SNRS NEWS
Continuous Engagement Message From the President Research in Nursing & Health, 2014, 37, 356–357 Accepted 17 July 2014 DOI: 10.1002/nur.21615 Published online 23 August 2014 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).
Predictable patterns overlay many aspects of our lives. Calendar years are marked by seasons and holidays. Academic institutions have cycles of new student orientation, semesters, and graduation. The annual conference each February anchors the Southern Nursing Research Society (SNRS) yearly cycle. At the annual conference, research is presented, collaborations are born and renewed, newly elected officers are installed, and success of our members is celebrated. The conference serves as a gathering point for members and instills energy into the organization. However, just as graduation ceremonies do not define academic institutions, annual conferences do not define research societies. Much of the work of the organization occurs outside of the most visible calendar event! While the SNRS Board of Directors is most visible at the time of the annual conference, the Board works throughout the year to advance the society's mission and goals. Much of the work of the Board takes place outside of the annual conference. As an example, Dr. Robin Bartlett reports below about the SNRS members who were honored with awards during the 2014 annual conference. However, Dr. Bartlett's duties extend far beyond presiding over the presentation of the awards. In the year preceding the conference, she recruited and vetted Awards Committee members; led the development of two new awards (the Early Science Investigator Award, and the Mid-career Award); reviewed and refined policies and procedures related to all awards; solicited nominations for each award; oversaw the committee's review of nominees and selection of awardees;
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2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
notified those selected and not selected; coordinated the judging of student posters, both prior to and during the annual conference; and planned the awards ceremony. Her involvement throughout the year is not unique; every board member is similarly engaged in activities crucial to the SNRS mission and goals. We want our members to be engaged in the SNRS mission year-round as well. The Research Interest Groups (RIGs) provide one mechanism for members to continue collaboration around research topics beyond the annual conference. SNRS RIGs develop topical and methodologic sessions and symposia, facilitate relationships among researchers, and provide mentoring to students and young researchers. Success in these endeavors requires commitment from RIG members and regular (rather than sporadic) interactions. Dr. Sheila Davis, Director of RIGs, has strengthened the connections among members of the RIGs through conference calls and web interactions. SNRS must have vitality throughout the year, and cannot depend solely on the annual conference to accomplish its mission. Engagement in the annual conference is necessary but not sufficient for success. I encourage every nurse researcher to commit to continual, rather than intermittent, engagement in a regional nursing research society. Cindy L. Munro President, SNRS University of South Florida E-mail: [email protected]
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SNRS Research Awards It is the mission of The Southern Nursing Research Society (SNRS) to disseminate research findings, to help nurses and nursing students to develop as researchers, and to help promote nursing as a scientific discipline. One way that SNRS achieves its mission is to recognize exemplary research efforts by its members through its annual awards. The Society is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2014 awards. Early Science Investigator Award Jing Wang from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Research in Nursing & Health Authorship Award Anne E. Norris from the University of Central Florida Distinguished Researcher Award Alison Trinkoff from the University of Maryland Mid-Career Award Sharron Docherty from Duke University Researcher in Minority Health Award Sharon D. Horner from the University of Texas at Austin
D. Jean Wood Nursing Scholarship Award Patricia Kinser from Virginia Commonwealth University, for her paper entitled, “Major depressive disorder and measures of cellular aging: An integrative review.” Student Poster Awards Christina Thompson from the University of Kentucky, who received first place for her poster entitled, “Examining the Impact of Anxiety and Prenatal BMI on Preterm Birth.” Sara Tomaso from Emory University, who received second place for her poster entitled, “The Influence of Exercise on Physical and Psychological Function of Family Caregivers of Persons with Heart Failure,” and Niel Peterson from the University of Virginia, who received third place for his poster entitled, “Incline to Believe? Novel Methods of Measuring Sedentary Behavior.” Robin Bartlett, PhD, RN SNRS Director of Awards University of North Carolina at Greensboro Email: [email protected]
