College of Nursing receives funding to establish community-based research
The Penn State College of Nursing has received $250,000 in funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute ( PCORI ) to develop networks for community-based nursing research throughout Pennsylvania. Funds from PCORI's Eugene Washington Engagement Award program will be used to further the work of the college's Research Nurse Initiative ( RNI ), established in 2014 to train professional nurses to conduct clinical research. "The College of Nursing presents a unique context for creating community-based research networks," said Janice Penrod, professor of nursing and project lead for Establishing Community-Based Research Networks. "Our clinical nursing faculty live and work in communities across the state, building relationships through professional and civic interactions. At the same time, our centralized administration creates a cohesive unit in which faculty at all 12 of our campuses interact regularly." The college's leadership has long recognized the potential for building community partnerships to improve health outcomes. Establishing a community-based research network is one of the objectives outlined in the college's current strategic plan, and the RNI was just the first step. Originally funded by Penn State's Clinical and Translational Science Institute ( CTSI ) and Social Science Research Institute ( SSRI ) as well as the College of Nursing, the RNI yielded a cohort of 27 nurse scholars with a wide range of clinical specialties.
