Nurse/researcher receives NIH grant

Beth NeSmith, assistant professor of physiological and technological nursing in the MCG School of Nursing at the Medical College of Georgia, is among the first in the nation to receive National Institutes of Health stimulus funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The two-year, $147,000 grant will support at least three jobs and the research for a study of African-Americans who may have cocaine-related renal disease.

NeSmith will be the grant’s principal investigator.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, cocaine is the most frequently reported illicit drug associated with drug-related deaths, and African-Americans are disproportionately affected. NeSmith hypothesizes that cocaine use, which can cause inflammation and lead to heart and lung disease, might contribute to renal disease in African-Americans. The findings of this pilot will be used to develop further studies focused on early diagnosis and treatment of cocaine-related complications to reduce morbidity, she said.

INTERIM DEAN: The Georgia Baptist College of Nursing at Mercer University has appointed Linda A. Streit, RN, DSN, as interim dean. She succeeded Susan S. Gunby, RN, Ph.D., who returned to full-time teaching. Streit is a tenured professor and associate dean of graduate programs. She has been a professor and administrator at the college since 1990.

NURSING SPIRIT: The CSRA Chapter of the Georgia Nurses Association awarded four MCGHealth nurses with Reflection of Nursing Spirit Awards at the 2009 Spirit of Nursing Showcase. Jason Wells, chest pain center; Crystal Oglesby, electrophysiology lab; and Mary Mantone, Women’s Health; were selected by their peers for demonstrating effective quality nursing practices in a positive manner. Margaret Johnson, a nurse in perioperative services, won for her work in the Georgia Association of PeriAnethesia Nurses.

Five patient-care teams also earned Reflection of Nursing Spirit Awards: ICU nurse educators Jennifer Edmunds and Steven Whitney; the MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center Neonatal ECMO Transport Team; and patient care teams in the neuroscience practice site, emergency department and shock/trauma units.

AANP AWARDS: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners honored a nurse practitioner and a nurse practitioner advocate from Georgia at its national conference in Nashville in June.

Karen Schwartz was honored with the State Award for Nurse Practitioner Excellence for her involvement in legislative affairs and public policy. Schwartz, a women’s health nurse practitioner at Preferred Women’s Healthcare in Lawrenceville, has worked to improve access to health care for Georgians by advancing the scope of practice for nurse practitioners. In 2006, she worked for the passage of a law allowing NPs in Georgia to sign prescriptions.

Rep. Debbie Buckner (D-Junction City) was named State Advocate of the Year for her support of nursing and health care. Buckner was instrumental in the passage of the nurse practitioners prescription bill.

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