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Four USF Health professors receive University's highest honor

The outstanding contributions and internationally-recognized scholarly accomplishments of four USF Health professors have earned them the university’s highest honor -- recognition as 2008 distinguished professors. One faculty member -- Laurence Branch, PhD, College of Public Health -- was awarded the title Distinguished University Professor. Three have been named Distinguished University Health Professor – C. Hendricks Brown PhD, College of Public Health, Susan McMillan, PhD, College of Nursing; and David Sheehan, MD, MBA, College of Medicine.

Originally established in 1998, the Distinguished University Professor (DUP) award recognizes USF senior faculty across all disciplines who have distinguished themselves among their peers both within and outside the university through their research, scholarship and creative activity. Selection is based on a process of nomination to the provost and external peer review. The recipients will have their titles formally bestowed at the university’s Fall 2008 Honors and Awards Ceremony.

The Distinguished University Health Professor (DUHP) award was established and presented for the first time in 2007. The award recognizes USF Health faculty members for their highly distinctive achievements in research, teaching and service. Like the DUP award, the DUHP is selected through a rigorous process of internal recommending review and external peer review. DUHP recommendations are forwarded to the senior associate vice president for USF Health. Each awardee will receive a commemorative medallion and be invited to present at the 2008-09 USF Health Lecture Series scheduled to begin this fall.

As leading experts in their fields, these distinguished professors attract millions of federal research dollars to USF, publish in prestigious journals, teach and mentor students who have earned top spots as health leaders in their disciplines, and share their time and talent with the community.

Distinguished University Professor

Susan McMillan, PhD
College of Nursing

Internationally known for her contributions to oncology nursing and quality of life at the end of life, Dr. McMillan is the Lyall & Beatrice Thomson Professor of Oncology Quality of Life Nursing at USF. She was inducted into the prestigious American Academy of Nursing in 1993 in recognition of her national and international stature as a nursing leader – making her one of only 1,500 nurses out of nearly 3 million nationally who have received this honor. Dr. McMillan was named American Cancer Society Professor of Oncology Nursing from 1990 to 2000, the maximum time allowed for any professor to hold the award. At USF, she has garnered many honors, including the Jerome Krivanek Distinguished Teacher Award, the Theodore and Venette Askounes-Ashford Distinguished Scholar Award, and the College of Nursing’s Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award. Currently the principal investigator for two large NIH grants, Dr. McMillan is recognized worldwide for her research and development of tools to measure symptom management and quality of life in patients with cancer.

Dr. McMillan founded and continues to direct the Oncology Nursing Program that prepares advanced practice nurses in oncology – a field of nursing in great demand. Her NIH training grant in cancer care was among the first to provide interdisciplinary education for nurses and physicians. She founded and played a key role in successfully transforming an interdisciplinary research group into the USF’s Center for Hospice, Palliative Care and End of Life Studies, which partners with hospices across West Central Florida.

Dr. McMillan has been active in research at Moffitt Cancer Center since its inception and is affiliated with the hospital’s Psychosocial Oncology Program, where she mentors post-doctoral fellows.

College of Nursing to Host National Psychoneuroimmunology Conference: Top Scholars to Share Research

Top PNI scholars from across the nation will travel to Tampa to share their research through presentations, and discussions when the USF College of Nursing hosts a National conference for the Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, entitled “Frontiers in Psychoneuroimmunology: The Emotional Interface”, September 18-21, 2008 at Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, FL.
 
“Frontiers in Psychoneuroimmunology 2008: The Emotional Interface”, brings together the nation’s top researchers who are examining the bi-directional pathways between the brain and immune system and the subsequent connections with health and disease. Topics will include all aspects of the field from stress and immunity to the global health implications of PNI research. Conference topics include the links between emotions and cancer, the involvement of the immune system in fibromyalgia, and the impact distress, sleep and fatigue have upon the immune system. New research revealing that infection and inflammation can trigger changes in the brain—and significant behavioral and health consequences, including depression, will also be discussed.
 
