Research Centers - University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

Dr. Tkacs in the lab
infants, especially those that are premature,
might be at high risk for developmental
deficiencies.
NEUROSCIENCE
Metabolic imbalances can have a
dramatic effect on the body and its organs.
Associate Professor of Nursing Nancy C.
Tkacs, Nu ’75, GNu ’77, PhD, RN, studies
Biobehavioral Research Center Established 2005
Director: Barbara Medoff-Cooper, PhD, RN, CRNP, FAAN
School of Nursing faculty members:
Karen Badellino, PhD, RN
Joseph Boullata, PharmD, RPh, BCNSP
Deborah Watkins Bruner, PhD, RN, FAAN
Charlene Compher, PhD, RD, FADA, CNSD
Norma Cuellar, DSN, RN
Martha A.Q. Curley, PhD, RN, FAAN
Ellen Giarelli, EdD, CRNP, CS
Mary Ann Lafferty-Della Valle, PhD
Linda McCauley, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAAOHN
Jennifer Pinto-Martin, PhD, MPH
Rosemary Polomano, PhD, RN, FAAN
Ann Rogers, PhD, RN, FAAN
Nancy Tkacs, PhD,RN
Lorraine Tulman, DNSc, RN, FAAN
Stella Volpe, PhD, RD, LD/N, FACSM
Terri Weaver, PhD, RN, FAAN
Pre-doctoral fellows (since Center’s inception): Two
Postdoctoral fellows: Five
Current active awards: 44
Current fellowships: Two
Fiscal Year 2007 funding: $4,910,558
the effect these imbalances, especially
hypoglycemia, have on the brain. “Patients
receiving insulin treatment for diabetes
experience wide swings of blood glucose
from high levels [hyperglycemia] to low
levels [hypoglycemia],” she says. “Many
of these individuals develop ‘hypoglycemia
unawareness,’ the inability to detect
warning symptoms of hypoglycemia,” which
she is now investigating with funding from
the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Medical and technological advances
have made it possible for soldiers injured
in battle to survive what were once lifethreatening
injuries. Associate Professor of
Pain Practice Rosemary C. Polomano, PhD,
RN, FAAN, is part of a collaborative team of
investigators from the Philadelphia Veterans
Administration Medical Center, University
of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and
Walter Reed Army Medical Center examining
whether early regional anesthesia delivered
on the battlefield prevents latent chronic pain.
GROWING THE SCIENCE AND
THE SCIENTISTS
Associate Professor of Nursing Martha
Curley, PhD, RN, FAAN, has conducted
interventional studies to explore the
management of critically ill children, the
needs of parents with critically ill children,
and the priorities of pediatric intensive care
units. She also led a team that developed
the American Association of Critical Care
Nurses’ “Synergy Model for Patient Care.”
In this model, patient or family needs
drive the nursing care to improve clinical
outcomes. This model informs models of
care delivery, nursing school curricula, and
certifying exams.
“Being a part of Penn and the
School of Nursing’s strong research
enterprise helps us attract collaborators
who share our researchers’ goals,” says
Dr. Medoff-Cooper. Continuing to educate
tomorrow’s nurse scientists and faculty, as
well as conducting cutting edge research
during a time of declining federal funding
is one of the BRC’s biggest challenges.
“Maintaining our current level of funding
will be a challenge,” says Dr. Medoff-
Cooper. The Center’s current funding
includes 15 federally funded projects,
including six NIH Research Project Grant
Program (R01) awards, one NIH Research
Center grant, and one foundation grant,
along with support from subcontractors,
the University, the School and other
sources. “We need the support for our
projects and to build our infrastructure and
to create state-of-the-art laboratories.”
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