RIGS: Research Interest Groups of the Southern Nursing Research Society RIGS are self-selected communities of researchers who share a common interest in an area of research or a method of research. These groups meet formally at the annual conference of SNRS and less formally throughout the year. Recently, board members of SNRS were asked for their vision of the organization. As director of RIGS, the research interest group of SNRS, I hesitated a moment and then quickly wrote: I envision SNRS as being the go-to organization of the southeast that is known and respected for its cutting edge nursing research and activity. At SNRS, attendees are so intellectually energized that it spills over into our schools, universities, and other places of employment. It is SNRS that spawns, nurtures, and presents the research of the South! Of course, the RIGS— Research Interest Groups of SNRS—will serve as the spawning ground. Given the broad scope of functioning research interest groups, few health problems are outside their purview. Members of The Aging/Gerontological and the Parent-Child RIGs conduct research that targets age-related issues. Research specific to systems is considered in the Health Systems/ Health Policy RIG. The Research in Clinical Settings RIG does what it name implies, investigates phenomena in clinical settings. The Community Public Health/Health Promotion
Research in Nursing & Health
RIG centers its research in primary care. The Education RIG considers educational research processes in nursing and health. The Minority Health, Psych Mental Health, and Qualitative Research RIGs interface with other RIGs depending on the research topic. At the annual convention, RIGs meet in a variety of ways. This year, the Qualitative RIG presented a preconference symposium. Other RIGs sponsored student research posters, presented RIG member research at their meetings, or gathered to discuss current research. Between conventions, the community of RIGs continues to function via list serves, emails, conference calls, and other technology. I challenge SNRS members to become full participants in the RIG community of SNRS. In this collegial setting, ideas are freely exchanged, and new researchers are mentored. Novice researchers use RIGs to find experts in the field; thus, our science is perpetuated. As one can imagine, this type of forum keeps researchers excited. Organizational structures such as RIGs create subgroups that bring the organization's mission down to the individual membership level. I recommend interest groups to any organization seeking to facilitate greater member participation and ownership. Sheila P. Davis SNRS Director of RIGs University of Southern Mississippi Email: [email protected]
Continuous Engagement Message From the President Research in Nursing & Health, 2014, 37, 356–357 Accepted 17 July 2014 DOI: 10.1002/nur.21615 Published online 23 August 2014 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).
Predictable patterns overlay many aspects of our lives. Calendar years are marked by seasons and holidays. Academic institutions have cycles of new student orientation, semesters, and graduation. The annual conference each February anchors the Southern Nursing Research Society (SNRS) yearly cycle. At the annual conference, research is presented, collaborations are born and renewed, newly elected officers are installed, and success of our members is celebrated. The conference serves as a gathering point for members and instills energy into the organization. However, just as graduation ceremonies do not define academic institutions, annual conferences do not define research societies. Much of the work of the organization occurs outside of the most visible calendar event! While the SNRS Board of Directors is most visible at the time of the annual conference, the Board works throughout the year to advance the society's mission and goals. Much of the work of the Board takes place outside of the annual conference. As an example, Dr. Robin Bartlett reports below about the SNRS members who were honored with awards during the 2014 annual conference. However, Dr. Bartlett's duties extend far beyond presiding over the presentation of the awards. In the year preceding the conference, she recruited and vetted Awards Committee members; led the development of two new awards (the Early Science Investigator Award, and the Mid-career Award); reviewed and refined policies and procedures related to all awards; solicited nominations for each award; oversaw the committee's review of nominees and selection of awardees;
C
2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
