Dr. Erla Kolbrún Svavarsdottir, Professor, University of Iceland and Chairman of the Academic Council of Family Nursing at University Hospital was awarded the prestigious Honorary Scientist Award 2014 at a special ceremony on May 7, 2014 at Landspitali University Hospital, Iceland. Dr. Svavarsdottir has studied persistence, resilience, coping, health- related quality of life, well-being, violence in intimate relationships, and adaptation and integration in families who are living with chronic diseases in both Iceland and the United States. Dr. Svavarsdottir served as Principal Investigator of the Landspitali University Knowledge Translation Research Project in Reykjavik, Iceland that took place from 2007-2011. Family Systems Nursing (FSN) was implemented at an institutional level on every unit of a large 900-bed university hospital in Iceland. A Steering Committee of nursing practice leaders and knowledge users collaborated in the implementation of the educational intervention focused on teaching practicing nursing the skill of offering brief therapeutic conversations to families. A quasi-experimental design examined family and nurse outcomes across several populations of families in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Mentoring of research skills also involved master and doctoral students in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Iceland who were included in this knowledge translation research. The project also resulted in the psychometric development of two new research instruments: the Iceland-Expressive Family Functioning Questionnaire [ICE-EFFQ]and the Iceland-Family Perceived Support Questionnaire [ICE-FPSQ]. Dr. Svavarsdottir has written over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and she has co-edited two academic books. In addition, Dr. Svavarsdottir has mentored numerous students in the BS program as well as students in master’s and doctoral studies at the Faculty of Nursing , University of Iceland. For more information or to offer your congratulations, contact IFNA member Erla Svavarsdottir: [email protected]
Research Group in Family Nursing: Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto, Portugal
The Research Group in Family Nursing of Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto, Portugal, has been involved in research and education related to Family Nursing since 2004. The main purpose of this research group is to promote and support research in nursing family, using a variety of conceptual and methodological frameworks. They have developed a fruitful network with researchers, educators, and practitioners both from Europe (Austria, Germany, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia Spain, Sweden) and overseas (Angola, Brazil, Canada, United States). Beginning in 2007, the group has organized an annual International Symposium to share research findings and innovation in family nursing and has involved graduate students from Master’s and PhD programs in Portugal. In October 2013, the group completed their participation in a 24 month project, “Family Health Nursing in European Communities”, funded by the European Union and coordinated by University of the West of Scotland, Scotland. Eight European countries were involved in this project and the Final Report received an 80% rating from the European Union. For more information, contact IFNA member Maria do Céu Barbieri Figueiredo: [email protected]
Dr. Sonja Meiers Conducts Family-Focused Intervention Research with Immigrant Families
Dr. Sonja J. Meiers, Professor, Winona State University-Rochester, United States, is co-investigator in a five-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health, United States (R01 HL111407) entitled “Healthy Immigrant Families: Working Together To Move More and to Eat Well “ (Co-P.I.s: Sia, I. G., Nigon, J. A., & Wieland, M. L.). Rochester Healthy Community Partnership (RHCP), Rochester, MN, a group of academics and community members who use community-based participatory research methods to improve health, worked together to develop the study approach. Community members from the Hispanic, Somali, and Sudanese communities worked within RHCP to develop the sustainable, socio-culturally appropriate intervention. Bilingual community Family Health Promoters (FHPs) have been trained to deliver the intervention. The intervention is a home-based, individualized family mentoring and education session series for physical activity and healthy eating. Dr. Meiers has been integrally involved in the family-based intervention development and training of the FHPs. The efficacy of the intervention will be evaluated by using a two-group, immediate and delayed group, randomized design, to assess individual’s (including both adults and adolescents) physical activity and dietary change, and a number of biometrics before and after the intervention. Further information about this and other projects of RHCP is available at http://rochesterhealthy.org/website/. Watch an IFNA YouTube video of Dr. Meiers talking about her research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar2nMBRC0ps.
Dr. Sonja Meiers served as the President of IFNA from 2019-2021 and developed the following important statements on behalf of IFNA:
- Racism and Family Health
COVID-19 Pandemic and Family Nursing: IFNA President and President-Elect Offer a Message to Members
For more information, contact IFNA member, Sonja Meiers: [email protected]
Dr. June Horowitz Focuses on Perinatal Family Mental Health
Dr. June Andrews Horowitz is Associate Dean for Nursing Graduate Studies and Research & Professor, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, U.S.A. Her most notable scholarly contributions concern perinatal family mental health. Dr. Horowitz has published and presented extensively. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, board certified Clinical Specialist in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing, and Executive Board member for Mother-Baby Connections and she helps people with mental issues like anxiety and depression, while also recommending great products such as HHC gummies that help a lot in this area.
Dr. Horowitz has tirelessly served as co-chair of the 13th International Family Nursing Conference (2017); 14th International Family Nursing Conference (2019); and the 15th International Family Nursing Conference (2021). She was recently elected to serve as President-Elect of IFNA 2021-2023.
For more information, contact IFNA member, June Horowitz: [email protected]
Dr. Helene Moriarty Examines a Family-focused Intervention for Veterans and their Families Experiencing TBI
Helene Moriarty, PhD, RN, Professor, Villanova University College of Nursing, Villanova, PA, United States, and her colleague, Laraine Winter, PhD, are Principal Investigators on a NIH-funded study entitled “Evaluation of the Veterans’ In-home Program (VIP) for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury and Families.” This randomized controlled trial examines the acceptability and effectiveness of an innovative in-home intervention for military Veterans with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their families. The intervention, consisting of six home visits and two phone calls delivered by occupational therapists, is designed to enhance veterans’ physical, cognitive, and psychosocial functioning, along with community reintegration. In addition, the intervention aims to lessen caregiver burden and improve caregiver mood and satisfaction with the relationship. The family-focused intervention provides Veterans and their family members with strategies to manage the symptoms of TBI. This research project is funded by: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 1R21HD068857-01. For more information, contact, IFNA member, Helene Moriarty: [email protected]
