PhD Nursing Alumna Receives New Investigator Award

College of Nursing at Michigan State University alumna Dr. Susan Dunn (CON PhD '05) was recently honored the New Investigator Award for her first post-doctorate research project titled "Development and Testing of a New State-Trait Hopelessness Scale for Use with Patients with Coronary Heart Disease.”

This award, presented by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR), recognizes her accomplishments in examining hopelessness in cardiac patients as both a response to a cardiac event and as a habitual outlook toward life.

Dr. Dunn's scientific abstract focused on the development and testing of a state-trait hopelessness tool and pilot testing of the tool with a sample of 70 phase II cardiac rehab patients. A scale was established and used to test the origins of the symptoms of hopelessness that remain in some of these patients for up to eight months after their hospitalization.

The scale was found to be valid and reliable with the test group. Dr. Dunn's next steps are to continue the testing with a larger, more diverse population in hopes of being equally successful in the research findings.

Six abstracts selected for oral presentation during the annual AACVPR conference were nominated for the New Investigator Award. Dr. Dunn presented her findings at the 23rd annual AACVPR meeting before learning of her honor at the closing keynote address.

"It was especially meaningful to me as a nurse to be selected for this award by a group of interdisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation professionals, including nurses, physicians, exercise physiologists and physical therapists."

Although Dr. Dunn considers herself a "novice researcher,” she plans to continue building her program of research through grant or post-doc funding, research and publications. Dr. Dunn is currently the Chairperson and Associate Professor of the Hope College Nursing Department in Holland, Michigan.

"Nursing doctoral alumni, like Susan, are making a difference throughout Michigan and beyond,” said Associate Dean for Research Dr. Barb Given. "Doctoral nursing students benefit from the academic guidance of our faculty while developing their program of scholarly research that will ultimately translate into improved healthcare delivery outcomes.”

The College of Nursing at Michigan State University congratulates Dr. Dunn's research accomplishments. Her contribution to the science of nursing enhances the College's legacy of excellence while improving the health status of individuals and families within our state, our nation and the world.

To learn more about the academic and scholarly nursing research visit the College of Nursing online at http://www.nursing.msu.edu/researchcenter.asp.