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Grant Higgins and Merkatz Recognized With Professional Service Awards
Grant Higgins and Merkatz Recognized With Professional Service Awards
D
r. Patricia Grant Higgins and Dr. Ruth Merkatz were honored as the recipients of its 2002 Distinguished Professional Service Award at the recent AWHONN Convention in Boston. This honor recognizes nurse leaders who have made significant and lasting contributions to women’s and newborn’s health. Dr. Higgins of Albuquerque, NM, is a professor emeritus for the school of nursing at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. As an academician, nationally recognized author,
grants writer, consultant, editor, presenter, educator and leader, she has worked tirelessly to advance maternalnewborn nursing and improve community health education. With more than 39 years of experience, she has played a significant role in influencing and changing health policy on the state and national levels. In New Mexico, she spearheaded the prenatal efforts for the state through the Prenatal Care Network and assisted communities in developing strategies to improve maternal and child health for New Mexicans. Dr. Higgins was also appointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a breastfeeding expert and in this role
was instrumental in increasing the supplementary food lactation package for the WIC program, an initiative focused on safeguarding the health of low-income women, infants and children. She has consulted for many government agencies on the development of research, helped to develop curriculum and health promotion materials for numerous hospitals and nursing and medical schools, and authored over 50 articles on a wide range of clinical issues. Dr. Higgins has an extensive history of active community service, and her remarkable effectiveness as a health care leader and educator has been recognized by many, including New
Nurses Address Shortage Effects on Public Health
A
WHONN partnered with nine national nursing leaders to host a briefing at the late-July annual meeting of the National Conference for State Legislatures (NCLS) in Denver. The session, entitled “Public Protection Issues in a Time of a Nursing Shortage,” examined the impact of the nursing shortage on patient safety in the U.S. “America is experiencing a critical nursing shortage that poses a real threat to the nation’s health care system. Recent studies have found the shortage is already having a proven, adverse effect on the ability to deliver quality health care in the U.S.,” said Gail Kincaide, Executive Director of AWHONN. “Projections show that the current shortages are just a minor indication of the wideranging shortages that will soon confront our health care delivery system. AWHONN, along with the other participating nursing organizations, is holding this briefing to express our deep concern to legislators about the effects of the shortage on patient safety in this country.”
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AWHONN Lifelines
Today’s staffing shortage is emerging because of a number of interrelated factors, including the rapid aging of the RN workforce and a lack of young people entering the nursing profession. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, more than 1 million new nurses will be needed by the year 2010. Complicating the shortage are the impending health care needs of the baby boom generation. New admissions into nursing schools have also dropped dramatically, and there is a growing shortage of nurse faculty. Health care facilities across the U.S. are struggling to fill vacancies, often with inexperienced nurses who are forced to adapt to highly specialized care areas like labor and delivery and emergency departments. As a result, health care facilities are experiencing a serious strain on the nursing staff and their ability to deliver quality health care, resulting in a negative impact on patient care and outcomes. Representatives from the following nursing organizations are work-
ing together to raise awareness about the nation’s nursing shortage, and they attended the briefing at the NCLS meeting: • American Academy of Nurse Practitioners • American Association of CriticalCare Nurses • American College of Nurse Midwives • American Organization of Nurse Executives • Colleagues in Caring • Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools • Emergency Nurses Association • National Council of State Boards of Nursing
Volume 6
Issue 5
Mexico Governor Garry Carruthers, for her efforts in improving prenatal care throughout the state. She has also been a recipient for numerous awards, such as the University of New Mexico Nursing Graduate and Undergraduate Faculty of the Year Awards and the AWHONN Award of Excellence in Research, among many others. She currently serves on the AWHONN Lifelines Editorial Advisory Board. Dr. Ruth Merkatz, of New York, NY, has had a dynamic career in nursing that has spanned many areas, from patient care to government service and now pharmaceutical services, all focused on improving the health of women. Dr. Merkatz is currently the Director/Team Leader for Women’s Health at Pfizer. Before joining Pfizer in 1997, she served as the Special Assistant to the Commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was promoted to serve as the first Director of the Agency’s Office of Women’s Health. During her tenure at the FDA, Dr. Merkatz took the lead in changing agency policy on the participation of women in clinical trials and analysis of data for gender effects. She testified before Congress on major women’s health issues such as breast implants, breast cancer and clinical trials. She received five Special Citations from the FDA for her work in women’s health—including her leadership in creating the Office of Women’s Health, the establishment of a Mammography Information Service and her work on a national task force on AIDS Drug Development. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and has also received the Distinguished Nursing Alumnus Award from both Cornell and Adelphi Universities. In addition to her current position at Pfizer, Dr. Merkatz holds an appointment as Clinical Associate
October | November 2002
Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is an Adjunct Professor of Nursing at New York University. She serves on several boards including the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health and the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research, and is a member of the Westchester County Board of Health and the President’s Council of Cornell Women. Dr. Merkatz has published numerous scientific papers and serves on the editorial advisory boards of the Journal of Women’s Health and the Journal of Gender-Specific Medicine.
