News Archives

New Director of Penn Nursing’s Hillman Scholars Program

June 20 - Nancy A. Hodgson, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Anthony Buividas Term Chair in Gerontology and Associate Professor of Nursing, will assume the role of Director of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing’s Hillman Scholars Program in Nursing Innovation on July 1, 2017.

Little Clinical Evidence Qualifies Utility of Mobile Apps Designed for Palliative Care

June 16 -

The unprecedented digital connectivity and use of smartphone technology have transformed how people access, share, and communicate information – including information about health care. As of mid-2015, there were more than 165,000 mobile health applications (apps) in use worldwide, illustrating the important role of mobile technology in the way health care is delivered and received.

Penn Nursing, CHOP Study: Pediatric Nurses Miss Necessary Care More Often in Poor Work Environments

June 14 -

In a new study, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing’s Center for Health Outcome and Policy Research (CHOPR) and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) examined the factors influencing the likelihood of missed nursing care in a pediatric setting. Their findings indicate that pediatric nurses with poor work environments and higher patient loads are more likely to miss required care.

Four Students First to Graduate with a Double Major that Includes Nutrition Science

June 12 - This year, four graduating seniors from Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences and Penn Nursing stand out from the crowd because they are the first students to leave Penn with a double major in their primary area as well as Nutrition Science.

Aggressive Care at the End of Life for Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer Linked to Poorer Patient Outcomes

May 25 -

For patients with advanced cancer, aggressive care — chemotherapy, mechanical ventilation, acute hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions — at the end of life is commonplace. Yet until now, little is known about the relationship between patients’ and families’ satisfaction with this aggressive care within the last 30 days of life.

Penn Nursing Celebrates Alumni Weekend 2017

May 23 - Penn’s 2017 Alumni Weekend, held May 12-14, brought thousands back to campus, including those celebrating milestone reunions for classes ending in ‘2’ and ‘7’. While Saturday’s weather did put a damper on things, it certainly didn’t stop Penn Nursing alumni from showing off their Quaker spirit.

Eliminating Routine Inpatient Pain Assessment Won’t Solve the Opioid Abuse Crisis

May 23 -

The problem of prescription drug abuse and overdose — particularly opioid abuse — is at crisis level in the US and an examination of clinical practices to mitigate this crisis is necessary. 

AcademyHealth Research Mentorship Award for Penn Nursing Professor

May 19 - Matthew McHugh, PhD, JD, MPH, RN, CRNP, FAAN, will receive the 2017 AcademyHealth Mentoring Award from the Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues (IRGNI). The award will be given at the group’s annual meeting on June 24^th in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Welcome to Our Newest Alumni

May 17 -

Another class can now be counted among the ranks of Penn Nursing Alumni. On May 15, 2017, the graduating class, faculty, staff, and administrators gathered at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts to celebrate our School’s annual commencement.

Dean on the Road Tour Ends in Boston

April 28 - On April 19, Dean Villarruel wrapped up her Dean on the Road tour for this academic year in Boston. Well-attended by almost 45 local alumni and friends as well as parents of current students, the Dean shared her vision for the School, and was joined via live-broadcast by Dr. Mary Ersek, Professor of Palliative Care.

2017 Benjamin Franklin Scholars in Nursing Cohort Produce BEN Talk Capstone Video

April 28 - The Penn Nursing cohort is comprised of four members: Kirsten Garza, Elizabeth Sieber, Eva Chau, and Sam Noblejas, and is advised by Honorary Term Professor of Gerontological Nursing School Sarah H. Kagan PhD, RN.

Taking Action to Increase Physical Activity

April 26 - In a truly interdisciplinary effort, Penn is working with the city of Philadelphia to increase physical activity in West Philadelphia through community and academic partnerships.

Penn Nursing Announces New Endowed Term Chair Appointment

April 25 -

Mary Ersek, PhD, RN FPCN, Professor of Palliative Care in the Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, has been appointed the new Killebrew-Censits Chair in Undergraduate Education effective July 1, 2017.

