Led by international subject matter experts, the center’s scholarship will deepen society’s understanding of the causes of health-related inequalities, how they intersect, and how they affect population health. The center’s research will inform potential solutions to these challenges through advocacy, intervention, and public policy.
The center is part of Discovery Vanderbilt, an Office of the Provost initiative initiative and one of three pathways in the university’s Dare to Grow campaign to support and extend the resources underpinning Vanderbilt’s most innovative research and education.
“It’s so exciting to support this center’s launch as part of Discovery Vanderbilt,” says Provost C. Cybele Raver. “This represents a bold step forward in our unwavering commitment to addressing crucial societal issues through collaborative research and interdisciplinary exploration.”
The Center for Research on Inequality and Health will be led by Christopher “Kitt” Carpenter, E. Bronson Ingram University Distinguished Professor of Economics and Health Policy. Tara McKay, assistant professor of medicine, health, and society, and Shelagh Mulvaney, associate professor of nursing and biomedical informatics, will be associate directors. The center will be in an expanded, renovated space on the third floor of Buttrick Hall, in Vanderbilt’s historic core, allowing for even more collaboration and interdisciplinary exploration.
“I am honored to lead this innovative effort to connect and amplify Vanderbilt’s outstanding scholarship on inequality and health,” says Carpenter. “From our new physical space to hiring exceptional new faculty to fostering new collaborations across disciplines, the center is well-positioned to be a global leader in this area.”
“This center will be important not only as an intersection of scholarly disciplines but also as an intersection of ideas—a place to discuss and debate these urgent topics with the aim of arriving at applicable solutions,” says Chancellor Daniel Diermeier.
Mulvaney, an expert in digital health equity, works with colleagues in the School of Engineering Institute for Software Integrated Systems and the University of Kentucky to improve nutrition and obesity-related inequalities. Mulvaney and the UKY team recently developed an app called Children Eating Well, or CHEW, that encourages healthy shopping and cooking, nutrition education, family health behavior goal setting, and family mealtimes. The program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will be implemented in Head Start centers throughout Kentucky this year.
Julie Ward, assistant professor of medicine, health, and society, is an expert on public opinion about firearms in the U.S. With her existing collaborators at Johns Hopkins University and with new collaborators at the CRIH, Ward will investigate questions related to firearm ownership and racial equity through the National Survey of Gun Policy and new research avenues. These data will offer insight into racialized experiences of firearm victimization, ownership, and related risks that inform and shape public policy and the national conversation about firearms.
Carol Ziegler, professor of nursing and recently appointed member of the Metro Nashville Board of Health, will work to address climate-related health inequalities in Nashville and beyond. With her community partners, colleagues, and undergraduate students working on immersion projects, Ziegler will design and prototype initiatives to leverage carbon offset dollars with social impact, boost investments in lower carbon emissions, and promote economic, physical, and mental health for low-income families in Nashville.
The center will also explore: How did state policy environments shape mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic? What does changing public opinion on carrying guns in public spaces mean for population health and well-being? How are adverse childhood experiences related to educational and health outcomes later in life? Does accessing an affirming healthcare provider improve health outcomes for LGBTQ+ people?
“The center represents an innovative approach to addressing one of the most pressing issues of our time,” says Timothy P. McNamara, interim dean of the College of Arts and Science. “We are proud to collaborate with our esteemed colleagues in the School of Nursing, bringing together leading experts across disciplines to address health inequality.” Dean of the School of Nursing Pamela Jeffries adds, “The partnership between our two schools illustrates what Vanderbilt does best: radical collaboration that leads to greater discovery and solutions to global challenges. I look forward to seeing how the cutting-edge scholarship coming out of the center will make a real difference in the lives of individuals, communities, and populations.”
Earlier this fall, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing named Rolanda Johnson, PhD, MSN, as the new assistant dean for diversity and inclusion. Replacing assistant professor Jana Lauderdale in this new position, she is also continuing her roles as assistant dean for academics and associate professor of nursing. Dr. Johnson ensures VUSN continues to foster and provide an environment that is culturally appreciative and inclusive, especially for underrepresented and marginalized groups.
