Honors and Awards

CHOPR Awards & Honors
January 2013- present

Center Director, Dr. Linda H. Aiken, is the recipient of the 2013 Velji Global Health Project of the Year Award
April 15, 2013 - The Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) recognized Dr. Aiken for her global research and leadership using performance measures to demonstrate the critical impact of nurses on hospital patient outcomes. Her research, spanning fifteen countries, yielded the biggest cross-national study of the nurse workforce and quality and safety of hospital care. Her findings demonstrated for the first time that even in countries with different healthcare systems, professional nurses are the cornerstone of safe, effective, patient-centered, and affordable hospital care. The Consortium strongly builds collaborations among interdisciplinary university global health programs working across education, research, and service. CUGH is dedicated to creating equity and reducing health disparities, everywhere.

Center Predoctoral Student, Molly Kreider Viscardi, and her team won the National Invitational Public Policy Challenge
April 9, 2013 - This award winning interprofessional team developed the “ReMind” system - a system that easily facilitates multi-media reminders for psychiatric patients for their follow-up appointments. Once a provider enrolls a patient into the system, the patient will receive voicemail, emails, and text messages to remind them to keep their appointments. This project was deemed superior by officials of Fel's Institute of Government hosted competition.

Center Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Monica Rochman, awarded a coveted AACN Philips Clinical Outcomes Grant
January 31, 2013 - Dr. Rochman's proposal entitled, "Relationship Between the Organization of Hospital Nursing and In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Outcomes" is the first known study that investigates nursing delivery system strategies to an in-hospital cardiac arrest. Dr. Rochman will examine the connection between nursing care and resuscitation outcomes and the relationship between nursing delivery system strategies and in-hospital cardiac arrest patient outcomes. Since a study has never measured the process of care associated with patient outcomes, there is a great need to understand and explore this relationship; to document the impact that nursing care has on survival. The American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) is dedicated to providing more than 500,000 nurses with knowledge, support and resources to ensure optimal care for patients and families.

Center Assistant Professors, Drs. Margo Brooks-Carthon and Kelly Wiltse-Nicely, awarded funding from RWJF Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action
January 25, 2013 - The applicants' study proposal, "Expanding Access to Health Care by Removing Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) Practice Barriers: Lessons from Pennsylvania" seeks to evaluate Governor Rendell's Rx4PA legislation - or the Prescription for Pennsylvania Legislation - an ambitious package of health care reforms. One of the bill's initiatives expanded the legal scope of practice for APRNs, clinical nurse specialists, and certified nurse midwives. This legislation allows nurse practitioners to perform acts of medical diagnosis, prescribe medical therapeutic or corrective measures, and issue orders under the same conditions and in the same facilities as physicians. Investigators will examine the impact of the legislation on the APRN workforce and evaluate the success of Rx4PA legislation in expanding healthcare access for all Pennsylvanians. The Campaign for Action is a joint initiative of the AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It's mission is to transform the nursing profession in order to improve health and health care.
January - December 2012
Center Predoctoral Fellow, Molly Kreider Viscardi, wins Nursing Economics Foundation Award to Pursue Graduate Level Nursing Education
November 6, 2012 - The 2012 Anthony J. Jannetti Nursing Economics Foundation Scholarship Winner, Molly Kreider Viscardi, MPA, RN obtained her BSN from The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and a Master of Public Administration from New York University, Wagner School of Public Service, New York, NY. Viscardi is pursuing a PhD in nursing as well as a Master in Bioethics (MBE) at The University of Pennsylvania and is interested in studying the nursing characteristics and the aspects of the nursing environment that may contribute to unjust and costly variations in care quality in vulnerable populations.
Center Assistant Professor of Nursing, Dr. Mathew McHugh, has been appointed to IOM's Standing Committee on Credentialing Research in Nursing
September 24, 2012 -- The Institute of Medicine (IOM) standing committee will closely watch the the field of nursing science, discuss planning and program development, and serve as a focal point for discussions. It will also review potential ad hoc studies requested by the sponsor and approved by the IOM and the National Academies. According to the IOM website, the Institute of Medicine is an independent, nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public. Each year, more than 2,000 individuals, members, and nonmembers volunteer their time, knowledge, and expertise to advance the nation’s health through the work of the IOM.

