(Posted 10-14-99)
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News Service Contact: Steve Gilliam, 336-334-5371

UNCG NURSING FACULTY MEMBERS
HONORED BY NURSING SOCIETY

GREENSBORO--Dr. Hazel Brown and Dr. Rebecca Saunders, nursing faculty members at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, have received the International Research Utilization Award from Sigma Theta Tau nursing honor society.

Their winning entry was "College Bound Sisters," an adolescent pregnancy prevention project designed for the younger sisters of adolescent mothers. They will be recognized at the society's biennial convention on Nov. 8 in San Diego. The International Research Utilization Award recognizes outstanding practical application of nursing research by an individual or group.

Numerous studies have found this group of girls to be at especially high risk for pregnancy. The program, developed by Brown and Saunders, is designed to provide social support for these adolescents from leaders of the project as well as parents, peers and members of the community. The program has been funded by both state and local agencies and has an advisory committee made up of community members.

"This project clearly demonstrates the use of nursing research utilized in a way that involves and educates the community," said Dr. Clarann Weinert, chair of the Sigma Theta Tau International Research Committee. "They have earned this tribute, as they embody the values of Sigma Theta Tau."

Participants in "College Bound Sisters" meet weekly for 90-minute sessions on topics related to growth and development, self-esteem, responsible decision making, setting attainable life goals and college life. Girls are given $5 cash and $7 put into a college fund when they attend the weekly meeting. The college fund is released upon enrollment of the girls in college. To date none of the girls has dropped out of the group or become pregnant, and the only two scheduled to complete high school have graduated and enrolled in college. A comparison group of 40 girls who meet the same criteria as the 24 participants is followed for evaluation purposes.

Saunders joined UNCG's faculty in 1977. In 1995, she was selected as one of the Great 100 Registered Nurses in North Carolina. She received her doctorate from UNCG.  She is serving as N.C. section chair of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neo-Natal Nurses. She is co-editor of the textbook "Child Health Nursing: A Comprehensive Approach to the Care of Children and Their Families." Her research focuses on couple relationships in pregnancy and infant feeding.

Brown is chair of the School of Nursing's Division of Parent-Child Nursing. A specialist in the areas of maternity nursing and nursing administration, she has published numerous articles in professional journals. Earlier this year, she received an Alumni Teaching Excellence Award from UNCG and the Board of Governors Teaching Excellence Award for the School of Nursing. A faculty member since 1974, Brown received her doctorate from UNCG.
 Sigma Theta Tau International is a 77-year-old honor society with a quarter-million inducted members that is essentially the Phi Beta Kappa of nursing. Its mission is to improve the health of people worldwide by improving nursing scholarship. Members include practicing nurses, instructors, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and others.
 

Back to the Latest News Releases
Return to the University News Service Home Page