“The symposium provides what nurses and front-line health care providers have asked for: a national symposium beginning with a full day pre-conference training program in meditation, before two days of evidence based research revealing the extensive links between the brain and immune system” said Director of the USF College of Nursing Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Dr. Nick Hall. “This program impacts participant health as well as that of their patients and clients. Conference attendees are charter members of one of the most relevant annual symposiums ever offered to nurses on the subject of mind and body.”
 
Guiding the symposium, the Center for Psychoneuroimmunology advisory board brings together experts in the field of PNI. Prestigious members include Peter Bourne, former health advisor to President Jimmy Carter, and Dr. Lydia Temoshok, author of the well-known 1992 book, The Type C Connection: The Behavioral Links to Cancer and Your Health (NY: Random House).
 
Disseminating cutting edge information is just one purpose of hosting this unique gathering of scientists. Another is to bring national attention to the USF College of Nursing Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, and the fact a valuable resource is now available to individuals and corporations.
 
“More than anything else, Psychoneuroimmunology is about preventing illness and optimizing treatments. At the CON, we have some very talented people capable of helping companies to reduce health care expenditures and to enable their teams to better cope with stress and change.”
 
The center’s director, Dr. Nick Hall is seeking to build partnerships with the business community so cutting edge research can be rapidly translated into practical solutions.
 
For registration and additional information please visit www.cme.hsc.usf.edu/PNI

College of Nursing gets $3.5M to establish VA Nursing Academy

The University of South Florida College of Nursing is partnering with James A. Haley Veterans Hospital to expand education for nursing students and health care for veterans.

USF was competitively selected as one of seven nursing schools across the nation this year to join the VA Nursing Academy. The nursing school was awarded a $3.5 million grant from the VA for the partnership. The Academy is a virtual organization that boosts learning opportunities for nursing students at VA facilities, funds additional faculty positions to increase baccalaureate student enrollment, and increases recruitment and retention of nurses.

Read more…
Department of Veterans Affairs news release
St. Petersburg Times article
Story on USF Health

Dr. Steve Morris

In July, 2008 the Tampa Tribune featured the amazing disaster-relief efforts, nationwide, of USF College of Nursing faculty member Steve Morris, MD. The story authored by reporter Donna Koehn is entitled “USF Nursing Instructor-Doctor On Call For Disasters” and also appears in the Tribune’s online newsroom, TBO.COM. To view, click here. This past June, Dr. Morris was profiled on the USF Health homepage for his undercover medical relief work in Myanmar.

USF nursing professor receives elite fellowship with American Academy of Nursing & Institute of Medicine

Mary E. Evans, RN, PhD, FAAN, associate dean for research and doctoral study at the USF College of Nursing, received a Scholar in Residence Joint Fellowship with the American Academy of Nursing and Institute of Medicine for 2008-2009. The program prominently engages nursing leaders in health policy development at the national level, and allows Dr. Evans to pursue interests in implementation of recommendations to improve the mental health of Americans.

“My work will provide information on factors that could facilitate the timely and effective implementation of recommendations from recent IOM committee reports and, hopefully, by implication other work underway at the IOM as well as in other scientific venues across the nation,” said Dr. Mary Evans.

Obtaining information on factors, particularly social, economic and political factors, could lead to more effective implementation of IOM recommendations. The project will also codify strategies to better prepare the legislative environment at the national level for implantation of IOM recommendations, and will be completed in cooperation with Mental Health America (MHA), the largest and oldest mental health advocacy and public education organization in the United States.

Newsbrief by Ashlea Hudak, USF College of Nursing

USF College of Nursing Achieves 100 Percent Pass Rate Again

Triple Crown for USF Nursing Program - Third Time Achieves 100 Percent Pass Rate in State Exams & First Time Test Takers from USF CON Score Well Above the National Average

July 18, 2008. Graduates of the USF College of Nursing have once again achieved a 100-percent pass rate on the required exam to practice as a nurse. The outstanding numbers are the results from students who graduated from the USF program and sat for the Registered Nurse Licensure Examination (NCLEX) during the second quarter of this year. The nursing school, based in Tampa, FL, has attained the coveted 100 percent pass rate twice before - first in 2007 and again this past spring.

NCLEX results are reported each quarter by the Florida Board of Nursing. These latest results include all graduates of baccalaureate and associate nursing degree programs who sat for the NCLEX during the second quarter of 2008.