Ropp Honored With “Caring” Award
A
nn Ropp is the recipient of the AWHONN 2002 Caring Award. Each year, AWHONN pays tribute to a nurse leader who shows exceptional leadership and vision in advancing women’s and newborn’s health issues, and who exemplifies AWHONN’s core values: • • • • • •
Commitment Accountability Respect Integrity Nursing Generation of knowledge
The award was presented at a reception during AWHONN’s annual convention in Boston. Ropp is a highly visible advocate who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to serving the needs of mothers and infants. For more than 42 years, she has held numerous positions in nursing, including staff nurse, clinical nurse specialist, director of clinical nursing, adjunct faculty, director of nursing and currently as Vice-President of Women’s and
Children’s Services for Saint Luke’s Shawnee Mission Health System in Kansas City, MO. She is an accomplished and much-sought-after speaker who has presented at regional, national and international meetings on numerous topics pertaining to obstetrical, neonatal and women’s health, and has authored articles on various clinical issues. She is also an active volunteer in her community, having served on the National Nurse Advisory Committee for the March of Dimes for many years. A number of organizations have honored her with awards. Ropp is a charter member of AWHONN, its inception being nearly 33 years ago, when it was known as the Nurses Association of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (NAACOG). Since then, she has served in all levels of leadership roles for the organization, including section and district offices, chair of several national committees and as President in 1991. In addition, she has been an editorial board member for AWHONN’s Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing (JOGNN), an advisor for the organization’s consulting group and has represented AWHONN on committees of many organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Centers for Disease Control.
2002 Education Scholoarship Recipients wo AWHONN members are the recipients of the 2002 AWHONN Education Scholarship: Mary Hostetler who is attending the College of St. Catherine Nurse Practitioner Program, and Carla Hester who is attending the University of Arkansas, College of Nursing for a PhD in Nursing Sciences.
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AWHONN Lifelines
457
D
r. Patricia Grant Higgins and Dr. Ruth Merkatz were honored as the recipients of its 2002 Distinguished Professional Service Award at the recent AWHONN Convention in Boston. This honor recognizes nurse leaders who have made significant and lasting contributions to women’s and newborn’s health. Dr. Higgins of Albuquerque, NM, is a professor emeritus for the school of nursing at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. As an academician, nationally recognized author,
grants writer, consultant, editor, presenter, educator and leader, she has worked tirelessly to advance maternalnewborn nursing and improve community health education. With more than 39 years of experience, she has played a significant role in influencing and changing health policy on the state and national levels. In New Mexico, she spearheaded the prenatal efforts for the state through the Prenatal Care Network and assisted communities in developing strategies to improve maternal and child health for New Mexicans. Dr. Higgins was also appointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a breastfeeding expert and in this role
was instrumental in increasing the supplementary food lactation package for the WIC program, an initiative focused on safeguarding the health of low-income women, infants and children. She has consulted for many government agencies on the development of research, helped to develop curriculum and health promotion materials for numerous hospitals and nursing and medical schools, and authored over 50 articles on a wide range of clinical issues. Dr. Higgins has an extensive history of active community service, and her remarkable effectiveness as a health care leader and educator has been recognized by many, including New
Nurses Address Shortage Effects on Public Health
A
WHONN partnered with nine national nursing leaders to host a briefing at the late-July annual meeting of the National Conference for State Legislatures (NCLS) in Denver. The session, entitled “Public Protection Issues in a Time of a Nursing Shortage,” examined the impact of the nursing shortage on patient safety in the U.S. “America is experiencing a critical nursing shortage that poses a real threat to the nation’s health care system. Recent studies have found the shortage is already having a proven, adverse effect on the ability to deliver quality health care in the U.S.,” said Gail Kincaide, Executive Director of AWHONN. “Projections show that the current shortages are just a minor indication of the wideranging shortages that will soon confront our health care delivery system. AWHONN, along with the other participating nursing organizations, is holding this briefing to express our deep concern to legislators about the effects of the shortage on patient safety in this country.”
