Leadership in Action: Alumni, Faculty, Staff and Student Milestones

Nursing Leaders

March 3, 2017

By Diana Austin

In Memoriam: Dorothy Rice, Groundbreaking Economist

Dorothy Rice with former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher Dorothy Pechman Rice, professor emerita of health economics at the UC San Francisco School of Nursing, passed away on February 25, 2017. A pioneer in medical economics and health statistics and an inspiration to aspiring economists, Rice began work as a young woman during World War II, conducting research at the Social Security Administration. Her work helped prepare the nation for the rollout of Medicare, and eventually she was asked to serve as director of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in 1976, where she oversaw the nation’s health statistical system. After leaving government in 1982, she became an essential faculty member in the UCSF School of Nursing’s Institute for Health & Aging and its Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. As she continued her groundbreaking research – she authored more than 200 monographs, books, articles and book chapters on the economics of health care, aging, chronic illness, disability, health statistics and cost of illness – she also became an invaluable mentor to generations of researchers at the School. Both the New York Times and the Washington Post recognized her extraordinary life.

Michele Pelter Studies ICU Transfers in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients

Michele Pelter Michele Pelter, assistant professor of physiological nursing, was the primary investigator of a study published in the November-December 2016 issue of the Journal of Electrocardiology that aimed to determine how often 409 patients hospitalized in a telemetry unit for suspected acute coronary syndrome were unexpectedly transferred to intensive care, and whether certain changes in patients’ electrocardiograms (ECGs) preceded transfer.

Pelter and her co-investigators found that unplanned transfers occurred for only 2.2 percent of patients but resulted in prolonged hospitalization (six days versus two days). Transfers were most often preceded by either unsuccessful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or recurrent angina. Of note, they found that ECG changes occurred on average 6.0 hours prior to transfer, whereas symptoms occurred on average 8.8 hours prior to unplanned transfer. This suggests that dynamic ECG changes could identify patients not responding to anti-ischemia therapies, which would allow timelier reperfusion interventions.

New Roles for Medical Assistants in Primary Care

Susan Chapman (left) and Lisel Blash In a paper published in the February 2017 issue of Health Services Research, Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences Susan Chapman and research analyst Lisel Blash, of UCSF’s Healthforce Center and Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, described how medical assistants (MAs) are playing new roles in primary care practices in the era of health care reform.

With funding from the Hitachi Foundation, the research team analyzed data and conducted site visits for 15 organizations using MAs in a variety of new roles, including health coach, medical scribe and panel manager. They also identified several challenges to wider adoption of new MA roles, such as provider resistance to change, the cost of additional training and the lack of reimbursement for nonbillable services.

Evaluating an Inpatient Pediatric Falls Risk Assessment Tool

Linda Franck Falls are among the most common potentially preventable adverse events in hospitals, but current methods for assessing risk in pediatric patients suffer from poor precision and accuracy.

A study published in the March 2017 issue of the International Journal of Nursing Studies evaluated how well a commonly used tool predicts fall risk in hospitalized children. The School’s Linda Franck and Caryl Gay, of the Department of Family Health Care Nursing, and Senior Statistician and Adjunct Professor Bruce Cooper – with Barbette Murphy, June Chan and Carrie Meer, of the UCSF Medical Center Department of Nursing, and Suzanne Ezrre and Maureen Buick, formerly of the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, San Francisco – authored the study.

They found that one version of the tool, the five-item Little Schmidy Pediatric Hospital Fall Risk Assessment Index (LS5), has limited utility in predicting which pediatric patients were at risk for falls. A revised, four-item version (LS4) performed better, demonstrating preliminary utility and improved efficiency for identifying at-risk patients. The study authors call for more research to further improve tools for pediatric fall prevention tailored to specific patient characteristics and circumstances.

Genetic Study Sheds Light on Fertility and Uterine Cancer

Lin Lin In a study published in the October 25, 2016, issue of Cell Reports, investigators from a group of institutions, including Lin Lin, of the School’s Department of Family Health Care Nursing, found that the Gata2 gene can affect fertility and potentially protect against uterine cancer in mice.

In the study, the uteri of mice genetically engineered not to have Gata2 didn’t respond normally to the hormone progesterone, which prepares the lining of the uterus for the implantation of an embryo. In addition, investigators found that the presence of Gata2 protected mice against the effects of the hormone estrogen that can lead to cancer of the uterus. The evidence suggests that genomic effects of Gata2 observed in the study mice may occur in humans as well.

The research may pave the way for investigations into causes of human infertility and cancer prevention.

Barbara Koenig Receives Grant to Study Ethical Issues in Breast Cancer Screening

Barbara Koenig A five-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Cancer Institute will allow Barbara Koenig, professor in residence at the School’s Institute for Health & Aging; Galen Joseph, associate professor of anthropology, history and social medicine; and a research team to investigate the ethical, legal, social and policy (ELSI) issues raised by a large-scale clinical trial that aims to use genomics to develop personalized breast cancer screening.

The ELSI study will be “embedded” alongside the ongoing screening study, known as the Athena WISDOM Study, and will examine several aspects of participants’ experience, including what risk-based screenings mean to participants and their primary care providers, and the consequences of receiving a positive result for a gene that puts a woman at high risk for breast cancer. Investigators will also put together an ethics working group to advise stakeholders in real time.