Center Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Amy Witkoski Stimpfel, wins the Margretta Madden Styles Credentialing Research Award for 2012 September 1, 2012 - The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) began sponsoring research grants to scholars investigating the relationship of credentialing in nursing to quality outcomes in health care in 2002. Dr. Stimpfel's winning proposal, "The Association between Magnet Hospitals and Patient Satisfaction", aims to determine whether patients cared for in Magnet credentialed hospitals report more favorable experiences than patients cared for in matched hospitals without Magnet credentialing (as measured by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey [HCAHPS]). Hospitalized patients are asked a series of questions relating to their inpatient experiences and the data is collected for a number of different purposes. "To the extent differences are found between Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals, we will establish whether the differences in patient experiences are driven by the quality of the professional practice environment and staffing and education of nurses," said Dr. Stimpfel, "I'm thrilled to receive the Styles Award and look forward to starting work on this project." LINK TO MORE INFORMATION FROM HCAHPS. Claire M. Fagin Fellow and CHOPR Postdoc, Dr. Olga Jarrín, is a recipient of The National Hartford Centers of Gerontological Nursing Excellence Award August 13, 2012 - This initiative has supported over 200 predoctoral and postdoctoral nursing scholars who have stimulated excitement about the field among nursing students and practicing nurses. They are the leaders who will shape future care for older persons. According to officials from the Gerontological Society of America, the 2012 Claire M. Fagin Fellows are a highly qualified group of dedicated gerontological nurses who will strengthen the knowledge base in such areas as family caregiving, home health and hospice care, care for persons with stroke, and critical illness in elders. LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ON THE CLAIRE M. FAGIN FELLOWS.

Hospital of the University of Pensylvania awarded funding to carry out Graduate Nurse Education Demonstration July 29, 2012 -- The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, became one of five sites nationally to be funded under the Graduate Nurse Demonstration, to educate more advanced practice nurses (APRNs), who are a crucial component to the success of the Affordable Care Act. “This project is bold and exciting,” said Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at Penn Nursing and an architect of the Penn proposal for Graduate Nurse Education Demonstration. “The demonstration provides funding for the first time to clinical sites to offset their costs of clinical education of advanced practice nurses. The funds are also an incentive for schools of nursing to expand graduations from APN programs.”

Center Assistant Professor, Dr. Matthew McHugh, is a new Fellow to be inducted in the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). May 24, 2012 - Dr. McHugh is one of 176 Esteemed Nurse Leaders who have been selected to be inducted as Fellows during the Academy’s 39th Annual Meeting and Conference on October 13, 2012 in Washington, DC. “Selection for membership in the Academy is one of the most prestigious honors in the field of nursing,” said Academy President Joanne Disch, PhD, RN, FAAN. The American Academy of Nursing is the discipline’s premier national organization. Its role is to advance health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. Dr. McHugh joins 38 other members of the current faculty in the School of Nursing who are also Academy Fellows. LINK TO AAN FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT. Center Hillman Scholar, Linda Kang, is the recipient of the 2012 Mary D. Naylor Undergraduate Research Award April 26, 2012 - Linda Kang was nominated for this award because of the initiative she has shown in seeking out research opportunities as well as her keen ability to think outside the box in matters of nursing science and research. Her high academic standing in the school and acceptance in the doctoral program at Penn was also a factor in considering her nomination. Linda's hard work and dedication as an intern for Bridging the Gaps - a nationally recognized program promoting interdisciplinary collaboration among health care professionals to serve economically disadvantaged and underserved populations - shows her deep commitment to putting into practice the goals of the Center and Penn Nursing Science. Congratulations Linda!

