Teresa J. Sakraida, R.N., Ph.D., M.S., M.S.Ed. Selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

                                                                        Nurse Faculty Scholars National Program Office

Phone: (877) 738-0737

E-mail: info@rwjfnursefacultyscholars.org

 

 

Aurora, CO (July 25, 2008) ─  Teresa J. Sakraida, R.N., Ph.D., M.S., M.S.Ed., an assistant professor in the University of Colorado Denver College of Nursing, was one of 15 junior faculty nationwide to receive an inaugural Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar award. The three-year, $350,000 grant will begin September 1.

 

The award will support her research to test whether patients with type 2 diabetes and stage 3 chronic kidney disease who self-manage their conditions by following a  tailored behavioral education and counseling intervention have improved health outcomes, quality of life, and glycemic control compared with similar patients who do not follow this behavioral education and counseling intervention.  

 

 The award will also support  Sakraida’s participation in a training program that will help prepare her for academic leadership and translating evidence into policy and practice initiatives.

 

“I hope to use this generous support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to enhance my skills as an academic leader and nurse scientist by studying the effectiveness of a self-management intervention in chronic illness,” Sakraida said.

 

Her faculty mentors for this research are Paula Meek, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., professor and senior scholar, University of Colorado Denver College of Nursing, and Tomas Berl, M.D., professor of medicine and head, Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine.

 

“This is a wonderful opportunity for an intensive launch of Dr. Sakraida’s program of research. Her long-term interest in assisting those with chronic conditions to use innovative strategies to manage care is timely as the population ages and the numbers of those with chronic illnesses rises. This award represents the work Dr. Sakraida has put into the development of this strategy,” said Patricia Moritz, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., dean and professor of the College of Nursing.

 

Dr. Sakraida was the recipient of the 2007 Chancellor’s Teaching Recognition award. She received a Sigma Theta Tau International Small Grant and the Western Institute of Nursing Best Poster in 2006. While at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Nursing, she received the Provost’s Diversity fellow recognition and the Nursing’s Excellence in Planning and Technology in the University Network Environment award.

 

The goal of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars program is to develop the next generation of national leaders in academic nursing through career development awards for outstanding junior nursing faculty. The program aims to strengthen the academic productivity and overall excellence of nursing schools by providing mentorship, leadership training, salary and research support to young faculty.

 

Despite a rise in applicants, U.S. nursing schools turn away thousands of prospective students from baccalaureate and master’s programs because of an acute shortage of faculty and clinical preceptors, training sites, space and funding constraints. Since the stature of nursing schools and the promotion of nursing faculty are dependent on the quality of the nursing faculty’s scholarly and/or research pursuits, the Nurse Faculty Scholars program seeks to strengthen the link between institutional reputation and faculty success by providing career development and other opportunities to junior faculty.

 

With a large number of faculty nurses set to retire soon, the Nurse Faculty Scholars program also aims to encourage junior nurse faculty to continue on in their roles as educators.

 

The program is administered by the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Jacquelyn C. Campbell, PhD, RN, FAAN, Anna D. Wolf chair and professor in the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, directs the program. For more information, go to: www.nursefacultyscholars.org.

 

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Located at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, the UC Denver College of Nursing offers some of the highest ranked programs in the country -- from bachelor's through doctoral degrees and post-graduate certificate programs. The college offers several specialties through its master’s program and the only Ph.D. program in clinical research in Colorado. It also is the birthplace of nurse practitioner education and the caring movement, and was one of the first schools in the country to offer a Doctor of Nursing Practice program. This year, U.S News & World Report ranked the UC Denver College of Nursing nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist programs among the top ten in the country. For more information, visit the UC Denver Newsroom.

 

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The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.