2008-2009 Sigma Theta Tau International Grant Recipients
Small Grants
Jennifer Cline, MSN, ARNP-BC (USA) will receive a small research grant award to study "The Relationship Between FAM5C Variability in Women with Coronary Heart Disease, Metabolic Syndrome, and Inflammation." The purpose this study is to explore the variant allele(s) in the FAM5C gene (rs10920501) in a cohort of women with documented CHD, to assess the relationship between FAM5C, MetS and inflammatory biomarkers, and to evaluate if FAM5C variability has predictive value for identifying women with early onset CHD.
Meredith Flood, PhD, CNS-BC (USA) will study “In Their Own Words: An Examination of Successful Aging through Focus Groups." The study will explore variations between Southern-dwelling Black/African American (B/AA) and White Older Adults (OAs') perceptions of successful aging. The study is needed to obtain a description from these older adults of what successful aging is using their own words; no one has asked this of Southern B/AA and White OAs.
Judith Herrman, RN, PhD (USA) will study “Young Women Get REAL: A Pilot Program to Promote Healthy Sexual Behaviors among Girls in Juvenile Justice.” The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a strategy designed to promote positive sexual health and responsible sexual behavior in adolescent women involved in the juvenile justice system.
Tsuey-Yuan Huang, RN, MSN (Taiwan) will receive a small research grant award for a proposal entitled “Comparison with the Moderator Effect of Psychosocial Factors between the Clinical Characteristics and Dyspnea in Patients with Heart Failure in Taiwan and the U.S." The purpose of this study is to determine psychosocial moderators (i.e., depression, anxiety, perceived control, and perceived social support) of the relationships between clinical characteristics (i.e., functional class, ejection fraction) and dyspnea in heart failure patients.
Ann Kutney-Lee, RN, PhD (USA) will study “The Hospital Nurse Surveillance Capacity Profile and Patient Mortality.” Dr. Kutney-Lee's proposal focuses on examining the relationship between nurse surveillance capacity and patient outcomes.
Heeyoung Lee, PhD, PMHNP (USA) will receive a small research grant award for “Physical Activity in Young Adults with Early Stage Schizophrenia: A Pilot Study." This study will focus on providing feasibility data to a) explore the feasibility of assessing physical activity (PA) in the young adults with early stage of schizophrenia and b) its association with clinical outcomes (stress, psychiatric symptoms, psychosocial functioning, and BMI) which has been well documented in general populations.
Stacee Lerret, RN, MSN, CPNP (USA) is a recipient of a small research grant award for her study, "The Transition from Hospital to Home in Parents of Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Recipients." The purpose of this study is to identify the role that discharge teaching and care coordination have on parent readiness for hospital discharge in the transition from hospital to home for parents of children who have received a solid organ transplant.
Susan Lowey, RN, MS, CHN, BC (USA) will receive a small research grant award for "Perspectives on End-of-Life Care in Non-Cancer Illness.” The purpose the study is to describe the perspectives of people living with serious cardiac and respiratory illnesses about care at the end of life.
Mary McCarthy, RN, PhD (USA) will receive a small research grant award for “Identifying Low Arginine States for use as an Indication for Targeted Immunonutrition Therapy in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.” The purpose of this study is to describe the manifestation of arginine deficiency in head and neck cancer (HNCA) patients by examining arginase I expression in mononuclear cells and plasma, comparing surgical and non-surgical patients and healthy controls at multiple time points.
Devon Noonan, RN, MS, FNP-C (USA) is a recipient of a small research grant award for the study “Psychosocial Adjustment during the Post-Radiation Treatment Transition." The proposed study will examine the utility of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), in predicting waterpipe use among college students.
Jennifer Ohlendorf, RN, MS (USA) will study “Stages of Change in the Trajectory of Postpartum Weight Management.” The proposed research seeks to discover the trajectory of postpartum women’s readiness to engage in weight management behaviors to lose weight gained during their pregnancy and the decision factors associated with these postpartum weight management behaviors.
Debby Phillips, PhD, PMHNP-BC (USA) is a recipient of a small research grant award for her study, "Qualitative Research Surfacing the Effects of Violence: PTSD, Substance Abuse, Neurobiology, and Relational Disconnection." The purpose of this study are to bring the perspective of the women who were in residential treatment for SUD and diagnosed with PTSD receiving individual SS therapy to our understandings of human violence and psycho-emotional trauma and it’s physical, psychological, neurobiological, and lived effects while exploring the links between these perspectives and the cultural discourses that shape them.
Nuananong Seal, RN, PhD (USA) is a recipient of a small research grant award for the study “Relationships Between FTO gene variant, Maternal Prepregnancy BMI, Birth Weight, Formula Intake and Growth in American Indian Infants." The purpose of this pilot study is to examine the relationships between the FTO gene variant, rs9939609 [the strongest and most reproducible in European populations.