Center Predoctoral Fellow, Deena Kelly, wins 2012 Dorothy Mereness Award for Scholarly Writing April 25, 2012 - The Dorothy Mereness Award for Scholarly Writing is bestowed upon one student per year across all degree programs who has shown an exceptional ability in scholarly writing. Once nominated, and in order to be considered for the award, the student must submit a writing sample. Deena chose a recent paper co-written with Center Assistant Professor Ann Kutney Lee and published in the Journal of Nursing Administration entitled, "The Effect of Hospital Electronic Health Record Adoption on Nurse-Assessed Quality of Care and Patient Safety". The paper garnered top story status in an ANA Smartbrief and media discussions around the country. Deena also submitted her upcoming Academy Health presentation and paper, “Linking the Critical Care Practice Environment to Healthcare Acquired Infections”.
Center Assistant Professors, Ann Kutney-Lee and Margo Brooks Carthon awarded $10,000 Faculty Research Grant from the School of Nursing April 25, 2012 - In their research the co-principal investigators will define a set of nusing performance measures to reduce hospital readmissions among older adults. In their proposal investigators wrote, "The aim of our study is to examine the association between a set of nursing performance measures and 'all-cause' 30-day readmission following hospitalization for AMI, heart failure, or pneumonia." The results of this pilot will serve as a basis to further examine how readmissions may be reduced among older patients with complex comorbid medical illness through improvements in the provision of nursing care.
Center Director, Dr. Linda Aiken, is the inaugural recipient of the Dean’s Award for Exemplary Citizenship March 30, 2012 - Dr. Aiken was selected for this award for her more than 25 years of extraordinary service to our School through her groundbreaking program of research with a global reach; her mentorship of faculty, students, and post-docs; for fostering innovative educational programs such as the current Hillman Scholars Program; for being a voiced leader for nursing and quality healthcare, and for being at the forefront of interdisciplinary research, practice, and education.
Center Assistant Professor, Dr. Matthew McHugh, is the recipient of the Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Scholarly Mentorship March 30, 2012 - Dr. McHugh was selected for this award for inspiring his students to strive for success; for developing and facilitating meaningful research collaborations between undergraduate students and faculty; for his dedication to fostering the specific interests of his mentees; and for serving as an outstanding role model for what mentored scholarly research can be.
CHOPR Research Assistant, Marissa Decesaris, wins a Positive Studies Research Award Spring Semester 2012 - Marissa's summer research project, entitled "Experience of Recovering from a Mental Illness" was awarded by the Positive Psychology Center. The proposals were rated in terms of quality, student merits, and relevance to positive psychology. The purpose of this grant program is to recognize and encourage the best and brightest among the rising generation of researchers who share a vision for transforming psychology in a positive direction.
Center Director, Dr. Linda Aiken, receives Provost Global Health Engagement Award January 31, 2012 - This fund supports projects that reach across schools and disciplines; involve multiple faculty members; engage regions in which Penn has active academic partnerships and collaborative ventures. The much needed and sought after funds will be used at CHOPR to collaborate with Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium on the impact of nursing on patient outcomes in 16 countries. Our collaboration draws from a number of disciplines including nursing, sociology, medicine, and economics. "We are in the early stages of building a visible, well-respected program of international research which can impact nursing, health care delivery, and patient outcomes around the globe," Aiken said, "these funds will go a long way in helping us achieve our goals". A faculty committee reviewed proposals according to criteria of scholarly merit and significance for global research, teaching, and service.
Health Affairs paper by Assistant Professor, Dr. Mathew McHugh, was voted the Top Five Most Influential Research Articles of 2011 January 17, 2012 - Each year, RWJF posts a list of the most influential research articles. The top 20 articles nominated for 2011 were the most frequently viewed research articles on RWJF.org in the past year. Visitors to the RWJF website voted for the top five articles, based on their solid research performance and significance to the field. More than 2,200 voters came from all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. McHugh's paper, "Nurses' Widespread Job Dissatisfaction, Burnout, And Frustration With Health Benefits Signal Problems For Patient Care" is among the "Final Five". The results are in the newest issue of Evidence Matters, the RWJF newsletter of Research & Evaluation. You can view the newsletter and subscribe to future issues HERE.
Center Associate Professor, Dr. Nancy Hanrahan, is awarded Leonard Davis Institute pilot research funding January 10, 2012 - The Leonard Davis Institute (LDI) awards funding annually to Senior Fellows to stimulate research ideas, encourage multidisciplinary collaborations, and support the development of studies for external funding. Dr. Hanrahan's winning 2011 proposal is to build a prototype model-based simulation of Philadelphia’s mental health services focusing on the complex and costly problem of high SMI hospital readmission rates. Professors Hanrahan (Nursing), Silverman (Engineering), and Hurford (Medicine & Chief Medical Officer of the Philadelphia Behavioral Health Program) will collaborate with mental health administrators to design an agentbased simulation (a type of Sim-village) that will allow users to experiment with different government policies, organizational structures, and performance indicators to determine optimal designs for lowering SMI readmission rates. Follow this link for an in-depth look at the proposal.
