Pamela B. de Cordova, PhD, RN-BC;
Beth Savage, PhD, APN, CPNP, CPON;
Peijia Zha, PhD, MA;
Olga F. Jarrín Montaner, PhD, RN, FAAN;
Charlotte Thomas-Hawkins, PhD, RN, FAAN;
Login George, PhD; John Nelson, PhD, CNS, CPNP, FAAN;
Haiqun Lin, MD, PhD.
Front, left to right:
Linda Flynn, PhD, RN, FAAN;
Rubab Qureshi, PhD, MD, MBBS.
BY AMANDA CASTLEMAN
In April, Rutgers internally launched the Center for Health Equity and Systems Research (CHESR), one of the few mentoring and training hubs in the U.S. focusing on nursing health services. This will be followed by an external debut in the fall, celebrated with a seminar and panel session.
The center falls under the School of Nursing’s Division of Nursing Science, one of four academic divisions, which also comprise Advanced Nursing Practice, Entry to Baccalaureate Practice, and Simulation and Clinical Learning. Linda Flynn, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the Rutgers School of Nursing, established CHESR as part of her commitment to advancing evidence-based policymaking and practices that reduce health disparities.
Part research incubator and part catalyst for interdisciplinary collaboration, CHESR will also analyze inequity mitigation approaches, and test new systems and models of care. Additionally, the center sets a scholarly agenda for the School of Nursing, explains Charlotte Thomas-Hawkins, PhD, RN, FAAN, associate professor and associate dean of the Division of Nursing Science. It will unite current and future research efforts under one umbrella.
The center has adopted a “distributed” model with no brick-and-mortar office, but plenty of talent. It’s off to a strong start under its director, Haiqun Lin, MD, PhD, a tenured professor in the nursing science division. As a biostatistician, she is known for contributions in longitudinal and multilevel modeling, missing data, and mediation analysis. She partners with Olga F. Jarrín Montaner, PhD, RN, FAAN, associate professor and Hunterdon Endowed Professor of Nursing Research, Division of Nursing Science, on NIH-funded studies on improving late-life care for patients with dementia.
Thomas-Hawkins says: “Since joining our school in 2019, Dr. Lin has served as a wonderful research mentor and has been instrumental in her collaboration with faculty. For NIH funding, a biostatistician is required on many of its grant mechanisms, ensuring the aims make sense and a data-analysis plan is established.”
When Lin interviewed for her faculty position, she said her most positive experiences on interdisciplinary research teams were on teams led by nurses. This enthusiasm for collaboration makes her ideal to lead CHESR, Thomas-Hawkins explains, alongside her ability to inspire others and add value to grants.
Lin believes that nurses, as the foundation of health care, are perfectly poised to notice inequities and innovate solutions. But these frontline heroics can take a toll, especially combined with the industry’s worker shortage, leading 91 percent to feel high levels of burnout, according to a 2023 NIH study.
Structural racism also plays a role in the field’s brain drain, according to Thomas-Hawkins, who specializes in workplace racism research. She is also co-chair of the Dean’s Standing Committee for Anti-Racism and Anti-Bias at the School of Nursing and a pioneering member of CHESR.
Happily, research can sometimes be an antidote to occupational burnout, Lin says, proving the adage “sometimes a change is as good as a rest.” This is especially true of mid-career nurses in practice who long to resolve specific health care delivery issues.
Reducing the disease burden will also help, she points out, another goal of both CHESR and the National Institute of Nursing Research. Otherwise, we’re rapidly approaching the point where “half the population will need to be nurses to take care of the other sicker half,” she laughs.
The center will offer talks open to the School of Nursing community and beyond. For members, CHESR will provide information on funding, small intramural grants for pilot studies, and mentorship on research design and data analysis.
Division of Nursing Science faculty are eligible as regular members. Faculty in other divisions and schools at Rutgers and beyond can join as affiliate members if their research aligns with the center’s goals. “It’s an ideal opportunity for faculty to get out of their silos and join a community of scholars,” Thomas-Hawkins says.