Empowering Patients to Thrive, not Just Survive, After Breast Cancer

Over 20 million women and men in the United States are cancer survivors; two million of them, breast cancer survivors. The number of individuals living long lives after cancer continues to grow, primarily as the result of earlier detection and powerful new treatments. Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing student Eden Stotsky '09 is one of those survivors. Her determination to earn a baccalaureate degree at the School of Nursing grew from her experience as a cancer patient at The Johns Hopkins Hospital a decade ago and her subsequent involvement in colon cancer patient education at the Johns Hopkins Colon Cancer Center, working with her own former surgical oncologist.

Stotsky, who will graduate with her baccalaureate degree in 2009, believes being a cancer survivor should mean living better, not just living longer. She admits that life after cancer is an experience for which many people-patients, nurses and doctors alike-are not always well prepared. "A big part of nurses' work in cancer treatment needs to be about educating the patient, about coordinating services across years of surviving cancer, but that's something that doesn't happen very often," she says.

Eden Stotsky '09 and assistant professor Sharon Olsen are working to improve care for cancer patients.

However, when it comes to breast cancer, JHUSON assistant professor Sharon Olsen, MS, RN, is working to help change that situa-tion. As part of a new collaboration between the School of Nursing and the School of Medicine, she and her colleagues are implementing A Survivorship Program for Breast Cancer: A Transition for Patients and Providers. With over $185,000 in funding from the Susan G. Komen Foundation For The CURE Maryland, this new model of coordinated long-term care for breast cancer survivors focuses on the whole person, not just on the label of "cancer." 

Olsen, one of the School's leading advocates for careers in cancer nursing, is firmly wedded to the proposition that nurses have an important role to play in promoting healthier lives after breast cancer for survivors. "When treatment for breast cancer ends and survivorship begins, people want to get on with their lives," says Olsen. "Unfortunately, too little is done to help give people the tools they need to move back into a healthy life after they defeat breast cancer-or other cancers."

Problems may begin to arise when a survivor "graduates" from ongoing care by her breast cancer team. Service fragmentation can lead to gaps in care, in part because too few primary care nurses and doctors feel comfortable managing survivor issues from sexuality, dry skin, and bone fragility to "chemo-brain" and heart health risks. 

Stotsky echoes Olsen's perspective, noting that "Nurses need to set aside time with patients to do this kind of work. It needs to be a natural part of what you do with your patients, whether they've got breast, colon, or some other form of cancer."

The Komen award will enable Olsen to improve the health and wellbeing of cancer survivors through enhanced education for nurses. She plans to integrate breast cancer survivorship education modules into the undergraduate and master's level nursing programs and grow new clinical opportunities with expert breast cancer nurses. In addition, she will establish both a brown-bag luncheon series and oncology interest group for students.

"A survivorship care team to partner with patients over the long-term has a value beyond compare for everyone who has battled and beaten cancer," says Stotsky. "I'd love to be a part of this survivorship program both now and in the future."

--Teddi Fine

Collaborating Across the Pond

A new international collaboration between the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery at King's College London will support joint research and evidence-based practice projects at both institutions. The new initiative will lead to curriculum development, scholarly publications, and faculty, staff, and student exchange and mentorship.

"Among our global nursing collaborations, this one is unique in that it incorporates our clinical partners, the nursing departments at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals in London," noted Dean Martha N. Hill, PhD, RN, FAAN. "We welcome the opportunity at a time when nursing's contribution to improving patient care and outcomes--including safety and quality of care--is increasingly recognized and being held accountable by health systems worldwide."

According to Hill and Dr. Anne Marie Rafferty, Hill's counterpart at King's College London, the collaboration will strengthen the research, practice, and educational programs on both sides of the Atlantic. The effectiveness of their partnership, they say, will be further enhanced through collaboration with their colleagues in the schools of medicine and public health at both Johns Hopkins and King's College.

--Lynn Schultz-Writsel

Oh, Brother! Hessler Siblings Make Hopkins History

Why would two brothers from California both decide on a career in nursing--and end up at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in East Baltimore?