Dean Villarruel Co-Principal Investigator of American Academy of Nursing Study

April 21 -

The American Academy of Nursing (AAN), through a grant received from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), partnered with the RAND Corporation to examine ways in which Edge Runner initiatives – nurse developed care models that demonstrate significant, sustained clinical and financial outcomes – could improve national health.

Training the Next Generation of Health Care Providers

April 18 - Held annually by the Camden Coalition of Health Care Providers, The Interprofessional Student Hotspotting Learning Collaborative trains interdisciplinary teams of professional students from schools around the country to learn to work with complex medical and social needs using a patient-centered approach.

Matthew McHugh, PhD, Appointed to Pennsylvania State Agency

April 14 -

The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) was formed to address rapidly growing health care costs.

Weaning From Extended Breastfeeding Varies for Every Mom

April 12 - What are the best practices for weaning a toddler from breastfeeding, and what role can health-care providers play in helping nursing mothers to do so?

Penn Nursing, Medicine Collaborate to Improve Post-surgical Pain Management in China

April 10 -

Between 60 and 70 percent of patients who undergo a thoracotomy, or a surgical incision into the chest wall, experience some sort of long-term, post-surgical pain. So that patient population was a natural fit for a study focused on pain management, led by the University of Pennsylvania and taking place at Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Peking University People’s Hospital in China.

Preceptors Make the Decision Easy

April 6 -

Claire Levinson, GNu’16, knows firsthand what helps to make Penn Nursing the number one nursing school in the world. After taking a hiatus from her education, she chose Penn Nursing to complete her degree. And as a recent Family Nurse Practitioner graduate, she is happy to reflect on the School’s unique preceptor program.

Penn Nursing Discussion panel brings experts from across the University to promote mental wellness.

April 5 -

MYTH: Learning difficulties and mental health problems are the same.

FACT: Mental health problems are about thoughts and feelings, rather than the different ways someone learns.

Paying It Forward with Precepting

April 4 - When Kate Demutis came to Penn Nursing as a graduate student, she was most grateful for the incredible preceptors that helped her transition between school and clinical practice. Today, she is paying it forward. With Penn Nursing being one of the only advanced degree nursing schools in the country to match students with clinical placements and precepting relationships, Kate coordinates those placements and, as testament to the value she found in the program, is a preceptor herself.

Innovative Clinical Nurse Fellowship Immerses PhD Students in Nursing Care While Enhancing Scientific Inquiry

April 4 - Nurses with research doctorates have led important work that has proven vital in improving patient outcomes and enhancing quality of care. Yet today, fewer than five percent of nurses have PhDs, the education level typically needed to perform independent research, according to data from the National Institute of Nursing Research, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Barbara Riegel, PhD, Wins University Award for Undergraduate Advising

April 4 -

The Trustees’ Council of Penn Women (TCPW) Award recognizes undergraduate faculty advisors who have distinguished themselves in providing assistance and advice to their advisee students and who have made a significant impact on the academic experience of these students.

Congratulations to the 2017 Penn Nursing Faculty Award Recipients

March 31 -

All the honorees will be recognized during the Student-Alumni-Faculty Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 12, at 4:00 pm in the Ann L. Roy Auditorium of Fagin Hall. Pioneering nurse researcher Ada Sue Hinshaw, PhD, who will receive an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University, will be a special guest.

Susan Renz, DNP, Wins 2017 Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence by Non-Standing Faculty

March 30 -

The Advanced Senior Lecturer in Penn Nursing’s Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences is one of only two recipients of this award across the entire University.

Eastern Nursing Research Society Honoring Penn Nursing’s Barbara Medoff-Cooper, PhD, with Research Award

March 29 -

The award is in recognition of sustained and outstanding contributions to nursing research by a Senior Investigator.

Three Penn Nursing Students Win President’s Engagement and Innovation Prizes

March 28 -

Marcus Henderson, Ian McCurry, and Yaneli Arizmendi are among the eight winners of the 2017 President’s Engagement and Innovation Prizes. The award provides $100,000 in funding for Penn seniors to design and undertake post-graduation projects that make a positive, lasting difference in the world.