Of the 51 nursing schools statewide, only 25 achieved a 100-percent pass rate on the NCLEX for this second quarter.(4/01/08 - 6/30/08)

In addition, USF’s College of Nursing is home to one of only 5 programs in the Florida State University System where 100 percent of the school’s first time test takers passed the licensing exam, well above the national average of 88 percent.

“Congratulations to our outstanding faculty and students,” said said Patricia Burns, PhD, FAAN, dean of the College of Nursing. “I congratulate our graduates on a job well done. This is an important measure of our college and demonstrates it’s one of the best in the state.”

“This is a critical measure that says the USF College of Nursing perhaps the best in the state, and one of the best in the country,” said Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, USF’s Senior Vice President for USF Health. “My congratulations to the faculty and graduates. We’re all proud of you.”

Student nurses who have completed their coursework are eligible to take the national licensing exam.

Before nurses begin practicing, they must graduate from a recognized nursing program, like USF’s, meet specific requirements of the state board of nursing, and pass the National Council for State Boards of Nursing NCLEX exam for registered nurses. USF student nurses who sat for the exam in 2003 were the first to have completed their baccalaureate study in the College’s community-based clinical collaborative curriculum. The USF College of Nursing teamed up with nurse leaders from community hospitals to devise the Clinical Collaborative curriculum - a plan to keep new nurses in nursing and in Florida by bridging the gap between academic preparation and professional application of the skills and knowledge a nurse uses every day.

Newsbrief by Lissette Campos, USF Health Communications

Section-CONDoorsign - Photos for web/creative educational models

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• Deborah Williams, CRNP, PhD has been competitively selected to participate in the Leadership Institute at USF Health Class of 2010. Congratulations Dr. Williams!


• VMS Team Clinical Faculty, Desiree' Metzger, MSN, ARNP-C has been invited and accepted to speak at the National Stroke Association (NSA) National meeting in Atlanta, GA in October. She will be speaking on Stroke Systems of Care. Also, Metzger was appointed to the Department of Health's Cardiovascular Health Council on Stroke Systems Team. Florida is a national leader in stroke care and has made many strides with the Florida Stroke Act, which coordinates EMS and hospitals, to leading the nation in the number of JCAHO certified primary care stroke centers.


• Versie Johnson-Mallard, PhD, WHNPc will present, “Women and self- efficacy of Protective Sexual Behaviors” at the 2008 National State of the Science Congress in Nursing Research in October.


• Mary Evans, RN, PhD, FAAN has had a book chapter published: Brennan, E. M., Evans, M.E. & Spenser, S.A. (2008). Mental health services and supports for children and families in J.M Rosenzweig & E. M. Brennan Work, life and the mental health system of care: A guide for professionals supporting families of children with emotional or behavioral disorders (pp 119-141) Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.


• Also, Dr. Evans will present, "Understanding Conflict and Its Resolution in Systems of Care for Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders" at the National State of the Science Congress.


• A proud congratulation to Susan McMillan, PhD, RN, Lyall & Beatrice Thompson Professor of Oncology Quality of Life Nursing, for being recognized with the highest award of distinction from the university and USF Health, the title of Distinguished University Health Professor. Dr. McMillan is a member of the second group of outstanding senior faculty to be honored with this merit. This USF Health awards program honors USF Health professors with significant achievement in advanced clinical care, education and research that have set themselves apart from their peers. In addition to being granted the State University System title of Distinguished Professor and receiving a raise, Dr. McMillan will receive a commemorative medallion to be worn at formal university functions and events as well as have the opportunity to speak as a Distinguished USF Health Professor at a newly established annual lecture series.