Center Assistant Professor, Dr. Margo Brooks Carthon, awarded Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant (RWJF) January 6, 2012 - Dr. Brooks Carthon is among a select group of junior investigators from the RWJF New Connections program to receive the two-year $75,000 grant. For her project, she will assess the impact of existing nursing academic pipeline initiatives through a national survey and develop a common set of measures. “My research seeks to understand the mechanisms underlying health disparities and examines how nursing care can be optimized to improve minority health outcomes,” said Brooks Carthon. “This award will provide a much needed evidence base for measures of success.” Upon completion of the study, institution administrators and legislators will be able to use the results to help inform policy and program development at the local and national levels to diversify undergraduate and graduate nursing education. Follow this link to read more about the RWJF New Connections Program.
January - December 2011
Dr. Matthew McHugh's proposal "Hospital Care Environment, Neighborhood, and Racial Disparities in Elder Outcomes" was awarded NIH Funding from OBSSR September 15, 2011 - The government established OBSSR in recognition of the key role that behavioral and social factors often play in illness and health. In his proposal Dr. McHugh wrote, "Our approach will allow us to untangle the interrelated effects of the hospital care environment and patient neighborhood on racial and ethnic disparities in hospital outcomes among older adults, point to interventions that may reverse disparities, and identify communities and hospitals that can most benefit from interventions". Other center investigators and collaborators include: Dr. Herbert Smith, Director of the Population Studies Center; Dr. Rachel Werner, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine; Dr. Douglas Sloane, Adjunct Professor of Nursing at CHOPR; Dr. Linda Aiken, Director and Founder, CHOPR; and, Dr. Charles Branas, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Cartographic Modeling Laboratory.
Center Assistant Professor of Nursing, Matthew McHugh, PhD, JD, MPH, RN, CRNP, was named a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Nurse Faculty Scholar September 2011 - This highly competitive three-year $350,000 grant is given to junior faculty who show outstanding promise as future leaders in academic nursing. Matt will study the relationship between where people live, where they receive hospital care, and the outcomes of that care. The project will help identify the actions that hospital administrators and other leaders can take to ensure that nurses play a part in reducing disparities in care and targeting interventions. As well as ways to improve that care and ensure that all patients get high-quality nursing care regardless of where they happen to live. “The RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholar program will provide a great opportunity for me to grow as a nurse scientist and become a leading nursing outcomes and policy researcher,” McHugh said. “I look forward to learning from and developing relationships with other scholars, my mentors, and nursing leaders around the country.” To learn more about the Nurse Faculty Scholar program, visit www.nursefacultyscholars.org.
Center Postdoctoral Fellow, Olga Jarrín, PhD, RN, receives $25,000 Margretta Styles Credentialing Award from ANF for her proposal "Evidence for a Pathway to Excellence in Home Care". September 2011 - This study will be the first to empirically assess the relationship between the Pathway to Excellence standards for a positive work environment and outcomes for nurses and patients in the context of home health care. The Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research has a long history of research evaluating the relationship of the nursing practice environment to both patient and nurse outcomes in hospital settings and research on the outcomes of ANCC programs. This investigation promises to answer the question: Which ANCC Pathway to Excellence standards influence which nurse and patient outcomes?
Center Associate Director, Eileen Lake, PhD, RN, FAAN receives coveted Jessie M. Scott Endowed Term Chair in Nursing and Health Policy September 2011 - Dean Afaf I. Meleis announced the exciting news in an email to the entire nursing school. The School of Nursing Dean wrote, "The appointment to a term chair is a high honor in the University and is an acknowledgement of a high level of productivity of a faculty member. We sincerely appreciate the generosity and support Jessie M. Scott’s legacy has given to the School of Nursing." In response, Dr. Linda Aiken wrote, "What a wonderful and deserved honor in recognition of Eileen's research and leadership in nursing. The name of the chair in honor of one of the towering greats in nursing policy - Jesse Scott - is very special. She was responsible for the Nurse Training Act of 1964 which doubled the supply of nurses, greatly strengthened baccalaureate nursing education, and funded the first nurse practitioner education programs. We couldn't be prouder!"
