Nominee: Dr. J.P. Barfield
Institution: Radford University, Radford, VA
Institutional affiliation and noteworthy positions (limit 50 words): Associate Professor, Health & Human Performance
Research Fellow Nominee, Radford University
Scientific Committee, Paralympic Research and Sport Science Consortium Communications & Publications Committee, American College of Sports Medicine Former Research Associate, Lakeshore Foundation (Paralympic Training Facility)
Noteworthy grants received/professional accomplishments: (limit 100 words): Head Start/Body Start Equipment Grant. American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance. Cookeville/Algood Head Start.
National Expansion and Evaluation of the I Can Do It, You Can Do It Program. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office on Disability. I Can Do It, You Can Do It – Upper Cumberland. PI with Dr. Christy Killman. December 2008 – October 2011.
TBR Diversity Research Grant. Tennessee Board of Regents. Determination of predictors and barriers to minority enrollment in undergraduate exercise science and allied health majors. PI with Dr. Rhonda Folio. May, 2008 – May 2009 $42,000.
Relevant publications or presentations (limit 3)Highlight any undergraduate co-authors with an asterisk (*):
Favia, S.* & Barfield, J. The relationship between extrinsic motivation and exercise behavior in college males. Poster presented at the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance national convention, Tampa, FL.
Webb, D.*, & Barfield, J. Lifetime wellness does not detract from fitness scores. Poster presented at the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance national convention, Tampa, FL.
Barfield, J., Malone, L., Arbo, C.*, & Jung, A. (2010). Training intensity during wheelchair rugby in athletes with tetraplegia. Journal of Sports Sciences, 28, 389-398.
In what professional activities related to undergraduate research have you engaged over the last five years? (limit 200 words): At my current institution, I oversee research projects of honor students in the department of Health & Human Performance. I help students with their project design, IRB application, data analysis, and presentation format. Students present their findings at the annual undergraduate research conference on the campus of Radford University (current institution). I also taught the research capstone courses at my previous institution..
CUR has articulated five “strategic pillars” (listed below) to guide its work in the coming years. Describe how your experience/knowledge could be of value to the mission of the Council broadly. (limit 250 words):
My work in minority student recruitment into allied health is consistent with the Diversity and Inclusion pillar. Similar to degree programs in allied health, a need exists to expose diverse students to undergraduate research opportunities. I believe my personal experience in this area will support CUR goals relative to this pillar. Additionally, I believe curricular changes are the key to increasing undergraduate research opportunities. I have served as a department chair at three universities and feel the experience in curricular development generated through that role will assist CUR initiatives.
Briefly describe one initial idea for a collaborative project for student researchers within the health sciences division disciplines. How might faculty collaborate among disciplines to support the students?: A possible project for student researchers would be the assessment of calorie expenditure in wheelchair users. Secondary disease risk is a major issue for individuals with physical disabilities (acute or chronic) and assessment of calorie expenditure can determine the exercise stress or load demonstrated during home and recreational activities. This work can identify the types of activities that reduce risk of secondary diseases. Because the Some the function of
wheelchair users vary, this study may be of interest to persons in nursing, pre-professional programs (e.g., pre-physical therapy, pre-occupational therapy), and exercise science.
Based on the available materials on the CUR website, describe how you have used or might implement one or two of these resources to support student research within the health sciences division programs:
Consulting services would assist a final group of research project participants on the strategies and pitfalls to conducting research during the academic year.
Nominee: Maura K McCall
Institution: University of Pittsburgh Center for Research and Evaluation, Pittsburgh, PA
Title: Other
Institutional affiliation and noteworthy positions (limit 50 words): University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing Current: Coordinator, Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program; Director, Clinical Research Suite; Manager, clinical lab; mentor to 3 UG students
Past: Project Coordinator, P01 grant and P30 core project; CTSI Community PARTners core research nurse; behavioral interventionist for 2 R01s; hospital and office nurse.
