School Receives $1.5 Million Federal Grant

NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

Contact: Mary Pattock, School of Nursing (612-624-0939, patto017@umn.edu)

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF NURSING RECEIVES $1.5 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT
Grant Funds School's Focus on Innovative Health Interventions

(Minneapolis, MN, November 29, 2005) - A $1.5 million federal grant will help the University of Minnesota School of Nursing intensify its focus on interventions that protect, maintain and restore health from infancy to old age. Since nursing is uniquely about helping people and families stay healthy in the context of their own communities and environments, nurse scientists are leaders in this field of research. The National Institute of Nursing Research, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, made the five-year award.

The grant supports nurse scientists conducting pilot studies that explore new avenues to health, such as the use of acupuncture to maintain regular heartbeat after heart surgery, and meditation and relaxation to help couples cope with breast cancer. Other projects will help school nurses prevent student obesity, and assist individuals with mild cognitive impairment and their families. The grant will also enable new scientists to add to their repertoire of research skills, including methods and statistical techniques for conducting longitudinal studies.

The program will be guided by senior faculty in the school's new Center for Health Trajectory Research, directed by Jean Wyman, PhD, RN, FAAN.

"The grant means the school can take a major step forward in contributing to the University of Minnesota's goal of becoming one of the world's top three public research universities," said Dr. Wyman. "It's an exciting time for our research program."

The University of Minnesota School of Nursing, ranked among the nation's top nursing schools, is a leader in improving health care through research, education and service. Its nationally and world-renowned scientists discover practical health care treatments and solutions people can use today to improve their daily lives. The oldest continuing university-based school of nursing in the nation, it now has a combined undergraduate and graduate enrollment of approximately 850 students. The school produces 55 percent of the faculty in Minnesota's public and private nursing schools, advanced practice nurses and nurses who can assume leadership positions. The School of Nursing is one of seven schools and colleges in the Academic Health Center, one of the most comprehensive facilities for health professionals in the nation, fostering interdisciplinary study, research and education.

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