Nursing fed grants 2nd in U.S.

The University's School of Nursing has been identified as the institution with the second highest federal grant total, according to Nursing School spokesperson Susan Greenbaum. The survey, which was conducted by the National Institutes of Health, ranked nursing schools according to their federal funding levels during the 1995 fiscal year. According to Nursing Dean Norma Lang, the school received federal grants totalling $4.7 million. She added that the school's funding level has increased more than $1 million from last year's grant of $3.4 million. "The impressive rate at which our faculty's grants have been funded in recent years when federal dollars for research have become very competitive, confirms our position as a premier institution for nursing research," Lang said. Nursing research focuses on the care of patients and their families in health and illness, Lang said. "Nursing research is about the care of people, about teaching them how to care for themselves and others," she added. Lang also said she feels nursing research such as this is instrumental to the medical and nursing community. "Nursing's ability to impact on outcomes for patients depends on the development of scientifically sound knowledge through research," she said. The Nursing School is currently involved in a number of research projects dealing with issues such as reducing the risk of AIDS among minority women and youth and organization of AIDS care in hospitals, Lang said. Its faculty members are also looking into new strategies for the restructurization of hospitals and nursing work forces and their impact on patient outcomes. Lang went on to say she is pleased that the grants allow students to be involved with the actual projects. "Almost all of the projects have students involved," she said. "In fact, we're very proud of the fact that several recent publications have been co-authored by students." Lang said the Nursing School's goal is to allow every undergraduate the opportunity to work on a research project before they graduate. NIH is the primary source of federal funding to medical-related institutions, according to NIH Special Projects Officer Tom Flavin. "NIH is the primary grant institution in the world," he said. "We fund over 50 percent of the grants universities receive."