Noteworthy grants received/professional accomplishments: (limit 100 words): No grants of my own.
Not certain how to answer this. I am staff, so there are differences in "accomplishments" when compared with faculty. Master's degree while working full-time; Certificate in Organizational Leadership and Ethics; Academic
Entrepreneurship Course; Parish Nurse certification; CPR instructor certification.
Relevant publications or presentations (limit 3)Highlight any undergraduate co-authors with an asterisk (*):
McCall MK, Oberholtzer C*, Wrynn A*, Azrak R*, Houze M, Dudjak LA, Zank E, Burns HK. Medication adherence after hospital discharge [abstract]. In: Society of Behavioral Medicine 33 rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions; Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 2012 Apr 11-14 ; New Orleans New York, New York: Springer. s117. (they each had first
authorship on same project).
Billet K*, McCall MK. Nursing students: Tobacco cessation training and attitudes towards tobacco use . [abstract]. In: Eastern Nursing Research Society 26th Annual Scientific Sessions; Promoting Health Across the Life Span: The Art and Science of Person-Centered Care. 2014 Apr 9-11 ; Philadelphia, PA Eastern Nursing Research Society, 2014. A236.
Findle R*, Kitutu J, McCall MK. Examining undergraduate research opportunities in schools of nursing. Poster presented at: National Council on Undergraduate Research; 2014 Apr 3-5; University of Kentucky, Lexington,
KY.Re-presented at Science, 2014, Oct 2, University of Pittsburgh.Will also be re-presented at the 4 th Annual Scholarly Poster Presentation Symposium at the School of Nursing on November 17, 2014.
In what professional activities related to undergraduate research have you engaged over the last five years? (limit 200 words): Since 2009, I have mentored 7 UG nursing students. Of note, three worked as a team to assist me on the P30 study. They were chosen to represent Pitt at URC-PA. Their poster was chosen as the 2012 Spotlighted Abstract, and now is the sample abstract. Another one of my students conducted her own study in her junior year, and with some encouragement, obtained an honors degree (BSN-H) by writing and defending her dissertation on the project in her senior year.
Last year, I became the coordinator for our Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program. I organized the process of hiring and matching with mentors and created databases, a newsletter, and various other resources in order to administer the program more efficiently. This year, I’ve continued adapting the processes. Well over 200 UG students were interested in the program. Thus far, 120 are participating, and an additional 15-20 waiting students have
completed hiring paperwork and research modules.
CUR has articulated five “strategic pillars” (listed below) to guide its work in the coming years. Describe how your experience/knowledge could be of value to the mission of the Council broadly. (limit 250 words): I am not faculty, and therefore, cannot speak to curriculum. Our program is experiential. I am collecting information in our program to evaluate outcomes/impact. This year, I hope to have some data. I've created a method of continual evaluation and resources for students and mentors. I hope it works!
I cannot expand diversity beyond our admitted students, so I have limited experience here.
I think I've been innovative in my approach to the program and I've consistently adapted as necessary. I plan to collaborate outside my school. The community collaboration would depend on the topic.
My son actually conducted research oversees. I assisted him in developing a design that he could complete in a short time with little money and research experience. It's quite a challenge!
My contributions are from the perspective of the front lines of research, the folks who do the work of the study, and my experience is from the start to closing of studies.
Briefly describe one initial idea for a collaborative project for student researchers within the health sciences division disciplines. How might faculty collaborate among disciplines to support the students?: This is a tough question, logistically speaking. Nurses are natural collaborators. We are truly the interdisciplinary profession, and are very lucky to incorporate PT, OT, Pharm, Med, Psych, Soc Work, (and nursing) etc, into one! We also earn our professional degree at UG, unlike others. If mentored, students could develop a study and add other student projects as ancillary studies. Or they could form a group freshman year and develop ideas in a think tank. I would not rely on faculty for the introduction, nor would I have students use the faculty projects. I prefer originality.
