UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The fifth annual Translating Research to Innovations in Practice Symposium was held May 12 at the Hershey Country Club in Hershey. The symposium, which is a collaborative effort between the Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing and the Department of Nursing at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, brings together nurse researchers from both academic and clinical settings to focus on the translation of evidence to health care practices. The intended purpose is to include research that provides an understanding of what makes an organization successful in the use of evidence-based practice and to provide an opportunity for clinical nurses to network with and share their research with others.
The symposium welcomed 85 nursing faculty and professionals from Pennsylvania. The event was highlighted by the keynote presentation “Future of Nursing: Roles and Opportunities for Nurses in Academia and Clinical Practice,” delivered by Deborah Cardenas, president of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association and program manager of quality and patient safety outcomes at Penn State Health Medical Group's Academic Practice Division. Other highlighted presentations were conducted by faculty and practicing professionals from around Pennsylvania on topics including advancing age-friendly care, palliative care, wellness in nursing, and COVID-19 implications on nursing. Laurie Badzek, dean of the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, and Michele Szkolnicki, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, provided brief messages highlighting the resiliency of nurses and the work of their respective organizations.
A virtual poster session also was presented for students, faculty and researchers to highlight their current work and to network with their peers. Poster awards were presented in two categories, student posters and nonstudent posters. In the student poster session, the first-place winner was Olivia Rubio, a doctoral candidate at the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. Second place went to Michelle Boakye, a doctoral candidate at the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. Third place went to Logan DeSanto, a nursing student at the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing.
In the nonstudent poster session, the first-place winner was the team of Valerie Vanderhoff, assistant teaching professor at the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing; Pamela Pologruto, associate teaching professor of physical therapy at Penn State; Melissa Miner, associate teaching professor at the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing; and Jo Jankowski, associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State. Second place went to Patrice Rimbey, assistant teaching professor at the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. Third place went to Ginger Peterson, a lecturer at Wilson College.
“It was fantastic to see everyone smiling and in person,” said event planning team member Jenifer Hoffman, director of grants and contracts in the Office of Research at the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. “The presentations were outstanding, and the audience was very engaged. We are really looking forward to the continued growth of this annual symposium for 2023.”
The planning team also consisted of Kelly Wolgast, the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing’s assistant dean for outreach and professional development; Judith Hupcey, the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing’s associate dean for research and innovation, Mary Lou Kanaskie, director of the Office of Nursing Research and Innovation at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center; and Frances Civello, nursing support associate in the Office of Nursing Research and Innovation at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
“It is very important to disseminate outcomes from nursing research and quality improvement initiatives,” Wolgast said. “The Innovations Symposium is a wonderful forum that allows for healthy knowledge sharing and networking among nursing professionals within Penn State and Pennsylvania.”
Symposium sponsors included the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium, the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, Mount Nittany Health, Beta Sigma, and the Pennsylvania Action Coalition.
Next year’s conference will be held May 11, 2023, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center at University Park. Information regarding the 2023 symposium will be available in mid-fall, with registration opening in January 2023. Please continue to check the Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing website for more details regarding this event. For more information, email nursece@psu.edu or call 814-863-2239.