The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) selected Elizabeth “Beth” Henneman, RN, PhD, FAAN, as its 2017 Distinguished Research Lecturer. Established in 1982, the award is funded by a grant from Philips Healthcare in Andover, Massachusetts to recognize nurses whose research has significantly influenced high acuity and critical care.

Dr. Beth Henneman has a nursing career spanning 35 years and she is widely known for her research on how nurses and physicians recover medical errors at the point of care. She is currently an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) College of Nursing in Amherst where she has been an educator and researcher since 1999. Previous experience as a staff nurse and clinical nurse specialist have informed her research, driving her to focus on testing interventions that enhance patient safety and facilitate patient and family-centered care for the acutely and critically ill.

Previous nursing experience includes over 12 years as a clinical nurse specialist in the medical intensive care unit at UCLA Medical Center. Henneman also served on the faculty at UCLA School of Nursing and California State University while she was completing her doctoral degree at UCLA. Dr. Henneman’s education began with an undergraduate nursing degree from Boston College before she went on to earn her master’s degree from the University of Colorado in Denver and her PhD from UCLA. [et_bloom_inline optin_id=optin_19]

Henneman’s current research uses eye-tracking technology to provide objective evidence on how nurses and physicians carry out routines in error-prone processes like administering and ordering medications. She also uses eye tracking as a debriefing strategy for nursing students practicing in simulation settings.

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In addition to her personal research studies, Dr. Henneman has also been co-principal investigator on three projects funded by the National Science Foundation to improve patient safety and processes. She also serves as a team leader of the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s safe medication and task force and a reviewer for nursing and interdisciplinary journals including Critical Care Nurse (CCN) and Journal of Patient Safety.

AACN has previously honored Dr. Henneman with its Circle of Excellence award in 2012 to recognize her sustained contributions to acute and critical care nursing. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a member of Sigma Theta Tau International. As the 2017 Distinguished Research Lecturer, Henneman will be discussing her career and research journey during AACN’s National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition in May 2017.

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