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October 23, 2020

Heilbrunn Family Center for Research Nursing Heilbrunn Scholar Symposium
By Bernadette ‘Candy’ Capili, PhD, NP-C

Each year, the Heilbrunn Family Center for Research Nursing hosts a symposium at Rockefeller University to showcase the research conducted by the Heilbrunn Nurse Scholar awardees. The Scholars meet virtual each month during their award period, but the symposium provides an opportunity for the Nurse Scholars to meet each other in person and share their research and professional development experiences.
 
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we held two separate virtual 2020 symposia on May 7 and May 21. Attendees included members of the Rockefeller University Hospital, Rockefeller nurses, nursing faculty from the Tri-State Area, Nurse Scholars’ mentors, and the Nurse Scholars’ study team members.

The topics for the symposium ranged from primary care provider burnout to aromatase inhibitor adherence. On May 7, Drs. Norful, Knisely, and Jennings-Mathis presented. Dr. Allison Norful, an assistant professor from Columbia University, discussed the impact of primary care providers (physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) co-managing patients with other clinicians on rates of burnout, job satisfaction, and intention to leave their current position. Results from her cross-sectional survey (n=333) showed that burnout was significantly associated with job satisfaction, and effective co-management of patients with a colleague reduced provider burnout.
 
Dr. Mitchell Knisely, an assistant professor at Duke University, discussed his on-going research characterizing the genetic pain profiles of participants with sickle cell disease. He is determining whether functional polymorphisms in candidate genes (i.e., IL-1B, IL-6, & TNF-α) are associated with pain subgroup membership. Dr. Karen Jennings-Mathis, an assistant professor at the University of Rhode Island, presented her on-going research to investigate the relationship between early-life adversity, adipokine status, dietary intake, and physical health among adults.
 
On May 21, 2020, Drs. Casida and Xavier and Ms. McCall presented. Dr. Jessie Casida, an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University, described the development of a self-care app for a left-ventricular assist device (LVAD). He aims to evaluate the effect of using the app on patients’ self-efficacy, adherence to medical therapies, LVAD-related complications, and health care utilization. Dr. Rose Mary Xavier, an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, discussed her work on leveraging novel tools from network science, bioinformatics, and integrating multiplex high-dimensional data types (genetics, imaging, cognitive, and symptom data). Her goal is to identify neuro-biologically informed psychosis and schizophrenia symptom profiles among adolescents. Ms. Maura McCall, a doctoral candidate from the University of Pittsburgh, discussed her project to identify temporal patterns and relationships of aromatase inhibitor (AI) adherence and symptoms among postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer. She will also explore the role of genotypic variation in temporal patterns and relationships for AI adherence and symptoms.
In closing, the discussions were robust and engaging. The virtual platform was well-received by nurse scholars and attendees.