Nursing prof tapped for advisory spot

Adding another link to her lengthy chain of accolades, Nursing Professor Mary Naylor has been appointed to the National Advisory Council for Nursing Research. As a member of the Council, Naylor will help advise the National Institutes of Health's Institute of Nursing Research on selecting which research proposals to fund. "Mary is one of the leading researchers in gerontology," said Interim Nursing Dean Neville Strumpf, who has worked closely with Naylor in Gerontology research. "She's the perfect person to be shaping the directions of the NINR." Naylor is one of four new appointees to the committee, which consists of six titled officers and 15 of the nation's leading researchers in the scientific community. Naylor, who received a call from the director of NINR several months before her appointment was officially announced, said she was "very surprised and delighted" at the news. "I think this is a very important place for leaders in the discipline to play a role," Naylor said. "To be there at the table and help assure that the finite resources available for research are assigned and given the best use." According to Naylor, the Institute effectively determines "how the public dollars should be used to support research on health issues" according to a set of priorities. Lately, NINR has had a great interest in research on disparities in health care based on race, ethnicity and social class, Naylor said. In addition to being a Ralston House Professor in gerontologic nursing, Naylor is also a director of both the Center for Gerontologic Nursing Science and the Living Independently for Elders center. But it was Naylor's accomplishments in the world of science that she said she believes led to her appointment. Naylor's research team has been funded by NINR for several large-scale clinical studies, most of which dealt with older adults. The team is currently studying the transition of elderly patients from the hospital to their homes. The study looks at methods of tracking high-risk patients after they are discharged. In the 12 years she has spent in the Nursing School, Naylor has implemented many changes in the curriculum, including an emphasis on research and other hands-on experiences for undergraduates. She has also piloted several joint programs with all of Penn's schools, including Health Communications with the Annenberg School for Communication and Health Care Management with the Wharton School. Despite Naylor's many commitments, her students find her quite receptive. "She always seems to have a lot going on, but she's good at balancing education and research," Nursing graduate student Julianne Glancy said. "She's very dedicated to the students who work with her, every step of the way," Glancy added.