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RESEARCH
HCNHS receives AACN Innovations in
Professional Nursing Award
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) recently
selected TCU’s Harris College of Nursing as the recipient for the AACN
Innovations in Professional Nursing Award for Private Schools without
an Academic Health Center. The College received the award Oct. 24 at
the fall semiannual meeting inWashington, D.C.
Suzy Lockwood
, professor and director of TCU’s Center
for Oncology Education and Research, and
Paulette
Burns
, professor and dean of Harris College of Nursing
& Health Sciences and Robert Wood Johnson Executive
Nurse Fellow, submitted a report on the “Baccalaureate
Nursing Emphasis inOncology Program”that highlighted
the undergraduate educational outcomes of TCU’s Center for Oncology
Education and Research and its partnership with UT Southwestern
Medical Center. The program includes elective didactic and clinical
courses, including an Oncology Internship Program as well as initiatives
across thenursing curriculumtopromote awareness andunderstanding
of oncology nursing care.
There is a dramatic need for oncology-specialized nurses to care for
the growing population of people diagnosed and living with cancer,
as well as for caregivers of cancer survivors. The Baccalaureate Nursing
Emphasis in Oncology (BNEO) is an innovative strategy to promote
interest and skill development in oncology nursing among students
seeking a Bachelor of Science in nursing.
Nursing students frequently see cancer as a fatal condition and believe
that oncology nursing lacks the complexity or excitement found in
other clinical settings. By providing focused clinical experiences in
different oncology settings and oncology-specific curricula, the BNEO
has achieved its major aim to increase the number of baccalaureate
nursing graduates who select a career in oncology nursing. In addition,
the innovative program can be implemented and sustained in other
programs of nursing.
Harris College’s academic partnership with the University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) provides learning opportunities
for its students in a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated center.
The BNEO program has been sustained since January 2008 and has met
outcomes for student participation, faculty collaboration and awareness
and fostering community partnerships. The program has increased
enrollment from 10 in the first year to 30 this past year; the number
of graduates being employed in an oncology setting has consistently
increased with each cohort.
Pamela Frable
, associate professor, associate dean and director of
nursing, said, “We are proud that the innovative work championed
by Dr. Lockwood to promote oncology nursing education at the
baccalaureate level has earned this national recognition. The oncology
nursing education initiative enables TCU nursing students to explore
oncology nursing as a career and to be ready to provide evidence-
based care for patients and families living with cancer. We are fortunate
at TCU to have multiple nursing faculty members who contribute to
this initiative as well as the opportunity to collaborate with community
partners through the Center for Oncology Education and Research.”
Deborah Rhea named Southern
District Scholar
Deborah J. Rhea, professor of kinesiology, associate
dean for health sciences and research, is the winner of
the American Association of Health, Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) Southern District
Scholar Award for 2012. She was one of 13 candidates
(one representing each of the 13 states of the southern
district of AAHPERD) considered for this honor. Rhea has received
many awards throughout her teaching career, including Research
Consortium Fellow (AAHPERD Research Consortium), Health Care
Hero (
Dallas Business Journal
), Dean’s Teaching Award (TCU), University
of Houston Outstanding Alumna Award and most recently the
TAHPERD Scholar Award winner for 2011 and the Marquis 2011 Who’s
Who in Medicine and Health Care. Rhea is associate editor of the
Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
, associate editor
of the
Journal of Health Promotions
and serves on the editorial board
of TAHPERD.
Linda Curry nominated for
The Chancellor’s Award for
Distinguished Achievement as a
Teacher-Scholar
Linda Curry was selected this past year as the Harris
College nominee for The Chancellor’s Award for
Distinguished Achievement as a Teacher-Scholar. The
prestigious award is competitive among the nominees
from each of the eight TCU colleges and Brite Divinity
School. It is perhaps the highest award a faculty
member can receive from faculty peers, academic deans, provost and
chancellor. Being nominated by one’s college means being recognized
for substantial contributions as a master teacher and creative scholar to
further the academic discipline, the hallmark of the TCU professoriate.
Curry arrived at TCU in 1976 after 13 years in professional nursing
practice. She hails originally from Florida and earned her BSN and MN at
the University of Florida, Gainesville. After making her way to Texas, she
earned her doctorate at the University of North Texas.
During her 35 years at TCU, Harris College and TCU have been the
beneficiaries of her dedication and leadership in the faculty role as well
as several administrative roles during her tenure.
Curry’s colleagues describe her as a dedicated master teacher whose
teaching acumen is reflected in the rigor and expectations in her
courses and student evaluations. Her abilities and flexibility as a master
teacher are exemplified in her teaching assignments across the nursing
curriculum, including introductory nursing courses, senior leadership/
management courses and direction of graduate projects. Students
share that she challenges them every day to think like a nurse and that
her office is “our home away from home” with an open door. Curry is
a ceaseless mentor, guiding, directing and supporting. Her numerous
teaching awards over the years also attest to her excellence in teaching.
In addition to being a master teacher, Curry has an impressive record
of scholarship. She has presented more than 43 papers with colleagues
FacultyAccolades
accolades
The Harris College Magazine
- Summer 2012 ·
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