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Ann Berger, Ph.D. |
The endowed chair position supports a distinguished nurse scholar with research and teaching expertise and enhances the quality of the research, teaching and practice efforts of the college to foster leadership in health care. The chair, which was established in 1995, is a five-year term,
with potential for reappointment.
“Dr. Berger’s nationally recognized program of research on breast cancer, her national leadership in the Oncology Nurses Society, and her award last year as one of UNMC’s 25 Distinguished Scientists make her deserving of the honor of an endowed chair,” said Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., dean of the UNMC College of Nursing. “She also is an important player in the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center.”
Responsibilities of the chair include:
- Assisting faculty in building distinguished programs of collaborative, interdisciplinary research in health promotion and disease prevention, acute and chronic illness, and health systems;
- Mentoring students and serving as a role model for faculty in related scholarly, teaching and service activities; and
- Enhancing the transfer and utilization of research-based knowledge in community-based practice settings and curricular offerings.
“The chair will provide me with the responsibility and opportunity to advance women’s health-related activities at the College of Nursing, UNMC and nationally,” said Dr. Berger, who is director of the college’s doctoral program. “I look forward to increasing the interface between the college and the Olson Center for Women’s Health in education, research and clinical activities.”
Dr. Berger’s interests are focused on promoting healthy lifestyles in women, cancer prevention activities, symptom management and enhancing the health of women during cancer treatments and as survivors.
“I hope to assist in establishing interdisciplinary teams that include College of Nursing faculty and students in activities related to women with chronic conditions,” she said. “This position is highly valued by me and by other faculty and the college is grateful to Leland and Dorothy Olson for their financial gift that made the position possible.”
Dr. Berger is an expert in breast cancer treatment and fatigue and has been principal investigator of a $1.5 million, five-year grant to test new approaches for reducing fatigue in patients undergoing breast cancer treatment. The study is funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research, a division of the National Institutes of Health.
The study was the first of this magnitude to test a behavioral sleep intervention designed to reduce fatigue during and after chemotherapy without using drugs. She currently is conducting a pilot study funded by the College of Nursing that tests an internet-based intervention to assist women with recovery after breast cancer surgery and to manage symptoms during other treatments.
Dr. Berger earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1971 at the Creighton University School of Nursing, her master’s degree in nursing in 1984 from UNMC and her doctorate in nursing in 1996 from UNMC. In 1973, she accepted a position as nursing instructor with UNMC. From 1975 to 1981, she worked out of state then returned to earn a master’s degree in nursing at UNMC. She was named associate professor in 2001 and Niedfelt Nursing Professor in 2005.
Dr. Berger has published numerous articles, abstracts, chapters in books and papers in local, regional, national and international publications and has presented research presentations around the world. Dr. Berger was appointed in 2005 to serve a four-year appointment to the Nursing Science: Children and Families Study Section of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Scientific Review.
She has served as chairwoman of the National Cancer Institute’s study sections on symptom management and palliative care.
The Dorothy Hodges Olson Chair in Nursing was the first fully endowed chair in the UNMC College of Nursing. It was established through a contribution from Dorothy and Leland J. Olson, M.D. Dorothy Hodges Olson is a graduate of the UNMC College of Nursing Class of 1943. She received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1967.
The Olsons have been associated with UNMC for more than half a century. Dr. Olson also is an alumnus of the University of Nebraska, as are their three children. He received his medical degree from UNMC in 1944 and completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at UNMC in 1949. Following military service, he was appointed to UNMC’s volunteer faculty in 1952. He retired from private practice in 1986.
Those who held the chair previously were Susan Noble Walker, Ed.D., who recently retired, and Dyanne Affonso, Ph.D., former UNMC professor of nursing, who was first appointed to the chair in 1999.