The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) have selected Sandra R. Edwardson, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., as AHRQ's Senior Nurse Scholar in Residence. Dr. Edwardson will work with AHRQ to develop areas of investigation that integrate contemporary clinical nursing care questions with critical health care issues of quality, cost, access, and health-services research.
Dr. Edwardson was chosen from a competitive field of candidates who have demonstrated significant research, writing, publication, and teaching experience. During her tenure as Senior Nurse Scholar-In-Residence, Dr. Edwardson plans to focus on finding methods for portraying the direct and interactive effects of various nurse staffing and delivery models on patient outcomes and on how they are affected by inter-professional collaboration and organizational support systems. Her 12-month appointment takes effect in October 2004.
"Dr. Edwardson's contributions will be very helpful in advancing the understanding of nursing's role in enhancing the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of health care and will provide insights into our efforts to improve patient safety in America," said Heddy Hubbard, M.P.H., R.N., Acting Associate Director, Center for Outcomes and Evidence, and Senior Advisor of Nursing, AHRQ.
Dr. Edwardson served as Dean of the School of Nursing of the University of Minnesota from 1990-2004. Prior to assuming her role as Dean, she was a faculty member of the School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota and St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN.
"I am very interested in working with the AHRQ staff in advancing their agenda," said Dr. Edwardson." My years of experience as a dean have shown me the importance of creating opportunities for nurse researchers, and then urging them to take advantage of the opportunities."
Prepared for health services research and administration, Dr, Edwardson's research has been focused on alternative systems for delivering and evaluating health care and on self-care responses to medical symptoms encountered by elderly people. She is a founding board member and past officer of Minnesota International Health Volunteers. She has served as a consultant with educators in Uganda and Asia on nursing education and with U.S. and Canadian hospitals regarding workload measurement and patient classification. Dr. Edwardson currently leads a project for developing nursing education and leadership in several Central Asian nations.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) was created in December 1989 as part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. AHRQ's mission is to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. Information from AHRQ's research helps people make more informed decisions that lead to improvements in the quality of health care services.
The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) was established in 1973 to provide visionary leadership to the nursing profession and to the public in shaping future health care policy and practice. Now comprised of approximately 1,700 nursing leaders in education, management, practice and research, the mission is to serve both the public and the nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through knowledge generation, synthesis, and dissemination.
Current as of August 2004
Internet Citation:
Senior Nurse Scholar in Residence Selected. August 2004. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/about/nursing/nrschlsr.htm
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