Office of Nursing Research
Supporting Scientific Discovery
Penn Nursing is one of the few schools of nursing in the nation with a dedicated Office of Nursing Research (ONR) designed to support scientific discoveries with the goal of translating nursing knowledge into new strategies to advance healthcare. Research produced here at the School of Nursing is nationally and internationally recognized, helps to inform public health policy, and is consistently published in a wide range of high-impact, interdisciplinary journals. Penn Nursing's world-renowned investigators collectively rank near the top of all schools of nursing receiving federal funding.
Providing Comprehensive Services
The ONR offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to support faculty and students with assistance throughout the lifespan of a research grant - from conception to closeout. The ONR is highly experienced in assisting with grant lifecycle needs such as: idea conception, identifying funding opportunities, proposal creation, budget creation, routing and approval, proposal submission, award administration, and finally, closeout and audit of the award. Each faculty investigator is assigned a grants specialist who becomes an 'expert' on their research and funding. Students rely on the ONR to help discover grant opportunities, find research partners, hone grant writing skills, and connect with mentors. The ONR provides savvy statistical support, conducts mock reviews that result in a high success rate, and offers guidance with regulatory compliance. In addition, Penn Nursing's ONR hosts a state-of-the-art nursing research laboratory.
Communicating Findings to the Public
In cooperation with ONR, the Penn Nursing Marketing and Communications Office maintains a robust and integrated dissemination plan that results in international and national coverage of faculty research. Findings are promoted to the public and media through our Science in Action series, appearing on the home page of the School’s website; distributed via the University of Pennsylvania Office of Communications and electronic distribution services to the general media and the science and nursing press; and shared via dedicated Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest channels. On YouTube, a Penn RN channel features videos of faculty discussing their research in an easily accessible Q-and-A format.
Building Robust Funding Sources
Penn Nursing's program of research is closely aligned with the NIH Roadmap, set forth by the National Institutes of Health, which outlines new pathways to discovery and seeks to find novel ways to shorten the trajectory from research to clinical practice. Our robust research portfolio boasts a wide range of funding mechanisms including NIH R01, U01, K01, R03, P30, P20, F31, and T32 grants, to name a few. Research at the School of Nursing is conducted through school-supported and grant-funded research centers, and ranks near the top of all schools of nursing receiving federal funding. Faculty and student research efforts are vigorously supported through the ONR, major research awards, and the University's significant resources.
Fostering Collaboration
The ONR connects Penn Nursing investigators with a broad network of multidisciplinary research colleagues so they can capitalize on overlapping areas of exploration with partners such as the Wharton School, Penn Medicine, Penn Dental, the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, and Veterinary Medicine. In addition, the ONR acts as a central liaison for Penn Nursing post-doctoral students to the Perelman School of Medicine's Biomedical Postdoctoral Program. Penn Nursing faculty influence national policy through participation in the National Institute of Nursing Research advisory board, the Centers for Disease Control advisory board, National Institutes of Health study review groups and expert panels, and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. And, many of our faculty hold appointments on the editorial boards of leading nursing and interdisciplinary journals. Penn Nursing investigators frequently partner with the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare, Department of Health and Human Services, the Veteran's Administration, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other schools of nursing.