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Dean's Monthly Communication: August 2006

Message from Dean Woods
When I arrived at the University of Washington in 1978, we typed our grant proposals on a very high-tech machine: an electric typewriter! Nearly 30 years later, we use complex technologies not just to write grants but for much of the work we do every day.

However, technology is just part of what helps each of us be successful in our jobs. Few of our efforts, whether they are teaching or research activities, can be done by a single individual. Teamwork among the exceptionally capable members of our staff and faculty is absolutely essential in our profession.

That is why this year's staff retreat will focus on teamwork. To help show your appreciation for our dedicated staff, please encourage them to participate in the event on Friday, August 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Waterfront Activities Center. This is a well-deserved opportunity for staff to recharge their batteries and get ready for the next academic year.

I hope you will all find the event both useful and fun!
—Nancy Fugate Woods, PhD, RN, FAAN

Honors and Awards
Congratulations to the following SON faculty for awards received in June 2006.
Kathryn Barnard, prof. emerita, was recently named a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). This honor goes to nurses who have been active or emeritus AAN fellows for at least 15 years and have made extraordinary and sustained contributions to nursing and health care. For details about AAN Living Legends, visit the AAN Web site, where you can also find a list of past Living Legends awardees.

Also, Barbara B. Cochrane, the de Tornyay Term Professor in Healthy Aging, and Karen G. Schepp, assoc. prof. PCH, will be inducted as AAN fellows during its annual meeting on November 11, 2006. Selection criteria for the 55 finalists included evidence of significant contributions to nursing and health care and influence on health policies that benefit all Americans. For more information about AAN fellowships, visit the fellowship Web page.

Fran Lewis, Virginia and Prentice Bloedel Endowed Professor, received the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's Professor of Survivorship Award for her contributions to advancing breast cancer survivorship. The $20,000 award will support her future work in this field. To find out more about the award and why Fran was chosen, visit the foundation's Web site.

New Grant Awards
Congratulations to the following faculty for new grant awards received as of June 30:

Kristen Archbold, research asst. prof. BNHS, received a $50,000 grant from the ResMed Foundation to examine the use of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy and its relationship to improved cognitive function and behavioral patterns in 6- to 11-year-olds. Her study results will impact the understanding of how adherence to a PAP treatment plan may improve daytime and cognitive performance patterns in children with sleep-related breathing disorders.

Marie-Annette Brown, prof., Dept. of FCN
Project: Improving Health Care Through Doctor of Nursing Practice Education

Ruth Craven, prof. BNHS and assoc. dean of EI
Project: Project: Nursing Leadership in Skilled Nursing Facilities

Susan McCurry, research assoc. prof. PCH
Project: Efficacy of Behavioral Interventions to Improve Sleep in Adult Family Homes

Sandra Motzer, assoc. prof. BNHS and vice assoc. dean for AS, SON
Project: Graduate Certificate in Complementary and Alternative Medicine/Health Care (CAM): An Integrative Approach

Frederica O'Connor, assoc. prof. PCH
Project: Advanced Practice Education: Collaborative Mental Health Care

Susan Woods, prof. BNH and assoc. dean for AS
Project: GAANN Nursing Fellowship

Staff
Indrani De Saram, program coordinator for SON Affiliation Agreements, retired on August 30, 2006, after 25-plus years at the School of Nursing.

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