"Our mother has been a psychiatric nurse for more than 30 years," says Mark Hessler, who graduated in July with the Accelerated Class of 2008. "And she's been very happy with that," adds John, who is in the Accelerated Class of 2009.

"Our older brother is in law school," says Mark, "and I was considering that as well, but my mom encouraged me to keep my options open...and I'm glad I did that." John was so impressed by Mark's experience at Hopkins, he decided to join him, making them the first pair of brothers to attend the school. 

John and Mark Hessler are the first pair of brothers to attend the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

They both had heard of Johns Hopkins' reputation as being among the best programs in nursing-so this summer they became roomies in Charles Village, sharing the challenges of an accelerated program that enables students to get a baccalaureate degree in 13 months. Mark has been able to show John the practicalities of Baltimore life, along with some tips on how to survive a very intense nursing program. "It's really been great having Mark here...I felt like the big man on campus when I got here, because everyone from his class knew I was coming and were very friendly," says John. "He's also helped me to learn what to expect in the program."

And what about being male in predominately female classes? "The day I arrived for orientation and saw the 12 or so tables with almost all women, I thought, 'Oh no, what have I done?'" says Mark. "But then the faculty and even female classmates really made an effort to help me feel comfortable." Of course, there are other male students; about 8 percent of the student population at the school. "My initial fears soon wore off." By the time John arrived, his brother assured him that things were cool.

Now that he's graduated, Mark wants to stay in the area while John finishes school. After doing his transitional training in the Emergency Room, Mark is considering going into that or perhaps a pediatrics operating room. "I really appreciate the training and mentoring program for new graduates that Hopkins Hospital has in place," says Mark.

As for John, it's a little early to tell what specialty he might be interested in and he's looking forward to his clinicals to get a sense of the different types of nursing opportunities. "One of the reasons that nursing interests me is that you can do so many different things within the same field," says John.

So, what is their advice for guys who are considering nursing? "Don't be afraid...it's not intimidating at all," says Mark.

--Diana Schulin

 Deborah Gross is Inaugural Stulman Professor

Deborah Gross, DNSc, RN, FAAN, a nationally recognized expert in children's mental health, was installed as the Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Professor in Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing on October 3, 2008.

"I will ensure that this gift is honored in ways that improve the lives of families affected by mental illness and of those at risk for developing mental illnesses in our community," said Gross in her acceptance speech. 

As the Stulman Professor, Gross will hold a unique dual faculty appointment, building a collaborative program of research and training that bridges the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the School of Medicine.

"Our best work is done in the context of cross-disciplinary collaborations," said Gross. "Collaborative relationships involve people who share a common passion but have different knowledge.  I am awed by how much Hopkins people know, how genuinely open they are to sharing that knowledge, and their passion for making a difference."

--Kelly Brooks-Staub

Executive Mentorship Prepares DNP Students for Nursing Leadership

Students who enter the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at Johns Hopkins are already leaders in their field: The first cohort of students includes a hospital vice president, a chief of nursing, and a senior director of policy for the American Nurses Association. With distinguished resumes and future aspirations of top nursing leadership positions, where can these students turn for mentorship?

The new Executive Mentorship Program, established through an initial gift from Professor Maryann F. Fralic, DrPH, RN, FAAN, offers exceptional DNP students financial support to build a year-long relationship with an executive mentor. Mentors will be chosen from a variety of non-health care disciplines and industries, including the worlds of business, finance, entertainment, media, politics and government, science, and technology. 

Each year, three selected students will receive support of up to $5,000 toward expenses such as travel, lodging, conferences, books, and conference calls-costs which normally would prohibit a student from establishing a relationship with a mentor.

And it's not just the students who will benefit from the experience. According to Fralic, "The mentoring experience offers today's leaders avenues not only to share expertise, but most importantly to engage and positively influence the professional health care leaders of tomorrow."

For more information about the submission process and deadlines, visit www.nursing.jhu.edu/dnp.

