CONTACT - Volume 10, Number 1
Center for Nursing Research

Carol A. Patsdaughter, Ph.D., RN, ACRN
Director

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Barry University Division of Nursing, it is noteworthy that the school opened two years before the first extramural nursing research program was established in the Research Grants and Fellowship Branch of the Division of Nursing Resources, Bureau of Medical Services in 1955. Since that time, nursing research has seen many changes both at the national level and within the school. In the 1960s and 70s, nursing research was funded through the Division of Nursing in the Health Resource Service Administration (HRSA). During that time, nurse scientists received research training primarily in other disciplines such as anthropology, education, physiology, psychology, and sociology. However, the focus of early nursing research was on the profession itself-nurses and nursing students. In the 1970s, there was a shift in emphasis to research aimed at our raison d'etre, the delivery and improvement of patient care. In 1986, the National Center for Nursing Research (NCNR) was established with an operating budget of $16.2 million. A desire to increase nursing's level of professionalism coupled with the emergence of more doctoral programs in nursing and increased computer availability led to more practice-oriented, theory-based research as well as research utilization by practicing nurses. A hallmark occurred in 1993 with the creation of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) within the National Institutes of Health. Over the years, NINR's budget has steadily increased from $55 million in 1993 to over $130 million in 2003! Research priorities continue to include clinical populations and phenomena. For 2003 and 2004, NINR funding has been earmarked for studies addressing chronic illnesses or conditions; behavioral changes and interventions, including enhancing health promotion among minorities and across multiple high-risk behaviors; and responding to compelling public health concerns such as community-partnered interventions to eliminate health disparities. Although the NINR is one of the youngest among NIH institutes, nurse researchers are making significant contributions to science as well as to the health of this nation. NINR's motto is: "Brings Life to Research and Research to Life."

Nursing research and scholarship at Barry University have paralleled national trends. The Center for Nursing Science was developed in 1990; early projects included nursing science forums focusing on theory and studies of nursing students. In 1994, the unit was renamed the Center for Nursing Research (CNR). The opening of the Ph.D. in Nursing Program in 1996 provided further impetus to the development of faculty and doctoral student research. Subsequently, there has been a move within the school from predominantly qualitative studies to selection of the best method to answer research questions. Most recently, three focal areas (i.e., multicultural health, health care of underserved/disenfranchised populations, and risk and resilience) have been adopted to bring nursing research within the school in line with national health and research priorities. The CNR has shifted efforts from facilitating research events and serving as a resource repository to providing more direct services (e.g., literature searches and retrieval, proposal and manuscript reviews, database management). In 2002-2003, four research grant applications were submitted, with a total of $86,246 requested. Faculty and doctoral students published 10 articles and delivered 29 presentations at international, national, and regional professional conferences. The Division of Nursing is truly making progress in "Bringing Life to Research and Research to Life!"