• USF College of Nursing 2007 MSN- PhD graduates, and 2008 Patient Safety Fellows, Chris Olney and Lee Barks were awarded nursing research postdoctoral fellowships by the Veterans Administration Office of Academic Affiliations, beginning August 18, 2008 at the Patient Safety Research Center, Tampa VA. They will each receive a two-year stipend and additional research funding. Dr. Olney’s program of research is on pressure ulcer prevention with spinal cord injury. For her postdoctoral research she will focus on understanding attitudes toward turning patterns in veterans with SCI. Dr. Barks program of research is on postural management of persons with severs disabilities. For her postdoctoral research she will focus on strategic wheelchair positioning and patient outcomes in elderly veterans. Both will be mentored by Audrey Nelson, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Gail Powell-Cope, PhD, ARNP, FAAN. The College of Nursing mentor for Dr. Olney is Susan McMillan, PhD, RN, FAAN and for Dr. Barks is Cecile Lengacher, PhD, RN.


• Welcome new staff member Dewel Lindsey, Academic Program Specialist for the Undergraduate program. Welcome Dewel!


• Theresa Beckie, PhD, FAHA was notified that, "Examining the Challenges of Recruiting Women into a Cardiac Rehabilitation Clinical Trial" has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention.


• Arlene Vicker's Spring 2008 Capstone paper, "Evidence-Based Guidelines for Skin Cancer Screening" has been accepted for publication by Dermatology Nursing.


• PhD student Liw Villagomeza has achieved doctoral candidacy this summer and will now be conducting her dissertation research.


• MS-PhD student Jacqueline Munro has achieved doctoral candidacy. Her dissertation topic is; "Nurse Manager (NM) Emotional Intelligence (EI) as a Predicator of Job Satisfaction, Practice Environment Satisfaction (PES), Nurse-Sensitive Indicators and Hospital Outcomes"


• Nursing Faculty Member Appointed to Defense Health Board Health Care Delivery Subcommittee
  
  Mary E. Evans, RN, Ph.D, FAAN, Associate Dean for Research and Doctoral Study at the USF College of Nursing has been appointed to the United States Department of Defense, Defense Health Board (DHB) Health Care Delivery Subcommittee.
  
  The Defense Health Board is a Federal Advisory Committee to the Secretary of Defense that provides independent scientific counsel regarding health policy, research, and requirements for the treatment and prevention of disease and injury, promotion of health and the delivery of health care to Department of Defense beneficiaries.
  
  Congratulations again Dr Evans!


• Welcome new College of Nursing staff member, Ana Duque, Program Assistant for the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) program for Sierra Gower, CRNA, MS, ARNP, Director of the Nurse Anesthetist Program and Greg Morris, CRNA, MS, ARNP, Assistant Director of the Nurse Anesthetist Program.


• Dr. Cahill was the sole Nurse Practitioner serving on the following six hour CME project which uses a case study format and includes materials. Cady, R.K., Cahill, C., Mannix, L.K., Kramer, J.F., and Wentzel, R. G. (Eds.) (2008). “Clinical Challenges: Optimizing Assessment and Counseling of Patients with Headache”, Norfolk, CT: Educational Awareness Solutions can be obtained through www.cmewebsite.org/headache.


• Susan McMillan, PhD, ARNP, FAAN, Cindy Tofthagen, MS, ARNP, AOCNP, and Mary Ann Morgan, MS, ARNP-BC recently published, “Relationships Among Pain, Sleep Disturbances, and Depressive Symptoms in Outpatients From a Comprehensive Cancer Center,” in the Oncology Nursing Forum, Volume 35, Number 4.


• College of Nursing’s Mary Evans Receives Scholar in Residence Fellowship
  
  Mary E. Evans, RN, PhD, FAAN, Associate Dean for Research and Doctoral Study at the USF College of Nursing received a Scholar in Residence joint Fellowship with the American Academy of Nursing and Institute of Medicine for 2008-2009. The program prominently engages nursing leaders in health policy development at the national level, and allows Dr. Evans to pursue interests in implementation of recommendations to improve the mental health of Americans.
  
  “My work will provide information on factors that could facilitate the timely and effective implementation of recommendations from recent IOM committee reports and, hopefully, by implication other work underway at the IOM as well as in other scientific venues across the nation,” said Dr. Mary Evans.
  
  Obtaining information on factors, particularly social, economic and political factors, could lead to more effective implementation of IOM recommendations. The project will also codify strategies to better prepare the legislative environment at the national level for implantation of IOM recommendations, and will be completed in cooperation with Mental Health America (MHA), the largest and oldest mental health advocacy and public education organization in the United States.


