“Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the U.S., and we can do something about that,” said Phyllis Zimmer, President, NPHF. “By making better lifestyle choices, we can eliminate or lower risk factors for heart disease and achieve healthier lives.”
The NPHF/Astellas Promoting Heart Health Across the Age Span Program reflects the need to improve cardiovascular health at all ages – in children, adults, and older adults. Thus, one award is given in each of these age categories. The criteria for support were based on promoting heart health, but the focus of the project could be projects in service (direct services to the target age group), education (educational health interventions)
Award Winners
Carolyn Montoya, RN, MSN, CPNP, PhD(c) (Albuquerque, NM) – Pediatric Award
Ms. Montoya is pursuing her PhD at the University of New Mexico College of Nursing in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is the Academic Program Director for the Advanced Practice Concentrations and Coordinator of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Concentration at that institution. Ms. Montoya is a nationally certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner who maintains a clinical practice at Pediatric Services in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is a Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Health Policy Fellow in the RWJ Foundation and Nursing and Health Policy Collaborative at the University of New Mexico. The NPHF/Astellas Heart Health Across the Age Span award will help fund Ms. Montoya’s research in determining if children ages 8-11 have an accurate perception of their weight and if there are differences between Caucasian and Hispanic children’s perceptions.
Beth Whittaker, FNP, DNP-c (Seattle, WA) – Adult Award
Ms. Whittaker is pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. She has worked as a Registered Nurse on the Medical-Surgical/
Lufei Young, PhD, APRN (Omaha, NE) – Geriatric Award
Dr. Young is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and an assistant professor at the College of Nursing – Lincoln Division at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. She practiced as a primary care physician in the People’s Republic of China before coming to the United States in 2000. This award will help fund Dr. Young’s research to develop strategies to improve medication safety and quality of care during care transition in rural communities through an ANP-managed medication reconciliation program. This research will evaluate the impact and feasibility of the program on medication discrepancies and healthcare use in elderly patients with heart disease discharged from a rural critical access hospital.
The Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation
In 2005, the Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation (NPHF) was launched to raise the bar in health care, contribute to excellence in care, and bring NPs to the forefront of the larger health care arena. The NPHF works 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 for more information and for a listing of current opportunities.
