March 4, 2008

Nurses focus on global health at conference in Indianapolis

The Midwest Nursing Research Society's 2008 conference, Nursing Research: At the Crossroads of Global Health, will take place March 28-31 at the Marriott Indianapolis Downtown, 350 W. Maryland St.

The conference is expected to draw about 1,000 nursing professionals and students from a 13-state region.

Julie Novak, head of the Purdue School of Nursing and associate dean of the College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences, said the conference will focus on ways in which nurses are addressing the research and delivery of health care on a global scale.

"The conference gives us the opportunity to explore the work of our colleagues in the region," Novak said. “We stand at a remarkable period in nursing education. Our graduates will transform the current health-care delivery system.

"Nurses in the Midwest today are managing rural and urban clinics that provide care to underserved populations. They are also examining health-care delivery options for HIV and AIDS patients in Africa. Through this conference, we learn how to most efficiently bring appropriate care to our patients and their families, both locally and across the globe.”

The three-day conference will include more than 200 oral presentations, 100 poster presentations, workshops, meetings, exhibits, and a gala event and silent auction to raise funds for research grants. A wide variety of research study results will be discussed that deal with such topics as adolescent and women’s health, exercise and weight management counseling, genetics, international nursing, addiction and substance abuse, stress and coping, depression, pain management, and cultural competency.

Linda Ciofu Baumann will give the opening keynote address at 7 p.m. March 28. Baumann, a registered nurse at the University of Wisconsin at Madison will present "Nursing in Africa: Beyond HIV/AIDS and Into Chronic Care," an examination of the need for health-care system approaches that focus on preventive, long-term and sustainable efforts to improve global health.

Faculty members from participating universities also will present research findings on nursing-oriented topics. Novak will speak on "Building the Evidence for an Innovative Nurse-Managed Health-care System" at 9 a.m. March 30, in the Marriott 1 room.

Both single-day and student rates are available. Continuing nursing credits are available. For information on costs and registration, go to https://www.mnrs.org and click on the conference banner at the top of the page.

The Midwest Nursing Research Society exists to advance the scientific basis of nursing practice and promote development of nurse scientists. The society has more than 1,300 members across the Midwest.

Writer: Tanya Brown, (765) 494-2079, tanyabrown@purdue.edu

Source: Julie Novak, (765) 494-6644, novakj@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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