“Pain effects millions of people and prevents many of them from conducting productive lives,” said Phyllis Zimmer, President, NPHF. “We are thrilled to provide these five deserving recipients with the opportunity to address this national public health issue. We appreciate the funding provided by Purdue Pharma L.P. to support this programming.”
“We are pleased to support the Foundation’s efforts to increase the understanding of scientific, clinical and healthcare issues that contribute to the improvement of patient care,” said Pamela Bennett, BSN, RN, Executive Director of Healthcare Alliance Development at Purdue Pharma L.P. “The award recipients are to be applauded for their dedication to improving the lives of patients suffering from pain.”
NPHF/Purdue Pharma Pain Management Award Winners
Jessica Cooper, BSN, MSN, CPNP, APRN (Plantsville, CT)
Ms. Cooper is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner who practices at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center general surgery department in Hartford, Connecticut. This award will provide funding for Ms. Cooper’s research into the pain experience of children after discharge home after a laparoscopic appendectomy. The research will concentrate on home opioid use to arrive at a protocol for prescribers to make informed opioid analgesic prescribing decisions to provide pain relief while preventing drug diversion.
Lorena Jaimes, RN, BSN, DNP(c) (Seattle, WA)
Ms. Jaimes is pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Acute Care at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. She works as a Registered Nurse in the Inpatient Spinal Cord Injury Unit at the Veterans Affairs Health Care Center in Seattle, Washington and is a teaching assistant in the nursing skills lab at the University of Washington. This award will fund Ms. Jaimes’ study of rehabilitation nurses’ knowledge of pain management for combat-related traumatic brain injuries in order to identify gaps in knowledge, propose recommendations and modifications for existing protocols, and improve care.
Rita Marie John, DNP, EdD, CPNP (New York, NY)
Dr. John is an Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing and the PNP/NNP Program Director at Columbia University in New York, New York. Dr. John is a member of the Glenda Garvey Teaching Academy, which recognizes outstanding educators; she has received numerous other awards and honors as a teacher. This award will fund research to evaluate the effectiveness of two different buzzers in reducing immunization pain in adolescents between the ages of 10-18. Her other research interests include informatics, innovative nursing education methods, and childhood obesity.
Denay Mershman, RN, BSN, BA (Walled Lake, MI)
Ms. Mershman is pursuing her Masters degree in the Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program at Wayne State University. Ms. Mershman practices as a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department of Children’s Hospital of Michigan. This award will support research concerning the efficacy of needle - free jet injections of lidocaine for pediatric acute pain control during venous punctures. Ms. Mershman hopes to determine if there is a correlation between acute pain control and overall parent/caregiver satisfaction with childrens’ stay in the Emergency Department.
Michael Wolf, CRNA, APNP (Berlin, WI)
Mr. Wolf is pursuing his Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Mr. Wolf is a certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. He is the Vice President/Administrator and Senior Partner of the Central Wisconsin Anesthesia Associates and Clinical Coordinator/
About Purdue Pharma L.P.
Purdue Pharma L.P. is a privately held pharmaceutical company founded by physicians more than 50 years ago. We are committed to improving patients' lives in meaningful ways by providing safe and effective therapies along with educational tools that support their proper use.
The Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation
In 2004, a group of pioneering nurse practitioners founded the Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation (NPHF). The foundation is dedicated to “raising the bar” in healthcare, contributing to excellence in care and bringing NPs to the forefront of the larger healthcare arena. The NPHF works strives to make high-quality, effective care accessible through research, education, health policy, service and philanthropy. The NPHF is an IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Visit http://www.nphealthcarefoundation.org/
