While summer often brings a break for many in education, nursing faculty remain hard at work, dedicated to their multifaceted roles. Throughout these warmer months, they continue to engage in research, curriculum development, student mentorship, and community outreach. Far from rest, summer is a vital time for nursing faculty to advance the standards of excellence in nursing education.
Cancer survivorship
Dr. Bernardine Pinto, Co-Director of the Cancer Survivorship Research Center at USC College of Nursing, presented, “Peer power for physical activity promotion among cancer survivors”, during the 1st Annual Hollings Survivorship and Cancer Outcomes Research Symposium at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston SC, June 4.
This symposium brought together a mix of clinicians, researchers, patients, caregivers and supportive care organizations from across the state to learn about the latest developments in survivorship and cancer care delivery.
“Meeting other researchers, funders, health care providers, survivors and their loved ones helps us to learn about efforts in other institutions and organizations, funding priorities and the needs of the survivor community and those who serve them,” says Pinto. “I hope to build partnerships to enhance the research being done by faculty and students at the CSRC.”
Maternal health
Dr. Jewel Scott, along with Midlands of SC Black Nurses Association, were accepted into the 14th cohort of MUSC's Community Engaged Scholars Program (CES-P), a NIH-funded program of the South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute. Their project, "Are You Listening: Equipping Black Birthing People with Communication Tools for Self-Advocacy", will focus on the patient-provider communication experiences of Black Women and Birthing People.
They were awarded $10,000 in pilot funds after designing and completing a Community-Based Participatory Research project. The CES-P's mission is to increase the capacity of community-academic partnerships to conduct research with mutual ownership of the processes and products, and ultimately, improve the health of South Carolina communities.
Scott conducted community events where they surveyed Black women and Birthing people on their perspective on how nurses and other health care providers could better support Black women. This early work was presented in the college’s Annual Research and Scholarship Day by MEPN nursing student, MiLana Wiltshire.
“Effective communication is essential for providing high-quality, patient-centered
care. When patient-provider communication is optimal, health care providers understand
the patient’s history, symptoms, and experiences for proper diagnosis,” says Scott.
“Patients clearly understand the treatment plan, and they feel heard and a part of
the decision-making process.”
