VCU School of Nursing earns $1.5 million NIH grant

By Michael Ford
University News Services

RICHMOND, Va. (Oct. 1, 2004) – The National Institutes of Health has awarded the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing a $1.5 million grant to establish a new research center to study how biological and behavioral processes interact to affect a person’s health.

The five-year award, from the NIH’s National Institute of Nursing Research, will be used to develop and fund several pilot studies in the new Center for Biobehavioral Clinical Research at the VCU School of Nursing. Biobehavioral clinical research focuses on the interaction of biological processes and behavioral factors on health. For example, an irregular sleep cycle – a behavior – could affect the immune system – a biological process – of a patient who has HIV infection.

“This grant places us at the forefront of nursing research nationally along with a handful of other respected programs doing this type of multi-disciplinary work,” said Nancy F. Langston, Ph.D., dean of the School of Nursing. “As we better understand the links among thoughts, actions and overall physiology, we’ll be able to improve patient outcomes, shorten hospital stays and maximize wellness.

“The new center will be an asset, allowing us to compete for new talented faculty and gifted graduate students,” she added.

School of Nursing faculty already are conducting NIH-funded research on behavioral strategies to reduce stress and improve immune responses in patients; the biological links between pneumonia and mechanically ventilated patients; and the development of a model to assess the feeding readiness of preterm infants.

Nancy L. McCain, D.S.N., principal investigator for the center grant and an expert in stress management and HIV disease, said nursing focuses on treating the whole patient, not just an organ system or a damaged limb.

“Our holistic approach to patient care and research is in step with nursing’s philosophy of caring for the whole person,” said McCain, a professor in adult health nursing. “Our development of a center for biobehavioral research provides an opportunity to train new investigators and to focus our research on more holistic biobehavioral approaches.”

The CBCR plans to support three pilot studies during the first grant year.

Co-investigators for the CBCR are Rita Pickler, Ph.D., associate professor and chair, maternal-child nursing; Mary Jo Grap, Ph.D., professor, adult health nursing; Cindy Munro, Ph.D., professor, adult health nursing; and R.K. Elswick, Jr., Ph.D., associate professor, biostatistics and nursing. The grants administrator is Jeanette Acree.

One of 84 comprehensive nursing schools in the country, the VCU School of Nursing is ranked 48th among America’s best graduate schools by U.S. News & World Report and was recently ranked 25th among nursing schools in NIH-funded research.  

The National Institute of Nursing Research supports clinical and basic research to establish a scientific basis for the care of individuals. Nursing research involves clinical care in a variety of settings including the community and home in addition to more traditional health care sites.