plus travel
opportunities, arts and entertainment
discounts and much more. Go to
www.alumni.umn.edu/membership
and become a member today! Be sure
to specify nursing as your preferred
alumni society.
spring/summer 2007
29

alumni news
in memory
Gretchen (Larson) Anderson, BSN ’76, Seattle,
Wash., on December 7, 2006, after battling cancer.
Johanna Berlin, Sioux Falls, S.D., on September 21,
2006, at 108 years of age. She was believed to
be the oldest war veteran in Minnesota. Berlin
became an Army nurse at 45, and upon her return
from the war sought further education at the
University of Minnesota, eventually becoming a
nurse anesthetist.
Ardyce (Nelson) Carlson, BSN ’48, on December 31,
2006. She launched her nursing career serving
in World War II, worked as a St. Paul Public Schools
district administrator responsible for school
nurses, and later retired.
Margaret Clipper, BSN ’50, St. Paul,
Minn., on December 4, 2006.
Margaret retired from the SoN
faculty and was a Heritage
Committee member. The School
has received several memorials
designated for Heritage Fund
in honor of Margaret’s interest and
efforts in the preservation of the School’s history.
Nancy L. Cook, BSN ’48, on November 3, 2006, at
the age of 80, following a short illness. She was
one of the early members of the nursing faculty
at California State University, Bakersfield.
Kimi Hara, BSN ’54, MS ’57,
Brooklyn Center, Minn., on
January 14, 2007, at age
91. A Japanese-American
facing internment at the
start of World War II, she
was allowed to attend
nursing school at a time
when there was great need. In 2003 former Vice
President Walter Mondale presented her with a
Japan America Society service award, calling her
“a wonderful example of the best of the human
spirit.” Hara’s career included work as a nurse,
administrator, volunteer and leader in Minnesota’s
Japanese-American community.
Mary Starke Harper,
PhD, RN, FAAN,
BSN ’50, on July 30,
2006. An unwitting
participant of the
health care team
that conducted the
infamous Tuskegee
syphilis study and
the personal nurse for Dr. George Washington
Carver, Harper worked for more than 60 years
with the federal government to reform the way
federal research was conducted and improve
mental health standards. Hailed as the nation’s
leading expert in mental health and long term
care, she served as a special adviser to presidents
Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. Bush
and Bill Clinton. In retirement, she served as an
expert adviser on women’s health for the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services.
In 2001 she was honored by the establishment
of the Mary Starke Harper Geriatric Psychiatry
Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Betty M. Pederson,
BSN ’40, MS ’57,on
December 8, 2006. Betty
was a former associate
professor and director of
nursing services at University of Minnesota
Hospital. Family and friends are establishing the
Betty M. Pederson Student Nurse Fund in her
memory. Memorials to this fund may be sent to
Laurel Mallon at the School of Nursing.
Frances Mary McHie
Rains, BSN ’32, on May 21,
2006, after suffering a
stroke. Frances was the
first black student to
attend SoN. That was the
first of many color barriers
she broke during her
nursing career in Minneapolis, New Orleans and
Detroit. She later became an associate professor
and assistant to the director of the School of
Nursing at Meharry Medical College, Nashville,
Tenn., directing its nursing service at Hubbard
Hospital. She later taught at the School of
Nursing at the University of Southern California
General Hospital, worked with her physican
husband’s practice and became active in her
community, organizing the Long Beach National
Council of Negro Women and chairing the
Board of Directors of the Long Beach Community
Improvement League.
do you have historic photos to share?
In preparation for the School of Nursing Centennial in 2009, the Nursing Heritage
Committee is in search of historic photos. There is a particular shortage of pictures from
1960 to the present. Do you have photos to donate to the Heritage Committee? If so,
please use a soft pencil or felt-tipped pen to identify on the back who is in the picture and
the date it was taken. Stories about the photo are also welcome—for example, what the
event was and where it took place. Please send your photos and stories to Cathy Konat
at kona0006@umn.edu, bring them to the Annual Alumni Spring Celebration on April 21,
or mail to Cathy at: School of Nursing, 308 Harvard St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Note
that since we will be unable to return your photos you may want to either send us copies
or make copies for yourself.
30 minnesota nursing

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minnesota nursing
reader survey
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We invite you to help improve Minnesota Nursing by sharing with us
your opinions and ideas. Would you take a few moments to fill out this
survey and return it to us? If you reply by May 1, we will enter your
name in a drawing for the nine thought-provoking Summit of Sages CDs.
They include presentations by Diana Mason, Gov. Mario Cuomo, Suzanne
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eader survey
minnesota nursing
3. Please tell us how well you think the magazine fulfills its goals:
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Photo Finish
students on the fast track at
2nd annual speed mentoring event
The room buzzed with energy and conversation as nearly 40 students and 17 alumni mentors participated in the
Alumni Society’s 2nd Annual Speed Mentoring Event on February 8. Borrowing the popular Speed Dating format,
the event introduced students to a smattering of nursing’s many specialties, including less common areas such as
corporate, international and radiology nurse practitioners. Every six minutes—between bites of pizza—students
raced to a different alumni mentor to learn about a specific specialty. A follow-up contact in a preferred area of
interest was offered to each student. It was a great success—fast-paced, fun and full of information.
2
1 3
5
4
6
7
8
1 Student Alissa Pool learns about working as a pediatric nurse
practitioner and with special needs children from mentor Sarah
Gutknecht (back to camera) of Gillette Children’s Hospital.
2 Andrea Tekepe, Regents Radiology, describes what it’s like to be
a radiology nurse practitioner.
3 Laura Doten, Abbott Northwestern Hospital, advises about the
med-surg and family nurse practitioner areas.
4 SoN Assistant Professor Cheryl Robertson discusses public
health and international nursing with students Libby Jones
and Leslie Newman.
5 Claudia Aguilar with SoN public health mentors Professor
Robertson and Teaching Specialist Scott Harpin
6 Students Kathy Gary, left, and Maggie Bennett
7 Student Trung Nguyen
8 Emergency room mentor Michele Haehnel (left), of Abbott
Northwestern, and student Kay Wasyliszyn
PHOTOS BY MARY PATTOCK

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calendar of events
2007
April 3
April 20
April 21
April 25
May 8
May 9
May 10
October 14–16
Florence Schorske Wald Lecture: Carlos Gomez,
“Dying When You’re Rich…Dying When You’re Poor”
Nursing Research Day
Alumni Spring Reunion
MERET Emergency Readiness Rounds
Grand Rounds: Margaret Carlson and Diane Carlson Evans,
“Nurses in Wartime: Lessons from Vietnam”
MERET Emergency Readiness Rounds
BSN Commencement
Summit of Sages: Social Justice; with Maya Angelou
2009 Centennial Year