--Lynn Schultz-Writsel

Faculty, Student and Staff News

Acute and Chronic Care Faculty
Department Chair Fannie Gaston-Johansson, PhD, RN, FAAN received a subcontract from the Winston-Salem State University Exploratory Research Center of Excel-lence to study African-American women with breast cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy.

Linda Gerson, PhD, RN, APRN, BC and Sarah Szanton, PhD, RN have been appointed to the Internal Review Board, a joint ethical board between the Hopkins Schools of Nursing and Medicine.

Deborah Gross, DNSc, RN, FAAN has been awarded The Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research (FNINR) President's Award for 2008.

Dennis W. Jones, MS, CFRN was awarded the Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Nursing 2008 Shirley Somer Award.

Carol Libonati, MS, RN, CS-P was named a recipient of the Johns Hopkins University 2008 Diversity Recognition Award.

Jennifer Wenzel, PhD, RN, CCM is one of 15 nursing faculty across the nation to receive the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar Award.

Community Public Health Faculty
Nancy Glass, PhD, MPH, RN received a $2.9 million grant from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to prevent violence in the workplace, especially among home care workers. Jacquelyn C. Campbell, PhD, RN, FAAN and Linda Rose, PhD, RN are co-investigators. Glass also received a $1.75 million grant from NIOSH to evaluate the effectiveness of protected leave laws for victims of intimate partner violence.

Elizabeth (Betty) Jordan, DNSc, MSN, RNC is renewing another three-year term with the Faculty Advisory Council of the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

Joan Kub, PhD, RN, CS was inducted into Delta Omega, an honorary society for faculty and those pursuing graduate studies in public health.

Maureen Maguire, MSN, RN is one of three top prize winners in the Butchers Hill Association (BHA) Johns Hopkins Historical Mural contest. Maguire's nomination of Isabel Robb was selected to appear in the proposed mural on an East Baltimore building.

Health Systems and Outcomes Faculty
Cheryl Dennison, PhD, MPH, CRNP was selected as a 2008-2010 John A. Hartford Foundation Claire M. Fagin Fellow.

Maryann Fralic, DrPH, RN, FAAN served as the interim department chair from November 2007 until August 2008.

Cynda Rushton, PhD, RN, FAAN, Director of The Harriet Lane Compassionate Care Program of the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, has been named one of Maryland's 2008 Top 100 Women by the Daily Record. She also received more than $50,000 from the Women's Board of the Johns Hopkins Hospital to support the creation of a Pediatric Palliative Care Network within Maryland.

Jo Walrath, PhD, MS, RN was one of 16 people honored as "Pioneer in Trauma Nursing" at the University of Maryland.

Kathi White, PhD, RN, CNAA, BC was recently appointed to the Maryland Higher Quality and Cost Council, a 12-member board chaired by Lt. Governor Brown to coordinate and facilitate collaboration on health care quality improvement and cost containment initiatives in Maryland.

Students

Public Health Nursing students work with "The Hands Project" in St. Vincent.

MSN/MPH students Stephanie Chen and Virginia Remley received Johnson & Johnson scholarships to attend the inaugural Retail Clinician Education Congress.

Public Health Nursing students from the traditional class of 2008--Emily Colston, Amy Dillon, Lisa Williams, Kate Palm, Erin Marsh, and Morgan Walker--donated $400 to the Patsy Douglas Youth Empowerment Foundation of St. Vincent, located in the Caribbean.

Amy Goh '09 received the 2008 Johns Hopkins Provost's Undergraduate Research Award.

Gyasi Moscou-Jackson '09 and Leah Pike '09 were awarded the Mary Ann Tuft Scholarship, administered by the Foundation of the National Student Nurses' Association.

Doctoral student Tam Nguyen has been appointed to the Hopkins Presidential Search Committee.

Yvette Pugh '08 was honored with a Student Nurse's Award from Mercy Hospital for her outstanding contributions to the spirit of the nursing profession.

Doctoral student Sara Rocheford was selected to participate in the Johnson & Johnson Community Health Care Scholars Program from 2008-2010.

Staff
Computer Network Services team member Steven Klapper was invited to the University of Maribor College of Nursing in Slovenia to speak about the Eclipsys nursing informatics program used at Hopkins.