I suggested an interdisciplinary group here, but it is in development:" bench to bedside and beyond". Neuroscience (bench), Nursing, PT, OT, Social Work, Psych, rehab, (all bedside and beyond) could work on one neurological disorder. It would have to be staggered over time though, due to different curricula.
Based on the available materials on the CUR website, describe how you have used or might implement one or two of these resources to support student research within the health sciences division programs: I'm not sure I've used the resources, other than the journal. I did have my student use some of the articles about UG research programs for her NCUR Proceedings article. I'd like to become more familiar with the resources.
Nominee: Dr. Marian Tabi
Institution: Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA
Institutional affiliation and noteworthy positions (limit 50 words): I am an associate professor of nursing and Director of Program Outcomes at Georgia Southern University School of Nursing in Statesboro, Georgia. I teach undergraduate research to junior level nursing students, and biometrics to advanced practice nurses in the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program.
Noteworthy grants received/professional accomplishments: (limit 100 words): I have received several internal and federally funded grants over the amount of $3 million. Funded projects from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) from 2006 – 2014 focused on increasing the representation of racial and ethnic minorities in the nursing workforce. Other internal funded grants have focused on management of diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Relevant publications or presentations (limit 3)Highlight any undergraduate co-authors with an asterisk (*):
*Fendley, C.; Sallad, J.; Tillman, D., & Wright, J. & Tabi, M (April 2011). Practicing and Student Nurses’
Perspective on Medical Marijuana Use: A Regional Comparison. Phi Kappa Phi Research Symposium. Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia.
*Drain, J.; Dasher, L.; Gresham, M.; Gresham, M. & Tabi, M. (April 2011). Fashion Forward or Feet Friendly? A Study of Young Adults In Their Choice of Footwear and The Related Complications. Phi Kappa Phi Research Symposium. Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia.
In what professional activities related to undergraduate research have you engaged over the last five years? (limit 200 words): As a member of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), I take great pride in promoting undergraduate research within my department. My professional activities include guiding students in submitting their research abstracts for presentation at professional conferences. Undergraduate nursing research is one of the
courses that I have consistently taught for the past 17 years with passion since post graduate education. The course is offered twice a year with total enrollment of 100 students per year. Each year, students produce a total of 24 quality publishable research studies that can contribute to the nursing discipline. The goal of the undergraduate research course is to change undergraduate students’ negative perception to positive attitude toward research . In this course, my faculty role has been mentoring and guiding individual students to the research experience by providing
opportunities for students to conduct an IRB approved study, collecting data and using IBM SPSS software program for data analysis, as well as presenting their work at various local and regional professional conferences. I plan to continue to mentor students in their research experience and to impact their attitude towards research and graduate education.
CUR has articulated five “strategic pillars” (listed below) to guide its work in the coming years. Describe how your experience/knowledge could be of value to the mission of the Council broadly. (limit 250 words):
One of the five CUR’s strategic pillars that is aligned with my current work is Integrating and Building Undergraduate Research into Curriculum and Coursework. Below is a list of the few initiatives that are in the works at my School of Nursing and can contribute to the mission of CUR.
1. Thread research across the curriculum
2. Support students with travel stipends to present scholarly research work at local, regional, or national, professional, conferences.
3. Create opportunities for undergraduate nursing students to engage in research. 4. Encourage students to submit their scholarly and research work for publication.
Briefly describe one initial idea for a collaborative project for student researchers within the health sciences division disciplines. How might faculty collaborate among disciplines to support the students?: One idea is inter-professional collaborative research project among health science students in nursing, public health, nutrition and exercise, for example. Faculty in these disciplines can use monthly brown bag lunch meetings to create venue to bring students together to present their research, build social networks, share ideas and interests, and create the opportunity for collaborative work.
Based on the available materials on the CUR website, describe how you have used or might implement one or two of these resources to support student research within the health sciences division programs: I plan to utilize primarily the conference and publication resources on the CUR website, expose students to CUR, and encourage students to submit their work for presentation and publication in CUR.