456
AWHONN Lifelines
Today’s staffing shortage is emerging because of a number of interrelated factors, including the rapid aging of the RN workforce and a lack of young people entering the nursing profession. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, more than 1 million new nurses will be needed by the year 2010. Complicating the shortage are the impending health care needs of the baby boom generation. New admissions into nursing schools have also dropped dramatically, and there is a growing shortage of nurse faculty. Health care facilities across the U.S. are struggling to fill vacancies, often with inexperienced nurses who are forced to adapt to highly specialized care areas like labor and delivery and emergency departments. As a result, health care facilities are experiencing a serious strain on the nursing staff and their ability to deliver quality health care, resulting in a negative impact on patient care and outcomes. Representatives from the following nursing organizations are work-
ing together to raise awareness about the nation’s nursing shortage, and they attended the briefing at the NCLS meeting: • American Academy of Nurse Practitioners • American Association of CriticalCare Nurses • American College of Nurse Midwives • American Organization of Nurse Executives • Colleagues in Caring • Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools • Emergency Nurses Association • National Council of State Boards of Nursing
Volume 6
Issue 5
Mexico Governor Garry Carruthers, for her efforts in improving prenatal care throughout the state. She has also been a recipient for numerous awards, such as the University of New Mexico Nursing Graduate and Undergraduate Faculty of the Year Awards and the AWHONN Award of Excellence in Research, among many others. She currently serves on the AWHONN Lifelines Editorial Advisory Board. Dr. Ruth Merkatz, of New York, NY, has had a dynamic career in nursing that has spanned many areas, from patient care to government service and now pharmaceutical services, all focused on improving the health of women. Dr. Merkatz is currently the Director/Team Leader for Women’s Health at Pfizer. Before joining Pfizer in 1997, she served as the Special Assistant to the Commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was promoted to serve as the first Director of the Agency’s Office of Women’s Health. During her tenure at the FDA, Dr. Merkatz took the lead in changing agency policy on the participation of women in clinical trials and analysis of data for gender effects. She testified before Congress on major women’s health issues such as breast implants, breast cancer and clinical trials. She received five Special Citations from the FDA for her work in women’s health—including her leadership in creating the Office of Women’s Health, the establishment of a Mammography Information Service and her work on a national task force on AIDS Drug Development. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and has also received the Distinguished Nursing Alumnus Award from both Cornell and Adelphi Universities. In addition to her current position at Pfizer, Dr. Merkatz holds an appointment as Clinical Associate
October | November 2002
Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is an Adjunct Professor of Nursing at New York University. She serves on several boards including the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health and the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research, and is a member of the Westchester County Board of Health and the President’s Council of Cornell Women. Dr. Merkatz has published numerous scientific papers and serves on the editorial advisory boards of the Journal of Women’s Health and the Journal of Gender-Specific Medicine.
Ropp Honored With “Caring” Award
A
nn Ropp is the recipient of the AWHONN 2002 Caring Award. Each year, AWHONN pays tribute to a nurse leader who shows exceptional leadership and vision in advancing women’s and newborn’s health issues, and who exemplifies AWHONN’s core values: • • • • • •
Commitment Accountability Respect Integrity Nursing Generation of knowledge
The award was presented at a reception during AWHONN’s annual convention in Boston. Ropp is a highly visible advocate who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to serving the needs of mothers and infants. For more than 42 years, she has held numerous positions in nursing, including staff nurse, clinical nurse specialist, director of clinical nursing, adjunct faculty, director of nursing and currently as Vice-President of Women’s and
Children’s Services for Saint Luke’s Shawnee Mission Health System in Kansas City, MO. She is an accomplished and much-sought-after speaker who has presented at regional, national and international meetings on numerous topics pertaining to obstetrical, neonatal and women’s health, and has authored articles on various clinical issues. She is also an active volunteer in her community, having served on the National Nurse Advisory Committee for the March of Dimes for many years. A number of organizations have honored her with awards. Ropp is a charter member of AWHONN, its inception being nearly 33 years ago, when it was known as the Nurses Association of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (NAACOG). Since then, she has served in all levels of leadership roles for the organization, including section and district offices, chair of several national committees and as President in 1991. In addition, she has been an editorial board member for AWHONN’s Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing (JOGNN), an advisor for the organization’s consulting group and has represented AWHONN on committees of many organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Centers for Disease Control.
2002 Education Scholoarship Recipients wo AWHONN members are the recipients of the 2002 AWHONN Education Scholarship: Mary Hostetler who is attending the College of St. Catherine Nurse Practitioner Program, and Carla Hester who is attending the University of Arkansas, College of Nursing for a PhD in Nursing Sciences.
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AWHONN Lifelines
457