Access to Excellence - College of Health and Public Affairs ...

Excellence in ResearchThe School of Nursing excelled in researchduring the past year, with external fundingnearing $3 million. Three faculty members(Emma “E.J.” Brown, Karen Dow andKaren Dennis) are currently principalinvestigators for National Institutes ofHealth R01 research projects.1 2Emma “E. J.” Brown, Ph.D., RN, CSFor the past 10 years, Associate ProfessorE.J. Brown has conducted qualitative druguseand quantitative HIV-related studies inboth rural and urban minority populations.Her current work includes a three-year studyfunded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse,“An Ethnography: Drug Use Among African-American Women in Rural North Florida”(RO1DA013162-02). Her study is expandingour understanding of the culture of southern,rural African-American women who use crackcocaine. She has published her Þndings in twoscholarly papers (see Publications) and a thirdpaper is under way.Brown recently convened four focus groups ofAfrican-American men and women, ages 18 to39, who were cocaine users and residents ofa rural county or small city in North CentralFlorida. The groups discussed effectivestrategies to stop drug use among individuals,including themselves. Their discussionsranged from structural concerns, such asthe need for a job, transportation, shelterand culturally sensitive drug treatment andinterventions, to social concerns, such asthe need for social support from family,friends, church and the community. They alsosuggested that incentives to participate inintervention and treatment programs might beeffective. Brown has submitted a manuscript forpublication on this study.Brown’s colleagues value her work withminority, underserved populations. University1of South Florida Professor Doris Campbellnoted, “Dr. Brown’s research and scholarlyexpertise is perfectly in line with a vision ofthe emerging demand for knowledge andevidence-based practice with populationscommonly underrepresented in researchand underserved in practice.”In the future, Brown plans to conduct anintervention study aimed at decreasing therates of some sexually transmitted diseases(STDs); increasing knowledge of STDs,including HIV; and assessing attitudestoward high-risk behavior. She also plansan exploratory study of new approaches tomanaging drug treatment.Karen Dow, Ph.D., RN, FAAN 2Professor Karen Dow is the principalinvestigator of a study, “Quality of LifeIntervention in Breast Cancer Survivors,”funded by the National Institute of NursingResearch and National Cancer Institute(RO1NR05332). She is currently evaluatingthe effectiveness of a breast cancer educationintervention program in improving the qualityof life of breast-cancer survivors. The studyis now in its third year and includes 150women thus far.Dow says feedback from the participantshas been overwhelmingly positive.Many appreciate the one-on-one instructionand un-rushed opportunity to discusstreatment-related symptoms and concernswith the study’s research nurses. They alsoappreciate the informational overview in theprogram’s educational binder. Several havecommented they did not realize that symptomsfrom treatment, such as fatigue, could be longterm.They are reassured to learn that they arein fact fatigued, not “lazy” or “unmotivated.”Areas of high interest for additional teachingand support are lymphedema management,menopausal symptom discussion and fear ofrecurrence. Fatigue continues to be a concern,despite the fact that subjects have receivedgood information during treatment. Dow ispleased with the study’s low rate of attrition,which is about 1 percent. She attributes this tothe “tremendous support of the M.D. AndersonCancer Center Orlando staff, their highly skilledand trained research nurses and the greatinterest in our study in the CentralFlorida area.”Karen Dennis, Ph.D., RN, FAAN 3In 2003, Professor Karen Dennis was awardeda Þ ve-year, $2 million grant from the NationalInstitute of Nursing Research to study “Homevs. Center-Based Weight Loss and Exercise inMenopause” (R01NR0773801A2). It is thelargest single grant awarded to date in theCollege of Health and Public Affairs.4