Nursing Research Since 2000
Centers of Excellence
During the first decade of the 21st century, the School of Nursing retained its place at the forefront of nursing research, launching two centers of excellence—Work and Health Research (2005) and Disorders of Neuroregulatory Function (2006)—and three developing centers of excellence. The centers strengthened the foundation for scientific inquiry in an area of scholarship by providing an environment rich in specialized expertise, with opportunities for the integration of education and practice and mentorship of new scholars.
Research Funding
The lifeblood of any institution committed to research is the funding it is awarded to pursue a variety of inquiries. During the decade after 2000, the School of Nursing rose from 58th to 19th place among nursing programs receiving research funding from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Nursing Research.
In 2009, the School was awarded its first National Institute of Nursing Research P30 Center grant, “The University of Maryland Center for Pain Studies,” involving collaboration among the Schools of Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry, and the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center.
By 2010, through the efforts of its many investigators and researchers, the School had more than $5.8 million of grant funded research underway from public and private sources, such as the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Alzheimer’s Association.
Barbara Resnick, PhD, RN, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, professor and Sonya Ziporkin Gershowitz Endowed Chair in Gerontology, worked with elderly patients to promote active life styles to help stave off injury and illness.
Aging
School of Nursing researchers, especially those working within the Developing Center of Excellence in Aging, targeted health promotion and management of chronic illness among the elderly. A heavy emphasis was placed on developing and testing interventions that optimize function and physical activity. The studies included individuals living in a broad span of settings, from those in long-term care facilities to those living independently in the communities.
Susan Dorsey, PhD, RN, FAAN, associate professor and director of the University of Maryland Center for Pain Studies, with lab technician Peter Rhee.
Bench Research
Bench research is any research done in a controlled laboratory setting, which focuses on understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie a disease or disease process.
Dr. Susan G. Dorsey was at the forefront of bench research at the School of Nursing during the decade after 2000. Dorsey’s work, which blended her experience in clinical and research settings, was aimed at understanding the pathobiology of pain and neurodegenerative diseases.