News Archives

Statement on Roe v. Wade Decision

June 24 - Penn Nursing stands firm on its principles of equitable access to health care—including abortion.

Novel Sleep Education Learning Modules Developed for Nurse Practitioners

June 23 -

Sleep health is increasingly recognized as important to overall health, and sleep disturbances and disorders are clinical problems that require diagnosis and management. But when patients present with symptoms and concerns about their sleep disturbances, they often do so to healthcare providers who are not sleep specialists.

Incarceration Associated with Negative Mental Health Risks for Black Men

June 16 -

A review of literature from the past decade found that for this group in the U.S. such a detention was linked to higher levels of psychological distress, more severe symptoms of PTSD and depression, and more.

Penn Nursing Launches New Online Master of Science in Nutrition Science

June 14 -

The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) is launching a new, online Master of Science in Nutrition Science (MSNS) program. The 10-course interdisciplinary program is built upon years of nutrition research and teaching at Penn. The MSNS will foster a formidable grounding in Nutrition Science to support innovation in nutritional management and research and enhance research skills to advance this work.

Study Finds Nicotine-Sired Male Offspring at Risk of Addiction Behavior and Memory Impairments

June 8 -

Parental smoking is a significant risk factor for developing smoking behavior and nicotine dependence in offspring. These findings suggest that parental nicotine exposure may promote addiction-like behaviors in subsequent generations. Given the significance of cigarette smoking for public health, preventing nicotine use among adolescents is critical to ending tobacco use disorder and decreasing e-cigarette use.

Making Meaning from the Loss of a Child

June 6 -

Research by Penn Nursing’s Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, Professor of Perinatal Nursing and the Helen M. Shearer Term Professor of Nutrition in the Department of Family and Community Health, and colleagues reveals how donating milk served as an important part of the grieving process for some parents who had lost a baby before or at birth.

Christine K. Wanich Bradway Transitions from Standing Faculty at Penn Nursing

May 25 - Christine K. Wanich Bradway, PhD, RN, CRNP, FAAN, AGSF, Professor of Gerontological Nursing and Clinician Educator in the Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences at Penn Nursing, will transition from her faculty role on June 30th, 2022.

Terri Lipman, PhD, FAAN, CRNP Transitions from Standing Faculty at Penn Nursing After More Than Three Decades of Service

May 24 - Terri Lipman, PhD, FAAN, CRNP, the Miriam Stirl Endowed Term Professor of Nutrition and Assistant Dean for Community Engagement, will be transitioning on June 30, 2022, after an incredible 33 years of service to the University and School. Terri has held a clinical practice in the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and has been a strong voice for nurses and children in her service to the School, the University, and our West Philadelphia community.

Julie Fairman, PhD, RN, FAAN, Transitions from Standing Faculty at Penn Nursing

May 23 - Julie A. Fairman, PhD, RN, FAAN, Nightingale Professor in Honor of Nursing Veterans and professor of nursing, an internationally recognized scholar and leader in nursing education and history will transition from her faculty role on June 30th, 2022.

Prominent Appointments for Penn Nursing Professor

May 18 - Diane L. Spatz, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, Professor of Perinatal Nursing and the Helen M. Shearer Term Professor of Nutrition, in Penn Nursing’s Department of Family and Community Health, has two new appointments: one national and the other international.

Congratulations to the Class of 2022!

May 16 -

Penn Nursing’s 2022 commencement is in the history books. It was the first in-person graduation held in two years! The graduates, their families, friends, and the Penn Nursing community, gathered at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on May 16, 2022. We celebrated their achievements, their studies, their work, their honors, and we welcomed them among the ranks of the Penn Nursing Alumni.

National Board Appointment for Penn Nursing Professor

May 3 -

Sharon Y. Irving PhD, CRNP, FCCM, FAAN, FASPEN, Associate Professor of Pediatric Nursing and Vice-Chair of Penn Nursing’s Department of Family and Community Health, has been selected to serve on the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition’s (ASPEN) Board of Directors. The Board of Directors are responsible for developing the strategic vision and priorities of the organization. Her term will be one year, and it begins on June 1, 2022.

In the Cloud and On the Ground: Bridging the Lives and Health Needs of Youth

April 22 - On Thursday, April 21, Dr. Jose Bauermeister, Albert M. Greenfield Professor of Human Relations, and Chair of the Department of Family and Community Health at Penn Nursing, presented, “In the Cloud and On the Ground: Bridging the Lives and Health Needs of Youth,” for the 2022 Albert M. Greenfield Memorial Lecture.

Running to Shine a Light on Mental Health

April 21 -

Samantha Roecker, a Penn Medicine nurse and a student in Penn Nursing’s Family Nurse Practitioner Program, competed in the Boston Marathon. In the process, she raised more than $45,000 to help nurses struggling as a result of the pandemic, and she broke the world record for fastest marathon in scrubs.