Fintan Sheerin, BNS, PhD, PgDipEd (IRELAND) will study "Living on the Edge: Telling the Stories of Older People with Intellectual Disability in Irish Institutions." This study aims to make public the life experience of older people with intellectual disability who lived for protracted periods of their lives in institutional settings, but who are now living in community based services.
MinKyoung Song, RN, MSN, CRNP (USA) is a recipient of a small research grant award for the study, "Self-Care Management and Health Outcomes of Diabetes: How do Co-morbid Conditions Influence This Relationship?" The proposed study will evaluate the relationship between decision making self-care management and health outcomes, and how that relationship is moderated by co-morbid conditions.
Allison Squires, RN, PhD (USA) will study "Using Content Validity Indexing for the Contextual and Conceptual Validation of the PES/NWI-R and MBI-HSS Instruments." The purpose of this study is to validate the contextual validity and conceptual translations of the Practice Environment Scale/Nursing Work Index-Revised (PES/NWI-R) and Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) in ten languages.
Lynda Tyer-Viola, RNC, PhD (USA) will receive a small research grant award for studying "The Effect of Simulation Training on Knowledge Development of Registered Midwives in Zambia." The desired outcome is to improve knowledge and skills of midwifery students prior to entering the clinical setting.
Allison Fiona Williams, RN, PhD (AUSTRALIA) is a recipient of a small research grant award for the study "Psychosocial Influences of Managing Medicines by Consumers with Diabetic Kidney Disease." The purpose of this research is to conduct a 12-month follow-up on a nursing project designed to enhance medicine adherence in consumers with diabetic kidney disease.
Danuta Wojnar, RN, MEd, PhD, IBCLC (USA) will study "Perinatal Experiences of Somali Couples in the United States Health Care System" with the small research grant award she will receive. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study is to explore the experience of pregnancy, childbirth, and transition to parenthood from the perspective of couples who self identify as first generation Somali immigrants in the United States and experienced pregnancy together within the past year.
Chin Hwa Yi BSN, MS, NP-C (USA) is a recipient of a small research grant award for "African American Women and Prenatal Care: Effect of Client-Provider Interaction." The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive, study is to describe client-provider interaction and its influence on African American women's trust in provider, prenatal care satisfaction, and adherence to treatment recommendations
Siritorn Yingrengreung, RN, MSN, PhD (USA) will receive a small research grant award for the study "Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Thai Version of Student Identification with School Questionnaire in Thai Eighth Grade Students." The long-term purpose of this research is to design an intervention to improve the degree to which students bond with school.
Doris Bloch Research Award
Jennifer Hobbs, RN, PhD (USA) will receive a small grant for her study on “Standardizing the Particular In Clinical Information Systems: Nursing’s Role in the Development of Clinical Standards during the Late 20th Century." This study will explicate how clinical information systems prioritize, organize, and promote certain types of information, skills, and workers while excluding others, through analysis of clinical standards.
Rosemary Berkel Crisp Research Award
Jane Grassley, RN, PhD (USA) is the recipient of the Rosemary Berkel Crisp Award. Her study, “The Development and Psychometric Testing of the Supportive Needs of Adolescents Questionnaire: Breastfeeding,” will focus on estimating the validity and reliability of the Supportive Needs of Adolescents Questionnaire: Breastfeeding (SNAB), an instrument to measure the supportive needs of adolescents during the initiation of breastfeeding in the immediate postpartum period.
Joan K. Stout, RN, Research Grant
Kristina Dreifuerst, MS, RN, ACNS-BC, CNE (USA) is the recipient of the Rosemary Joan K. Stout, RN, Research Grant for the study "Developing and Testing the DML Method of Debriefing Simulation Experiences." The purpose of this study is to describe the relationship between faculty-facilitated guided reflection during simulation debriefing and student nurse's development of clinical judgment and clinical reasoning skills.
Co-Sponsored Partner Grant Recipients
Sigma Theta Tau International/Alpha Eta Collaborative Research Grant
Sheila Shaibu, BSN, MSN, PhD (Botswana) will receive the Sigma Theta Tau International/Alpha Eta Collaborative Research Grant for her study "The Experiences of Grandparents who are Taking Care of Orphan Grandchildren." This study intends to explore and generate knowledge about the experiences of grandparents raising orphan grandchildren, the impact on grandparent caregivers, and the special needs of grandchildren.
Sigma Theta Tau International/American Association of Diabetes Educators Grant
Ann Williams, RN, PhD, CDE (USA) received the Sigma Theta Tau International/American Association of Diabetes Educators Grant for her study entitled "Audio Instruction for Use of Insulin Pens by Blind People." The purpose of this research project is to find out whether blind people can use insulin pens accurately.
Sigma Theta Tau International/American Nurses' Foundation Grant
Laurie Beth Hartjes, MS, PNP-BC (USA) has been awarded the Sigma Theta Tau International/American Nurses' Foundation Grant for her study "Development and Evaluation of an Innovative Malaria-Risk Reduction Tool for Travelers." The focus of this study is the development and evaluation of an innovative learning tool, the web-based game "Life and Death in the Age of Malaria." This game targets student travelers for the purpose of education them about malaria and malaria prevention.
