A record number of School of Nursing faculty were named award winners by the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research (FNINR). The annual awards recognize national nursing research leaders who have made significant contributions to nursing science.
The Emory recipients — who won four of the five award categories — were cited for their accomplishments and contributions to various fields of inquiry.
“These distinguished researchers are advancing nursing science and join the echelons of other nationally recognized FNINR award winners contributing to the enhanced health and well-being of all Americans,” says Cathleen Wheatley, DNP, RN, CENP, FAAN, president of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and current FNINR board president.
The honored faculty include:
Linda McCauley, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN, received the Ada Sue Hinshaw Award for her seminal research in environmental exposures. Her work has influenced national environmental health policies on how to reduce exposure to pesticides and measures to reduce the probability of exposure in pregnant women and children. The Hinshaw Award is the top honor given by FNINR. McCauley earned the recognition for her substantive and sustained program of science that continues to have a revolutionary impact on populations across the world.
Sandra Dunbar, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAHA, FPCNA, is the recipient of the President’s Award for her exceptional research career in cardiovascular nursing science. Her body of work focuses on psychosocial responses to serious cardiac illness. It also addresses the social determinants of health in published papers on socioeconomic status discrimination and neighborhood incarceration rates as predictors of cardiovascular markers such as C-reactive protein. Dunbar’s findings have improved cardiovascular outcomes nationally and globally and have been adopted by other researchers.
Deborah Watkins Bruner, PhD, RN, FAAN, is an internationally renowned researcher whose contributions have changed clinical practice guidelines and impacted cancer care internationally. She received the Welch/Woerner Path-Paver Award for changing clinical practice by pioneering the development of the radiation oncology nursing role and the required training. Her work has altered and improved how nurses and other clinicians approach cancer symptoms and treatment outcomes.
Eun-Ok Im, PhD, MPH, RN, CNS, FAAN, was honored with the Faye Glenn Abdellah Award for her commitment to eliminating gender and ethnic health disparities. Her groundbreaking body of research spans disciplines and cultural settings. An early influencer and leader in Internet-based research, Im has since investigated ways in which emerging technologies may optimize data collection and health interventions among ethnic minority women. Since the late 1990s, she has used innovative tools and data analytic techniques to capture women’s health experiences with more nuance and precision than traditional methods allow.
“This is an unprecedented and impressive recognition for our nursing colleagues at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing who have achieved outstanding accomplishments in their respective areas of research,” says Janie Heath, PhD, APRN-BC, FAAN, FNAP, FAANP, dean of the University of Kentucky College of Nursing, who serves as FNINR awards chair.
