The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing has received a $2.6 million Institutional National Research Service Award to train the next generation of nursing researchers.
The grant is funded through the National Institute of Nursing Research, part of the National Institutes of Health, and supports the preparation and training of pre- and post-doctoral nursing scientists.
"This funding plays a key role in our ability to recruit and support diverse, highly-qualified pre- and post-doctoral nursing fellows," said Dr. Merle Mishel, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Nursing and director of the School of Nursing's doctoral and post-doctoral programs. "Nursing is in great need of new researchers and new nursing faculty to meet shortages. The doctoral and post-doctoral students that we educate and train here at Carolina go on to fill those roles," she said.
The School of Nursing first received the award in 1996, Mishel said. "The fact that the School is now looking at 15 years of continuous funding demonstrates the success of our programs and our graduates."
The continued funding extends the program another five years. The School will use the funding to recruit and train four new pre-doctoral fellows and two new post-doctoral fellows. It will also provide an additional two years of support for four current pre-doctoral fellows and another year of support for two current post-doctoral fellows.
Graduates supported with the award have moved into faculty positions at leading research universities including the University of Pittsburgh, Emory University and Carolina. They are building research programs addressing pediatric cancer, treatment of black women with breast cancer, managing newborns in intensive care (NICU) and doctor/patient communication. And, they have been successful in receiving research funding from NIH, American Cancer Society and American Heart Association, Mishel said.
The School of Nursing is also home to a second institutional National Research Service Award led by Dr. Barbara Mark, Sarah Frances Russell Distinguished Professor of nursing. Only 17 other universities across the county currently have these awards, and of those only five campuses are currently funded for more than one award.
More information about pre- and post-doctoral programs at the School of Nursing can be found online at http://nursing.unc.edu.
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