notified those selected and not selected; coordinated the judging of student posters, both prior to and during the annual conference; and planned the awards ceremony. Her involvement throughout the year is not unique; every board member is similarly engaged in activities crucial to the SNRS mission and goals. We want our members to be engaged in the SNRS mission year-round as well. The Research Interest Groups (RIGs) provide one mechanism for members to continue collaboration around research topics beyond the annual conference. SNRS RIGs develop topical and methodologic sessions and symposia, facilitate relationships among researchers, and provide mentoring to students and young researchers. Success in these endeavors requires commitment from RIG members and regular (rather than sporadic) interactions. Dr. Sheila Davis, Director of RIGs, has strengthened the connections among members of the RIGs through conference calls and web interactions. SNRS must have vitality throughout the year, and cannot depend solely on the annual conference to accomplish its mission. Engagement in the annual conference is necessary but not sufficient for success. I encourage every nurse researcher to commit to continual, rather than intermittent, engagement in a regional nursing research society. Cindy L. Munro President, SNRS University of South Florida E-mail: [email protected]
SNRS NEWS/ MUNRO
357
SNRS Research Awards It is the mission of The Southern Nursing Research Society (SNRS) to disseminate research findings, to help nurses and nursing students to develop as researchers, and to help promote nursing as a scientific discipline. One way that SNRS achieves its mission is to recognize exemplary research efforts by its members through its annual awards. The Society is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2014 awards. Early Science Investigator Award Jing Wang from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Research in Nursing & Health Authorship Award Anne E. Norris from the University of Central Florida Distinguished Researcher Award Alison Trinkoff from the University of Maryland Mid-Career Award Sharron Docherty from Duke University Researcher in Minority Health Award Sharon D. Horner from the University of Texas at Austin
D. Jean Wood Nursing Scholarship Award Patricia Kinser from Virginia Commonwealth University, for her paper entitled, “Major depressive disorder and measures of cellular aging: An integrative review.” Student Poster Awards Christina Thompson from the University of Kentucky, who received first place for her poster entitled, “Examining the Impact of Anxiety and Prenatal BMI on Preterm Birth.” Sara Tomaso from Emory University, who received second place for her poster entitled, “The Influence of Exercise on Physical and Psychological Function of Family Caregivers of Persons with Heart Failure,” and Niel Peterson from the University of Virginia, who received third place for his poster entitled, “Incline to Believe? Novel Methods of Measuring Sedentary Behavior.” Robin Bartlett, PhD, RN SNRS Director of Awards University of North Carolina at Greensboro Email: [email protected]
RIGS: Research Interest Groups of the Southern Nursing Research Society RIGS are self-selected communities of researchers who share a common interest in an area of research or a method of research. These groups meet formally at the annual conference of SNRS and less formally throughout the year. Recently, board members of SNRS were asked for their vision of the organization. As director of RIGS, the research interest group of SNRS, I hesitated a moment and then quickly wrote: I envision SNRS as being the go-to organization of the southeast that is known and respected for its cutting edge nursing research and activity. At SNRS, attendees are so intellectually energized that it spills over into our schools, universities, and other places of employment. It is SNRS that spawns, nurtures, and presents the research of the South! Of course, the RIGS— Research Interest Groups of SNRS—will serve as the spawning ground. Given the broad scope of functioning research interest groups, few health problems are outside their purview. Members of The Aging/Gerontological and the Parent-Child RIGs conduct research that targets age-related issues. Research specific to systems is considered in the Health Systems/ Health Policy RIG. The Research in Clinical Settings RIG does what it name implies, investigates phenomena in clinical settings. The Community Public Health/Health Promotion
Research in Nursing & Health
RIG centers its research in primary care. The Education RIG considers educational research processes in nursing and health. The Minority Health, Psych Mental Health, and Qualitative Research RIGs interface with other RIGs depending on the research topic. At the annual convention, RIGs meet in a variety of ways. This year, the Qualitative RIG presented a preconference symposium. Other RIGs sponsored student research posters, presented RIG member research at their meetings, or gathered to discuss current research. Between conventions, the community of RIGs continues to function via list serves, emails, conference calls, and other technology. I challenge SNRS members to become full participants in the RIG community of SNRS. In this collegial setting, ideas are freely exchanged, and new researchers are mentored. Novice researchers use RIGs to find experts in the field; thus, our science is perpetuated. As one can imagine, this type of forum keeps researchers excited. Organizational structures such as RIGs create subgroups that bring the organization's mission down to the individual membership level. I recommend interest groups to any organization seeking to facilitate greater member participation and ownership. Sheila P. Davis SNRS Director of RIGs University of Southern Mississippi Email: [email protected]