Sigma Theta Tau International/Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science
Carolyn Herrington, RN, PhD, NNP-BC (USA) will receive the Sigma Theta Tau International/Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science grant for her study "Comparison of Skin Conductance and Salivary Cortisol as Indicators of Pain Response in Premature Infants Undergoing Heel Stick for Necessary Blood Sampling." The purpose of this study is to evaluate a new technique for pain assessment via skin conductance of sympathetic nerve response in premature infants. Infants will be assessed for pain following exposure to heel stick for necessary blood sampling.
Sigma Theta Tau International/ATI Educational Assessment Nursing Research Grant
Patsy Fasnacht, PhD, CNE (USA) has been awarded the Sigma Theta Tau International/ATI Educational Assessment Nursing Research Grant. The study, "Standardized Computer-based Tests as Predictors of Completion of an Associate of Science in Nursing Curriculum and NCLEX-RN Success or Failure," will focus on identifying predictors of students who are at risk for failure to complete the nursing program through either voluntary or involuntary attrition.
Sigma Theta Tau International/Emergency Nurses Association Foundation Grant
Donna O' Malley, RN, MSN (USA) has been awarded the Sigma Theta Tau International/Emergency Nurses Association Foundation Grant for her study "Understanding Why Emergency Department Healthcare Providers do not Screen for Family Violence." The aim of this study is to identify factors that influence intentions to screen for family vilence among pediatric ED nurses and physicians.
Sigma Theta Tau International/Environment of Elder Care Nursing Research Grant
Marie Boltz, RN, PhD, GNP, BC (USA) will receive the Sigma Theta Tau International/Environment of Elder Care Nursing Research Grant for studying "Barriers to Functional Mobility in Hospitalized Older Adults: Patient and Nurse Perceptions." The study will examine the influence of intrinsic characteristics (illness severity, cognition, depression) and care processes (use of restrictive devices and function-promoting behavior) upon physical function in hospitalized older adults.
Sigma Theta Tau International/Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation End of Life Nursing Care Research Grant
Ann Marie Dose, RN, PhD, ACNS-BC (USA) has been awarded the Sigma Theta Tau International/Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation End of Life Nursing Care Research Grant for her study "Transition from Hospital to Home Hospice: The No-Care Zone." The purpose of this qualitative study is to describe the issues identified by patients and primary family caregivers as they experience the transition from hospital discharge to onset of home hospice (i.e., the no care zone) using participant-generated photography and semi-structured interviews of patients and family caregivers.
Sigma Theta Tau International/Midwest Nursing Research Society Research Grant
Ruth Lindquist, RN, PhD (USA) will receive the Sigma Theta Tau International/Midwest Nursing Research Society Research Grant for her proposal "Qualitative Study: Life After Sudden Cardiac Death with Induced Hypothermia." This qualitative study will increase understanding of life as experienced by patients after out of hospital sudden cardiac death (OHSCD) with induced hypothermia and family members’ perspectives of patients’ recovery outcomes.
Sigma Theta Tau International/National League for Nursing Grant
Lori Goodstone, RN, MS (USA) has been awarded the Sigma Theta Tau International/National League for Nursing Grant for the study "The Effects of Increased Exposure to Human Patient Simulation on the Development of Critical Thinking Skills in Associate Degree Nursing Students." The purpose of the study is to investigate the effectiveness of high-fidelty patient simulation using the Human Patient Simulator (HPS) in improving critical thinking ability in nursing students.
Sigma Theta Tau International/Oncology Nursing Society Grant
Sharon, L. Kozachik, RN, PhD (USA) received the Sigma Theta Tau International/Oncology Nursing Society Grant for her study entitled "Sleep, HPA Axis Activity and Paclitaxel-Induced Neuropathic Pain." The purpose of this study is to determine sex and HPA axis responsivity difference of rats in sleep changes due to paclitaxel-induced mechanical hypersensitivity.
Sigma Theta Tau International/Southern Nursing Research Society Grant
Karen Rice, DNS, APRN, ACNS-BC, ANP (USA) will receive the Sigma Theta Tau International/Southern Nursing Research Society Grant for studying " A Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding Nurses' Clinical Reasoning in Recognizing Delirium in the Hospitalized Older Adult." This 2-phase concurrent mixed methods study will determine: the accuracy of nurses' recognition of delirium by comparing nurses' and expert diagnostician rating of the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM); nurses' decision making processes in recognizing delirium using interview; and what theoretical framework nurses use to recognize delirium using Grounded Theory.
Sigma Theta Tau International/Western Institute of Nursing Research Grant
Wen-Wen Li, RN, MS, PhD (USA) is the recipient of the Sigma Theta Tau International/Western Institute of Nursing Research Grant for her study: "Culturally Sensitive Hypertension Management in Elderly Chinese Immigrants." The purpose of this study is to develop and pilot-test a culturally tailored nursing intervention to improve antihypertensive medication adherence (MA) and blood pressure (BP) control in elderly Chinese immigrants.