Linda Park to Speak on Nurses’ Role in Transforming Health Care

Linda Park In February, Linda Park, assistant professor in residence in the School’s Department of Community Health Systems, was the keynote speaker at a Los Angeles conference on the roles of nurses in transforming health care systems and leading improvement efforts. The conference was co-hosted by the Overseas Korean Nurses Association and the Global Korean Nursing Foundation-USA.

New Report on Undergraduate Research Experience for STEM Students

A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examines undergraduate research experiences (UREs) for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students, and makes recommendations for research into how to make research experiences more beneficial for different types of students.

Mica Estrada Mica Estrada, assistant adjunct professor in the Institute for Health & Aging and an expert in integrative education, served on the committee that created the report, which looked at the existing evidence to glean insights into how well evolving types of UREs deliver meaningful benefits to diverse groups of students.

The report, published in February, includes a set of questions for those implementing UREs to consider, and recommends an agenda for future research to inform how UREs can better serve students.

Recent Publications

Inflammatory Pathway Genes Associated with Inter-Individual Variability in the Trajectories of Morning and Evening Fatigue in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy (Steven M. Paul, Kord Kober, Bruce Cooper, Christine Miaskowski), March 2017

The Little Schmidy Pediatric Hospital Fall Risk Assessment Index: A Diagnostic Accuracy Study (Linda Franck, Bruce Cooper), March 2017

Lung Cancer and Tobacco: What Is New? (Stella Bialous, Linda Sarna), March 2017

Impacts on Global Health from Nursing Research (Kim Baltzell, Monica McLemore, Sally Rankin), February 20, 2017

“I Feel Trapped”: The Tension Between Personal and Structural Factors of Social Isolation and the Desire for Social Integration Among Older Residents of a High-Crime Neighborhood (Elena Portacolone), February 17, 2017

Next Steps in ICU Pain Research (Kathleen Puntillo), February 14, 2017

Symptom Cluster Trajectories During Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Outpatients (Marylin Dodd), February 11, 2017

The Relationship Between Pain with Walking and Self-Rated Health 12 Months Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Longitudinal Study (Christine Miaskowski), February 10, 2017

Use of Traditional Birth Practices by Chinese Women in the United States (Audrey Lyndon), February 7, 2017

Predictors of the Multidimensional Symptom Experience of Lung Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy (Steven Paul, Bruce Cooper, Christine Miaskowski), February 3, 2017

Validation of the Prognostic Utility of the Electrocardiogram for Acute Drug Overdose (David Vlahov), February 3, 2017

Mental Health Among Parents of Children with Critical Congenital Heart Defects: A Systematic Review (Sandra Weiss), February 1, 2017

The Prevalence of Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety, and the Level of Life Stress and Worry in New Zealand Maori and Non-Maori Women in Late Pregnancy (Kathryn Lee), February 2017

Rates of Recovery to Pre-Fracture Function in Older Persons with Hip Fracture: An Observational Study (Margaret Wallhagen), February 2017

What Trump Means for Abortion Access (Monica McLemore), February 2017

New Roles for Medical Assistants in Innovative Primary Care Practices (Susan A. Chapman), February 2017

Psychiatric Risk in Unstably Housed Sexual Minority Women (Annesa Flentje), January 17, 2017

A Qualitative Study Exploring Community Yoga Practice in Adults with Rheumatoid Arthritis (Kathryn Lee, OiSaeng Hong, Heather Leutwyler), January 11, 2017

Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy in Cancer Survivors (Christine Miaskowski, Judy Mastick, Steven Paul, Kord Kober, Margaret Chesney, Kay Bolla, Grace Mausisa, Melissa Mazor), January 4, 2017

Common and Distinct Characteristics Associated with Trajectories of Morning and Evening Energy in Oncology Patients Receiving Chemotherapy (Hamza Abid, Kord Kober, Steven Paul, Kathryn Lee, Bruce Cooper, Christine Miaskowski), January 4, 2017

Remote Monitoring Technologies in Long-Term Care: Implications for Care Team Organization and Training (Zoey Stafford, JoAnne Spetz), January 3, 2017

Brief Report: Sexual Violence Against HIV-Positive Women in the Nyanza Region of Kenya: Is Condom Negotiation an Instigator? (Shari Dworkin), January 1, 2017

Consequences of Delayed, Unfinished, or Missed Nursing Care During Labor and Birth (Audrey Lyndon), January/March 2017

HIV Stigma and Social Capital in Women Living with HIV (Yvette P. Cuca, Jennifer Okonsky, Carol Dawson-Rose), January-February 2017

Exploring Career Anchors Among Occupational Health Nurses in Japan: A Qualitative Study (Barbara Burgel), January 2017

Let Us Talk About It: Heart Failure Patients’ Preferences Toward Discussions About Prognosis, Advance Care Planning, and Spiritual Support (Kathleen Dracup), January 2017

Omitted Data in Randomized Controlled Trials for Anxiety and Depression: A Systematic Review of the Inclusion of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (Annesa Flentje), January 2017

Impact of Online Education on Nurses’ Delivery of Smoking Cessation Interventions with Implications for Evidence-Based Practice (Stella Bialous), January 2017

Sexual Transmission-Risk Behaviour Among HIV-Positive Persons: A Multisite Study Using Social Action Theory (Carol Dawson-Rose, Carmen Portillo), January 2017

Psychosocial Influences on Disaster Preparedness in San Francisco Recipients of Home Care (Elena Portacolone), December 27, 2016

Veterans’ Perspectives on the Psychosocial Impact of Killing in War (Natalie Purcell), November 15, 2016