Lead As a Social Determinant of Child and Adolescent Physiological Stress and Behavior

April 11 - Lead is an environmental neurotoxicant that causes neurocognitive deficits and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. It also disproportionately affects socially disadvantaged communities. The association between lead exposure and children’s IQ has been well studied, but few studies have examined the effects of blood lead on children’s physiological stress and behavior. Three University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) studies shed light on how lead can affect children and adolescents’ physiological stress and emotional/behavioral development.

Regina Cunningham Receives 2022 Norma M. Lang Award for Scholarly Practice and Policy

April 7 - The award is given biennially to a Penn Nursing faculty member or a graduate from the school’s doctoral program who has made a distinguished contribution to nursing through scholarly practice. It honors Norma M. Lang, the professor and Dean Emerita of Penn Nursing, for her world-renowned contributions to health policy and practice.

For Seven Years Running, Penn Nursing is # 1 in the World

April 6 -

The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) is again ranked in the top spot for 2022 according to a recent ranking by QS World University. The rankings highlight the world’s top universities in 51 different subject areas based on academic reputation, employer reputation, and research impact. Since 2016, Penn Nursing has been ranked first.

Lindback for De Jonghe

April 5 -

The University of Pennsylvania is honoring Penn Nursing’s Bart C. De Jonghe, PhD, Associate Professor of Nutrition in the Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences (BHS), Associate Director of Undergraduate Nutrition Programs, and Vice-Chair of Penn’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, with the 2022 Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Society of Critical Care Medicine Award for Penn Nursing Professor

March 30 -

Martha A. Q. Curley, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Ruth M. Colket Endowed Chair in Pediatric Nursing and Professor of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing), will receive the 2022 Asmund S. Laerdal Memorial Lecture Award from the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) during its annual congress. The 2022 gathering will be held virtually on Monday, April 18 through Thursday, April 21, 2022.

Burke to be 2022 Penn Nursing Commencement Speaker

March 18 -

Sheila P. Burke, MPA, BSN, FAAN, an Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, will serve as the 2022 Penn Nursing commencement speaker. The May 16, 2022 event at 3:00 PM EST will be the first in-person commencement the School has held in two years.

Penn Nursing Researchers Co-Edit Special Journal Issue About Social Determinants of Health

March 17 -

University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) faculty J. Margo Brooks Carthon, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Adriana Perez, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN, are guest editors of the April 2022 special edition of the journal Research in Nursing & Health. The Issue “Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health” is the first of its kind published by a nursing research journal.

Leonard A. Lauder Talks Game-changing Gift to Penn Nursing, and More

March 17 -

Lauder, a Penn alumnus and emeritus Trustee, donated $125 million to the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, establishing a new program for aspiring nurse practitioners who intend to work in underserved communities.

Hodgson Selected for Induction to the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame

March 15 -

Penn Nursing’s Nancy A. Hodgson, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Claire M. Fagin Leadership Professor in Nursing and Chair of the Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences will be honored by Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) for her contributions to the nursing profession during the organization’s 33rd International Nursing Research Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, in July.

Social Isolation and Anxiety in Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment

March 11 -

The COVID-19 pandemic has focused worldwide attention on a concurrent public health crisis—social isolation. Older adults, particularly those with cognitive impairment, may be particularly vulnerable to ill effects from social isolation.

Congratulations to the 2022 Penn Nursing Faculty Award Recipients

March 10 - All the honorees will be recognized at the Student, Alumni, and Faculty Awards event on Thursday, May 13, 2022 4-5:30 PM EST.

Increasing Access to Breastfeeding Services for Incarcerated Women

March 9 -

Of the more than 200,000 women in U.S. federal and state prisons and jails, it is estimated that up to 10% are pregnant and will give birth while incarcerated. Clinical practice guidelines to support breastfeeding and increase infants’ access to human milk are well established. However, little data assess the extent to which they are modifiable or applicable for incarcerated mothers.

Investigating the Effects of Critical Illness in Early Childhood on Neurocognitive Outcomes

March 1 -

Approximately 23,700 children in the U.S. undergo invasive mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure annually. Although most survive, little is known if they have worse long-term neurocognitive function than children who do not undergo such procedures. There are concerns about neurotoxic effects of critical illness and its treatment on the developing brain. Therefore, infants and young children may be uniquely susceptible to adverse neurocognitive outcomes after invasive mechanical ventilation.

Penn Nursing Professor Appointed to New National Committee

February 17 -

Alison Buttenheim, PhD, MBA, the Patricia Bleznak Silverstein and Howard A. Silverstein Term Endowed Professorship in Global Women’s Health in Penn Nursing’s Department of Family and Community Health, has been named a member of a new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) committee that will assess future prospects for the broader use of behavioral economics in public policy.

Fourth Annual Story Slam

February 17 - On Wednesday, February 16, nurses from Penn Nursing and Penn Medicine shared their true, personal stories for Penn Nursing’s annual Story Slam event.

University of Pennsylvania Announces New Tuition-Free Program to Recruit, Train and Deploy Nurse Practitioners to Underserved Communities Across the U.S.

February 14 -

$125 Million Gift from Leonard A. Lauder to Transform Nursing Care