Dear Colleagues,
We learned wonderful news over the last few weeks: two new NIH research proposals by our faculty principal investigators have been approved for funding.
The UG3/UH3 led by Michele Balas and including Breanna Hetland, PhD, and the RO1 led by Windy Alonso, PhD, and including Bunny Pozehl, PhD, will both be funded. This is in addition to the R56 led by Libby Mollard, PhD, that was funded earlier this academic year.
The total NIH funding awarded to faculty has increased fourfold this year, which is a truly amazing achievement. Most importantly, though, is the vital science being developed by these and other college of nursing faculty research teams. These scientific initiatives have the potential to lead to advancements in prevention of delirium in adults treated in intensive care units (Drs. Balas, Hetland and team); promotion of heart health in people with heart failure through the use of exercise in those with preserved ejection fractions (Drs. Alonso, Pozehl and team); and reduction of morbidity and mortality in Black mothers and the disparities they experience in health outcomes (Dr. Mollard and team). Each of these is critical to health and nursing care. Faculty also are engaged in educational research, which will lead to better understanding of ways to support learning, critical thinking and well-being in nursing programs.
At the same time, we are in the midst of a severe and escalating shortage of nurses in Nebraska and throughout the nation — and, indeed, around the world. The UNMC College of Nursing is trying to address this shortage through energetic efforts to expand academic programs whenever possible and meeting enrollment goals on each campus. Faculty and staff are hard at work to recruit applicants for our program expansion in Kearney that will begin in January 2024, with the addition of a twice-a-year admission option at that time. Similarly, faculty and staff are working extraordinarily hard to fill every program on every campus to capacity. Numerous innovative efforts are underway to expand community and academic partnerships, expand scholarships and to create novel marketing strategies to reach potential applicants. Mona Shattell, PhD, and her colleague from InfluenceRx will join us for virtual consultation meetings in May to discuss new approaches to social media marketing.
Together, these creative initiatives help us meet our special mission as a college of nursing in a major academic health center. We need clinical and educational research to stay at the forefront of developing and disseminating new and better ways to support health and learning. Development of new clinical programs and protocols allows us to advance practice, with faculty who are practicing at the front edge of testing new clinical care models. It is a unique privilege to be part of this college with its talented and dedicated faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners.
Thank you for all you do!
Julie Sebastian, PhD
Dean and Professor, UNMC College of Nursing