• In June, Kripa Varghese was awarded the Chloe Trammel Scholarship from the Florida Division of the National League for Nursing.


• Dr. Cas Cahill presented "Asking the Right Questions: Results of the American Migraine Communication Study" at the annual American Association of Physicians Assistants meeting in San Antonio, Texas on May 24, 2008.


• Dr. Cas Cahill presented "Optimal Dialogue about Migraine Frequency and Impairment" at the NPACE 2008 National Primary Care Conference in Cape Cod, MA on June 26, 2008.


• Laura Gonzalez and Joan Perl’s abstract, “Integration of Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) at the Baccalaureate Nursing Level” was accepted as a poster presentation for the Emerging Technologies Conference in Seattle, July 13-15, 2008.


• DNP student Diane Hogan recently co-authored, “Strategies for Identifying and Channeling Patients for Depression Care Management” published in the American Journal of Managed Care, along with Jennifer K. Taylor, PhD; Michael Schoenbaum, PhD; Wayne J. Katon, MD; Harold A. Pincus, MD; Diane M. Hogan, RN, MA; and Jürgen Unützer, MD, MPH.


• Please join us in welcoming new College of Nursing staff Lori Stanton, Receptionist in the Dean’s Office and Rebecca Boettcher, Academic Specialist for the Associate Dean of Research and Doctoral Studies, Mary E. Evans, PhD, RN, FAAN and for the Assistant Dean for Faculty Development & Program Evaluation, Barbara A. Redding, EdD, RN, CNE.


• Cassandra Vonnes MS ARNP-BC FAHA recently presented the poster, “Low Volume High Risk Simulation Scenario as a Strategy to Improve Students’ Comprehensive Medical Surgical Scores (HESI)” in San Antonio on June 25 for the Evidenced Based Practice for Educators Symposium.


• This week we hosted the Fall 2008 Doctoral Student Orientation which included both PhD and DNP students. Welcome!


• Dr. Maureen Groer will begin a subcontract with Meggitt’s Defense, along with Drs. Kristine Soloman (Psychology) and David Diamond (VA). They will measure stress responses to virtual reality simulations of dangerous encounters in policemen and soldiers. The Biobehavioral lab will study components measured in saliva that are indices of the biological stress response. The study will go on throughout the summer.


• The UG faculty have been trained on our new MedDispense Automated Medication Delivery Machine which will be used with semester two students as yet another step towards integrating technology across the curriculum.


• Prima Hower was recently voted to chair the Quiet Quality Awards Committee of the USF Staff Senate. Prima Hower has been a Staff Senator since 2007. This June, she helped coordinate the event for the Quiet Quality Awards. As part of the Staff Morale campaign, one of her goals is to involve the College of Nursing with the Quiet Quality Awards process. Each month Quiet Quality recognizes deserving employees campus-wide who in their "quiet way" make a difference in their work place. Anybody can nominate. Deadline for nomination for the August Awards is July 15. Please contact Prima Hower at phower@health.usf.edu for more information.


• Lindsay Summer, RN, BSN, BSES; Laura Gonzalez, MSN, ARNP; Miguel Jimeno, BSC; and Ken Christensen, PhD, had their article, "Development of a Nasogastric Tube (NGT) Insertion Simulation: A Collaborative Interdisciplinary Effort" accepted for publication in a 2009 CIN journal.


• Linda Madaris' manuscript, "Ziconotide: A Non-Opioid Alternative for Chronic Neuropathic Pain, A Case Report" was accepted by SCI Nursing for publication in July 2008.


• DNP candidate, Debbie Greer's article, "Coronary CT Antiography: A Powerful Tool for Assessment of Chest pain" will be published in the August issue of Advance for Nurse Practitioners as the CEU article.


• Lasonya Marlborough has been notified that he protocol she developed for the Evidence Based Practice course, "Motivating a Change Toward Evidence-based Practice: Best Practice for Central Line Insertion" has been accepted for poster presentation at the AANA 75th Annual Meeting - AANA "State of the Science" Poster Presentation on August 9-13th in Minneapolis, Minnesota.