Dr. Johnson joined the VUSN faculty in 1998, after receiving her PhD in Nursing Science from Vanderbilt. Over her 20 years at Vanderbilt, she has served as director of the Fisk University-Vanderbilt University Nursing Partnership Program, she re-established Vanderbilt’s Black Student Nurses Association, and represented the School of Nursing in campus-wide programs such as the Provost’s Task Force on Sexual Assault, FutureVU Faculty Advisory Committee, and Diversity, Inclusion and Community Committee. Additionally, Dr. Johnson is the founding president of the Nashville Chapter of the National Black Nurses Association.
Pinning ceremonies are a treasured tradition in nursing and each nursing school has its own distinctive pin to identify its graduates. According to Vanderbilt Nursing Dean Linda D. Norman, DSN, FAAN, and Valere Potter Menefee Professor in Nursing, pinning ceremonies can be traced back to the crusades with modern significance beginning with Florence Nightingale who presented medals of excellence to her nursing graduates.
MSN students received the VUSN pin signifying their entrance to the advanced practice nursing profession, DNP students received lavaliers to attach to their nursing school pins, and post-master’s students received certificates denoting the completion of their specialty education beyond the master’s degree level.
Vanderbilt Nursing’s pinning ceremonies also awarded two students: Kristina Holmes with the Amy Frances Brown Prize for Excellence in Writing, and Anna Sizemore with the VUSN Alumni Association Award for Student Excellence in Service and Leadership to School and Community. Nine faculty members were also honored during the ceremonies with Sara K. Archer Awards for outstanding contributions to student learning.
To learn more about Vanderbilt Nursing’s pinning ceremonies for nursing graduates, visit here.
The Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic project uses a team of Vanderbilt nursing and law students to introduce the challenging topic of advance care directives to patients at the Vanderbilt Senior Care Clinic. Student teams meet with seniors at the clinic before or after patients’ medical appointments to provide information and assistance in creating the medical and legal documents needed to assure patients’ wishes are known and carried out in the future.
Carrie Plummer, School of Nursing Assistant Professor and creator of the program, tells News.Vanderbilt.edu, “A 2017 study found that less than a third of adult Tennesseans surveyed reported having an advance directive or power of attorney paperwork completed. At the same time, the majority of health care providers are not comfortable initiating discussions with their patients about end-of-life decisions and/or feel that they don’t have sufficient time to include these discussions in the primary care setting.”
Nursing students are participating in the pilot program as part of their yearlong Enhancing Community and Population Health course. Fourteen students designed and developed the program by reviewing best practices, researching evidence-based literature, conducting site visits, and creating a HIPAA-compliant database for patient data. They also underwent five weeks of training on clinical skills for patients and caregiver discussions on advance directives, power of attorney, health literacy and patient education, end-of-life care and difficult discussions, adult protective services and elder abuse, and Medicare 101.
The School of Nursing feels that this program is an aspect of nursing’s holistic model of care, to recognize and address patient’s other social and environmental needs outside of diagnosing and treating. To learn more about the pilot program between the Vanderbilt School of Nursing and Law School, visit here.
Internationally recognized nurse researcher Ruth M. Kleinpell, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAANP, FCCM, has joined Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) as assistant dean for Clinical Scholarship. Dr. Kleinpell will be joining VUSN from Rush University where she was director of the Center for Clinical Research and Scholarship for the Rush University Medical Center and professor in the Department of Adult Health and Gerontological Nursing for the College of Nursing.
Dr. Kleinpell has also been a visiting professor at VUSN since 2012. In her visiting role, Kleinpell facilitated clinical projects at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and worked with the Office of Advanced Practice to implement an advanced practice registered nurse initiative. She is a certified acute care nurse practitioner and experienced researcher, clinician, and educator in acute care and advanced practice nursing. Kleinpell’s research interests include telemedicine, ICU nursing care, elder care, outcome assessments, and initiatives to advance faculty and clinical scholarship.
Linda Norman, DSN, RN, FAAN, Valere Potter Menefee Professor in Nursing and VUSN Dean, tells News.Vanderbilt.edu, “While visiting professor, Ruth taught in our doctor of nursing practice program in the area of assessing outcomes, and then two years ago, took on the part-time role of directing our newly launched scholarly practice program for nontenure track faculty. The scholarly practice program expanded so greatly under her leadership that it needed a full-time director. Ruth was our first choice. Her willingness to share her extensive experience as a researcher and clinician has enriched our faculty and knowledge base.”
To learn more about Dr. Kleinpell and her new role as assistant dean for Clinical Scholarship in the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, visit here.
