Faculty Profile of the Month: November

Faculty member Pam Jordan explores role of fathers in her research

By Ashley Wiggin

For FCN Associate Professor Pam Jordan, being a nurse has been an incredible opportunity. “Each day that passes I feel more privileged to be a nurse,” she said. “It’s an honor to work so closely with people and, as a faculty member, with students.”

Raised in a suburb of Chicago, Pam took to nursing after experiencing various health problems in childhood that exposed her to the work of nurses. She received her BSN and doctorate from the University of Michigan, and her Master’s degree from Rush University. 

While becoming a parent herself, she saw many couples fall apart after the birth of their children, struggling to relate to each other while taking on new roles as parents. Fathers, particularly, seemed to struggle with the lack of information about the transition to fatherhood. This sparked her interest and soon became her primary research focus. When interviewing for doctoral programs, she was asked why she wanted to “waste her time with the fathers” at a time when the focus was on mothers. Today, her curriculum reaches thousands across the country.

Pam’s research also led to the “Becoming Parents” program, a successful business she runs with her business partner. The program is designed to reach out to new and expectant parents with information on taking care of themselves as a couple and relating to their new baby. The program’s curriculum is now being used all over the country in intervention programs on healthy marriages and child rearing, including at the UW.

In September, Pam was acknowledged for her work on a video about breastfeeding aimed at fathers. The video won a prestigious FREDDIE award from MediMedia. In 2006, Pam also celebrated another kind of nursing achievement. One of her two sons graduated from the UW SoN with a BSN and is now working at Seattle Children’s Hospital in the infant intensive care unit.

While Pam loved working earlier in her career as a critical care nurse, she loves her faculty role more. “You can touch so many lives as a nurse,” she said. “And you can touch even more as an educator.”

Learn more about Pam’s work at www.becomingparents.com