Associate Professor Kathleen White, PhD, RN, CNAA, BC has been named the first director of the new Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. 

Dean Martha N. Hill, PhD, RN, FAAN noted, "Dr. White brings a depth of experience and great commit-ment to the posi-tion. She was instru-mental in attracting signifi-cant state support to the program and I know she will continue her effective leadership."

White, who previously served as the program's interim director, currently directs the school's master's program, coordinating both the MSN health systems management track and the MSN/MBA dual degree option. She will continue to lead the master's program until her successor is identified.

Kathleen White (center), DNP Program Director

Professor Miyong Kim, PhD, RN, FAAN is the new chair of the School's Department of Health Systems and Out-comes. She replaces the inaugural chair, the late Vicki Mock, PhD, RN, FAAN, and the department's interim chair, Maryann Fralic, DrPH, RN, FAAN. Kim noted, "These two wonderful Chairs leave very big shoes to fill. Their leadership legacy is just extraordinary."

As a Johns Hopkins professor and researcher, Kim's work has focused on the key areas of hypertension and diabetes control, cancer prevention, and mental health. She employs her expertise in community based participatory research, health literacy and program evaluation. Her research is widely published both here in the U.S. and in Korea, and she has presented more than 100 method-ological papers at international and national scientific conferences.

Kim has participated in the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program, an advanced leadership program for nurses in senior executive roles, and serves as a regular NIH study section member and evaluation consultant on an array of national and international research and policy analysis projects.

Dean Martha N. Hill, PhD, RN, FAAN describes Kim as "an exceptional translational researcher who brings to the position a collaborative spirit and leadership style that exemplifies the scholarly excellence of the School of Nursing."

Phyllis Sharps, Dept. of Community/Public Health;
Fannie Gaston-Johansson,Dept. of Acute and Chronic Care; Miyong Kim, Dept. of Health Systems and Outcomes

The Hopkins Nursing bacca-laureate and master's degree pro-grams have received a 10-year accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nurs-ing Education (CCNE). Following the CCNE site visit in February, faculty and staff "tipped their hats" to one another in celebration of their success. According to Dean Martha Hill, "Accreditation by CCNE is essential to Johns Hopkins as we continue our global leadership in nursing research, education, and scholarly productivity. To have secured accreditation for the next ten years is a major accomplishment. I thank the entire School of Nursing community of faculty, students, and staff for their commitment to quality in all that they do-particularly Anne Belcher and Linda Rose who led us through the process."

Deborah Jones Joins Hopkins Nursing Faculty

Deborah Jones, PhD, RN has joined the Hopkins Nursing faculty in the Department of Acute and Chronic Care.

Her career has focused on cardiovascular nursing including patient care, nurse manager, nursing research, and community outreach. She is engaged in health disparities research and currently is working on the "Partnership Program to Reduce Cardiovascular Disparities." She uses student-centered learning principles to teach in the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral nursing programs.

Jones previously was an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She earned her BS, BSN, MSN, and PhD from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Global Nursing is Center Stage at 2008 Leadership Dinner

"The new global community is creating a new way of life and a new way of thinking for everyone on the globe," announced Dr. Roy Schwarz, MD, to 126 guests at the 2008 School of Nursing Leadership Dinner. Held in Baltimore's Tremont Grand hotel, the event recognized attendees for their generous support of student scholarships, the school's building addition, and international opportunities for faculty and students.

Schwarz, the keynote speaker, is past president of the China Medical Board of New York, Inc., which provided funding for a joint doctoral program between the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and the Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) School of Nursing in China. The evening's program centered on the school's international programs, and guests were joined by six doctoral students from PUMC and five nursing students from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

"Don't tell Dean Hill I said this, but she is a marvelous leader who grasps the global community and all of its implications," said Schwarz. "You should all be as proud of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing as I am. Proud of what has been achieved to date and proud of what is yet to come."

Eunice Searles King '68, Amy Gibson Davis '68, Jean Davis '68,
and Sandra Bollinger Zeiler '68