Center Associate Director, Dr. Eileen Lake, receives Duke Distinguished Alumni Award March, 2011 - The Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research is excited to announce that Dr. Eileen Lake has been selected as the 2011 Duke University Distinguished Alumni Award. Each year the award is presented to an alumnus whose career contributions in nursing or health care have been distinctive for their impact and have been recognized regionally, nationally, or internationally. Congratulations, Eileen!
Dr. Eileen Lake receives Pilot Award from Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics December 2010 - Dr. Eileen Lake has received a pilot award from the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics for her proposal titled "Hospital Nursing Resource Configurations and Labor Market Contexts".
Dr. Linda Aiken receives honorary degree from the University of Maryland February 2011 - The University of Maryland is honoring Dr. Linda Aiken with a well-deserved award, a Doctor of Science Honoris Causa.
Center research assistant receives School of Nursing Undergraduate Student Mentored Award April 2011 - Xiao Linda Kang has received the School of Nursing's Undergraduate Student Mentored Research Award for her proposal "Nurse job satisfaction, burnout and quality of care in China". She will be mentored by center member Matthew McHugh, PhD, JD, MPH, RN, CRNP.
January - December 2010
Dr. Kelly Wiltse Nicely awarded the KM1 Scholars Award in Comparative Effectiveness Research and appointed Assistant Professor of Nurse Anesthesia November 2010 - The Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research is pleased to announce that Dr. Kelly Wiltse Nicely has been appointed to the rank of Assistant Professor of Nurse Anesthesia in the Standing Faculty-- Clinician- Educator track effective September 1, 2010. The Penn KM1 Scholars Program, administered by the School of Medicine, was funded by NIH stimulus monies to create a cadre of scholars in the high priority research area of comparative effectiveness research. Kelly was the only nurse to recieve funding. Congratulations, Kelly!
Center Associate Professor, Dr. Nancy Hanrahan, awarded Foundation Grant November 2010 - The Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research is delighted to announce that Dr. Nancy Hanrahan has been awarded the Foundation Grant (RWJF) for her research on the Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse-Transitional Care Model to Improve the Quality of Health Care for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness. The transition from a psychiatric hospitalization back into the community is a vulnerable period for individuals with serious mental illness. Cycling in and out of psychiatric hospitals and emergency services is harmful to this population and depletes scarce public resources. The Transitional Care Model for Persons with Serious Mental Illness (TCM-SMI) proposes to break this cycle by providing 90 days of intensive hospital-to-home services. This project is designed to translate the TCM intervention to meet the complex needs of SMI clients in public managed care. Congratulations, Nancy, on your achievement!
Center Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. J. Margo Brooks Carthon, receives Research Development Award November 2010 - The Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research is thrilled to announce that Dr. J. Margo Brooks Carthon, a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Center, has been awarded the K01 Mentored Research Scientist Award for her proposal "Nurse Practice Environment Influences in Reducing Disparities in Hospital Outcomes". The research project seeks to understand how characteristics of the nurse work force and the nurse practice environment influence outcomes among hospitalized minority patients. This study will employ a cross sectional, observational design to determine the effects of nurse work force and the practice environment on selected patient outcomes in order to assess what types of investments in nursing resources might be most beneficial to minority patient outcomes. Congratulations, Margo!!
Dr. Linda Aiken awarded grant by Dubai Ministry of Health September 2010 - Dr. Linda Aiken has been awarded a grant for the project "Nursing and Quality of Hospital Care in United Arab Emirates" by the Dubai Ministry of Health. The UAE has joined 30 countries from around the world in an international nursing research initiative aimed at improving the quality of nursing care in the nation's hospitals. The first major nursing research study in the UAE, conducted by the UAE Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Ministry of Health, will seek to identify and understand work environment factors that contribute to nursing recruitment and retention and the quality of nursing care in hospitals. Dr. Aiken will lead an international team of nursing researchers in collaboration with nursing leaders from the UAE.
Dr. Linda Aiken honored with Her Royal Highness Princess Muna Al-Hussein Award September 2010 - The HRH Princess Muna Al-Hussein Award from the American Nurses Credentialing Center is awarded for significant contributions to healthcare across borders and for a demonstrated dedication to nursing. Princess Muna is the mother of King Abdullah II of Jordan and a long-time patron of nursing. Dr. Aiken is the first recipient of this prestigious award.
Dr. Linda Aiken inducted into Sigma ThetaTau International's Nursing Hall of Fame April 2010 - Dr. Linda Aiken is being honored by the Nursing Honor Society for her "long-term, broad national and/or international recognition" and for research that "has impacted the profession and the people it serves." The inaugural induction ceremony will take place at the International Nursing Research Congress in July in Orlando, FL.
Center doctoral student awarded the Dorothy Mereness Award April 2010 - Danielle Olds has been chosen as the recipient of the 2010 Dorothy Mereness Award for her exceptional ability in scholarly writing.