First Lady Michelle Obama Joins Forces with Penn Nursing

I am thrilled and honored that on Wednesday, April 11, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden will come to Penn Nursing to announce a major initiative on the education and the role of nurses in meeting the unique health needs of service members, veterans, and their families. Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden are turning to nurses to identify, treat, and conduct research on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as part of their national initiative Joining Forces, which champions wellness, education, and employment among military service members and their families.

Of course the best possible care comes from the best research and our Penn Nursing scientists are established investigators in PTSD and injury science. We have here a critical mass of ongoing research projects related to PTSD and trauma, led by faculty who partner with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the military.

• Dr. Rosemary Polomano, an expert in pain management, conducts innovative research on the perceptions of pain among military personnel and on battlefield analgesia. Her findings showed that regional nerve blocks and epidurals shortly after injury led to a statistically significant decrease in pain intensity and have the potential to reduce chronic pain, a crucial finding given the high correlation between chronic pain and PTSD. 
• Dr. Therese Richmond, a leader in injury science, conducts pioneering research on the psychological effects of injury and how to address those effects. In a National Institutes of Health-funded study, she found that even among patients who had relatively minor injuries, a substantial number had PTSD and depression, which is a precursor to PTSD, a year or more after the injury.
• Dr. Marilyn Stringer, a champion of women’s health, is expanding the understanding of the care of female service people and families in a nation at war. As associate editor of the Journalof Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing, Dr. Stringer published a special section on the leadership of military nurses in advancing science and practice in women's health, including gender differences in the area of PTSD.
• Dr. Mary Ersek specializes in pain and palliative care in older adults. Her work with the NIH’s Patient Reported OutcomesMeasurement Information System (PROMISE) program and her leadership in the End-of-LifeNursing Education Consortium are improving end-of-life care for U.S. veterans.
• Dr. Salimah Meghani is working to address pain management in low-income and minority patients. Her focus on racial and ethnic disparities in pain treatment can benefit active military personnel, veterans, and civilians.

The role of nursing in bringing research to the battlefield and the bedside is imperative to serving our military and their families. The number of service people returning from two major wars requires healthcare professionals prepared to recognize the signs and symptoms of visible and invisible injuries -- consequences of physical and mental trauma -- and to develop and implement best care practices to help them and their families cope.

Beyond the Horizon

In Liberia in January, I had the honor of meeting with Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (at right) and her countrywoman Leymah Roberta Gbowee (left). They both won the Nobel Peace Prize last year (with Tawakkol Karman of Yemen, center) for their efforts toward peace in Liberia. Now in her second term, President Sirleaf is the first woman elected as head of a country in Africa and is world-renowned for her leadership. The founder and executive di­rector of Women Peace and Security Network Africa, Ms. Gbowee is articulate, passionate, and even more engaging than her dynamic memoir Mighty Be Our Powers. During the brutal Liberi­an civil war, she mobilized groups of women from different religions to make their presence known at peace talks, to historic success.

In light of International Women’s Day, I have been reflecting on my meetings with these courageous, pioneering women. They are exemplars of devotion to women’s health and well-being. Here at Penn Nursing, with our focus on global women’s health, we aim to inspire our students with such leadership. To that end, our new global health ambassadors program offers students their own leadership opportunities in this important area of healthcare and international efforts toward peace. Under the leadership of Assistant Dean Marjorie Muecke, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Associate Director Geralyn Grosso of the Office of Global Health Affairs, our global health ambassadors work on outreach to international students and alumni, provide curriculum support, and participate in guiding such activities as the School of Nursing Task Force on Haiti and Global Health Reflections Week.

Volunteering at an orphanage in Cordoba, Argentina, inspired Natalie Ball, Nu'14, our junior global health ambassador, to choose a nursing career. She has studied abroad in Australia, New Zealand, and Peru, focusing on environmental sustainability and outdoor leadership.

Doctoral student Lisa Hilmi, Nu'97, Gr'16, is the senior global health ambassador. She has managed responses to major humanitarian crises over the past two decades for such international organizations as AmeriCares, CARE, International Medical Corps, the Peace Corps, and the World Health Organization. Earlier in her career, she managed a refugee health and HIV/AIDS project in Rwanda for CARE in Tanzania. She has authored numerous publications on disaster preparedness.

What incredible ambassadors for nursing! They represent the scope of global engagement for our students as they aspire to make the world a healthier and safer place to live.