Melissa Avery

Melissa Avery, PhD, RN, CNM, FACNM, FAAN Associate Professor and Chair Child and Family Health Cooperative Telephone Number: 612-624-5933 FAX Number: 612-626-6606 E-mail Address: avery003@umn.edu Office Location: 6-139 Weaver-Densford Hall

Mailing Address:

School of Nursing
University of Minnesota
5-140 Weaver-Densford Hall
308 Harvard Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Educational Background:

R.N., 1976, Northern Illinois University
B.S., 1976, Nursing, Northern Illinois University
M.S.N., 1981, Nursing/Nurse Midwifery, University of Kentucky
Ph.D., 1993, Nursing, University of Minnesota

Certification:

Certified Nurse Midwife, 1981

Teaching Areas:

Nurse-midwifery.
Research.

Research Interests:

Specialty areas are vaginal birth after Cesarean section (VBAC); exercise in pregnancy; exercise and gestational diabetes; breastfeeding; outcomes of nurse-midwifery care; perineal massage; technology enhanced learning. (Recent grants and selected publications are listed below.)

Research and Education Grants:

Title of project:Exercise for American Indian Women with Gestational Diabetes: A Pilot Study. 
Funded under NIH/NINR;  P-20 Center for Health Trajectory Research, pilot 
Role: Principal Investigator

Title of project: Exercise for American Indian Women with Gestational Diabetes: A Pilot Study. U of MN President's Multicultural Research Award, February 2008. PI.

Title of Project: Helping Women Achieve Healthy Weight Gain in Pregnancy
Funding Agency: UCare MN
Role: Co-Investigator
Project Dates: 7/1/07-6/30/08

Title of Project: Development of an Exercise Intervention for American Indian Women with Gestational Diabetes: A Community-Based Approach
Funding Agency: American College of Nurse Midwives Foundation
Role: Principal Investigator
Project Dates: 07/06-12/07

Title of Project: Technology Enhanced Learning in Graduate Education
Funding Agency: DHHS/HRSA
Role: Director
Project Dates: 9/1/04-6/30/08

Title of Project: Health Education Priorities: Perspectives from Women's Voices
Funding Agency: UMN Council on Public Engagement (COPE)
Role: Director, Outreach
Project Dates: 1/04-12/05

Title of Project: National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health
Funding Agency: DHHS
Role: Director, Outreach
Project Dates: 2003-2007

Title of Project: Outcomes of Nurse-Midwifery Care of Women Choosing Vaginal Birth After Previous Cesarean Section: Pilot Study
Funding Agency: American College of Nurse-Midwives Foundation
Role: Principal Investigator
Project Dates: 2/02-1/04

Title of Project: Nurse-midwifery, women's health care nurse practitioner, and public health graduate education via technology
Funding Agency: DHHS Division of Nursing
Role: Principal Investigator
Project Dates: 7/00-6/04

Selected Publications:

Avery, Melissa D.; Cohen, Bradley A.; and Walker, J. D. (2008). Evaluation of an Online Graduate Nursing Curriculum: Examining Standards of Quality, International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship: Vol. 5 : Iss. 1,Article 44.
Available at: http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol5/iss1/art44

Pfeiffer, J, Avery, MD, Benbenek, M, Prepas, R, Summers, L, Wachdorf, C, O'Boyle, C. (2008).  Maternal and Newborn Care During Disasters: Thinking Outside the Hospital Paradigm. Nursing Clinics of North America, 43, 449-467.

Lewis, B.A., Avery, M.D., Jennings, E., Sherwood, N., Martinson, B., and Crain, A. L. (2008). Effect of exercise during pregnancy on maternal and newborn outcomes: Practical implications for practice. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 2, 441-455.

Anderson, K. & Avery, M. (2008). Faculty teaching time: A comparison of web-based and face-to-face graduate nursing courses. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, Vol. 5: Iss. 1, Article 2. Available at: http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/vol5/iss1/art2 

Avery, M. & Howe, C. (2007). The DNP and entry into midwifery practice: An analysis. Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health, 52, 14-22.

Avery, M. & Baum, K. (2006). Endocrine disorders. In Primary Care for Midwives, Hackley, B. & Kriebs, J. Eds. Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Avery, M. D. (2005). The history and evolution of the core competencies for basic midwifery practice. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 50(2), 102-107.

Avery, M. D., Carr, C. A., & Burkhardt, P. (2004). Vaginal birth after cesarean section: A pilot study of outcomes in women receiving midwifery care. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 49(2), 113-117.

Bata-Jones, B., & Avery, M. D. (2004). Teaching pharmacology to graduate nursing students: Evaluation and comparison of web-based and face-to-face methods. Journal of Nursing Education, 43(4), 185-189.

Avery, M. D., Ringdahl, D., Juve, C., & Plumbo, P. (2003). The transition to web-based education: Enhancing access to graduate education for women's health providers. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 48(6), 418-425.

Carr, C. A., Burkhardt, P., & Avery, M. (2002). Vaginal birth after cesarean birth: A national survey of U.S. midwifery practice. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 47(5), 347-352.

Avery, M., & Walker, A. (2001). Acute effect of exercise on blood glucose and insulin levels in women with gestational diabetes. The Journal of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, 10, 52-58.

Avery, M. (2000). Diabetes in Pregnancy: The Midwifery Role in Management. Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health, 45(6), 472-480.

Avery, M., Franzich, C.R. & Duckett, L. (2000). The Experience of sexuality during breastfeeding among primiparous women. Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health, 45, (3), 227-237.

Avery, M., Duckett, L., Dodgson, J., Savik, K., Henly, S. (1998). Factors associated with very early weaning among primiparas intending to breastfeed. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 2, 167-79.

Duckett, L., Henly, S., Avery, M., Potter, S., Hills-Bonczyk, S., Hulden, R., & Savik, K. (1998). A theory of planned behavior-based structural model for breastfeeding. Nursing Research, 47, 325-336.

Avery, M., Leon. A.S., Kopher, R.A. (1997). Effect of a partially home-based exercise program for women with gestational diabetes. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 89, 10-15.

Center Membership:

Center for Child and Family Health Promotion Research

Personal Homepage:

Available