CONTACT - Volume 9, Number 2
Research Focal Areas

Carol A. Patsdaughter, Ph.D., RN, ACRN
Director, Center for Nursing Research

From left to right: Dr. Carol Patsdaughter, CNR Director, Dr. Janyce Dyer, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, and Dr. Michelle Beauchesne, Founder and Coordinator of the National Primary Care for the Undeserved Conference. Dyer, Patsdaughter, and McGuinnes had a poster presentation, "Resiliency revisited: Implications for primary care for the underserved at the 10th Annual National Primary Care for the Undeserved Conference , in Bismarck, ND. Barry University faculty members Marcia Hacker, Dr. Tom Madayag, and Dr. Shirley Schantz also presented at the conference.

In several recent meetings of the Center for Nursing Research Advisory Council, focal areas for faculty and doctoral student research were addressed. Three areas were delineated: multicultural health, underserved/ disenfranchised populations, and risk and resilience. These areas were identified based on the interests and expertise of the faculty, the mission of Barry University as a Catholic international institution, and demographics of the student body as well as South Florida communities. Division of Nursing faculty members are actively involved in research addressing multicultural health, underserved/disenfranchised populations, and risk and resilience. Examples include:

• studies of adolescent risk behavior in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and USA;
• program evaluation of HIV counseling and testing with hard-to-reach populations in various settings;
• a large national descriptive survey of health practices and problems of lesbian women;
• studies of the health effects of compulsive gambling and other contemporary addictions in various ethnic and social groups; and
• investigations on the relationships between risk, protective factors, and depression in high risk individuals and families.

Other recently completed projects have addressed the health seeking behaviors of Haitian families for their school aged children and the satisfaction of HIV-positive women and minority patients with inpatient hospital care. Current and recently completed doctoral dissertation topics in these focal areas include a study of HIV+ nurses on HIV antiretroviral therapy; an exploration of the impact of self esteem and silencing behaviors on HIV risk behaviors in Bahamian women; an examination of spirituality and willingness to serve underserved and disenfranchised populations; an investigation of depression in HIV-infected children and adolescents; and a study of adherence in HIV+ Haitians. We are very excited about these three focal areas and hope they help strengthen the match between faculty expertise and student research interests. It is anticipated that these focal areas will not only promote the development of a "community of scholars" within the Division of Nursing but also serve as a catalyst for culturally- and socially-relevant research that makes a difference in the lives of people we serve.