The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) announced the appointment of four new members to the National Advisory Council for Nursing Research (NACNR), the institute's principal advisory board. Members of the council are drawn from the scientific and lay communities, embodying diverse perspectives from the fields of nursing, public and health policy, law, and economics. NINR, a component of the National Institutes of Health, is the primary federal agency for the support of nursing research.
The NACNR meets three times a year on the NIH campus to provide recommendations on the direction and support of the research that forms the evidence base for nursing practice. An important role of the council is to conduct the second level review of grant applications that have been scored by scientific review groups. In addition, the council reviews the institute's extramural programs and makes recommendations about its intramural research activities.
NINR Director Patricia A. Grady, Ph.D., R.N., is please to welcome the following new members:
- Beverly Priefer, Ph.D., R.N., is the acting director of research and evidence based practice programs in the Office of Nursing Services (ONS) at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). She is also a faculty associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing. In her current position, she oversees its national evidence-based practice initiatives including educational workshops, a facility consultation program, and an online resource center. Dr. Priefer also provides oversight for the ONS Nursing Research Field Advisory Committee, a committee of VA nurse scientists focused on interprofessional research that informs evidence-based practice to improve the health and well-being of veterans. Dr. Priefer has also held the position of nurse scientist at the Madison Wisconsin VA Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, where her research focused on dysphagia in older adults with dementia.
- Colonel Michael L. Schlicher, Ph.D., R.N., is the executive director for the military’s TriService Nursing Research Program in Bethesda, Maryland. He previously served as the regional chief of nursing research for both the Pacific Regional Medical Command in Honolulu and the Southern Regional Medical Command in San Antonio. His research seeks to use aspects of nanotechnology to develop new nursing therapeutics for wound healing, pain control, and disease prevention. In addition to having several articles published in peer-reviewed journals, he authored a first edition book chapter in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) Advanced Clinical Critical Care Nurse Textbook. Col. Schlicher’s numerous honors include the “9A Proficiency Designator” in Research by the Army Surgeon General, the 2012 Association of Military Surgeons of the United States Federal Nurse Award, the Western Institute of Nursing’s Biological Research Award, Sigma Theta Tau’s Nurse Image Maker Award, the AACN’s Circle of Excellence in Education Award, and the Order of Military Medical Merit.
- Alexa Stuifbergen, Ph.D., R.N., is the dean, James R. Dougherty, Jr. Centennial Professor in Nursing and holds the Laura Lee Blanton Chair in Nursing at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Stuifbergen is internationally known for her innovative research projects in health promotion for persons with chronic and disabling conditions. She previously directed the NINR-funded Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research in Underserved Populations and currently co-directs the NINR-funded Center for Transdisciplinary Collaborative Research in Self-Management Science. In addition to her teaching and research, she has served on numerous national committees for the Rehabilitation Nursing Foundation; the National MS Society; and NIH, including serving as chair of the NIH Nursing and Related Clinical Sciences Scientific Review Group. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
- Jennifer Temel, M.D., is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston, clinical director of thoracic oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, director of cancer outcomes research at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, and co-leader of the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Outcomes Research Program, Boston. Her research focuses on optimizing palliative and supportive care for patients with cancer and their families. She is also interested in enhancing patient-clinician communication and decision-making about end-of-life care. Dr. Temel was recently awarded a mid-career development award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to enhance her efforts devoted to patient oriented research and mentoring. She has received grant funding from the American Society of Clinical Oncology Conquer Cancer Foundation, American Cancer Society, NINR and NCI.
NINR supports basic and clinical research that develops the knowledge to build the scientific foundation for clinical practice, prevent disease and disability, manage and eliminate symptoms caused by illness, and enhance end-of-life and palliative care. For more information about NINR, visit the website at www.ninr.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.