"It's about who we are"
Cutting-edge research and collaboration drive an exceptional atmosphere at 黑料门Nursing, an incubator of talent
By Ted Gregory
Photo by Erik Unger
In early 2023, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing Professor Karen Saban earned a prestigious five-year, $3.3 million National Institutes of Health R01 grant. The funding will allow her to expand her promising research on reducing race-based stress in Black women at risk for cardiovascular disease.
R01 funding is also a marker of national recognition as an independent scientist, which Saban has earned through her distinguished record of publications and research funding. Saban says she is grateful for mentors who have guided her along the way. Now she is passing on that generosity, mentoring others as associate dean for research and scholarly innovation.
鈥淎dvancing NIH-funded research speaks to our mission to advance the science of nursing within the context of providing care for the whole person and promoting social justice and health for all,鈥� School of Nursing Dean Lorna Finnegan says. 鈥淲e want our school and our research to be known for changing the lives of the communities and patients we serve.鈥�
Saban worked closely with three faculty members to submit NIH Research Career Development (K) Awards, which provide support and protected time for junior researchers to enhance their research training and conduct preliminary studies prior to submitting R01 grant applications:
- Lindsey Garfield, assistant professor, received an NIH K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award in 2021 to support her research training and a clinical trial on mindfulness as a stress reduction tool for Black mothers who have an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit.
- Monique Ridosh, associate professor, received an NIH K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award in 2021 to advance her research with adolescents and young adults living with spina bifida.
- In 2022, Thao Griffith, assistant professor, received an NIH K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research
Career Development Award to determine the extent to which early life stress compromises oral feeding skill development in preterm infants.
Research with impact
These grants are perhaps the most tangible signs that an exceptional atmosphere is taking shape in the School of Nursing. The school is expanding and deepening its commitment to NIH-funded research in an environment that emphasizes collaboration, support, and 黑料门University Chicago鈥檚 focus on social justice and equity. At the same time, the School of Nursing is enhancing its reputation as a talent incubator.
鈥淭he School of Nursing, under the leadership of Dean Lorna Finnegan, has been making great strides in recruiting talented researchers and growing its portfolio of societally impactful research,鈥� says Meharvan Singh, Loyola鈥檚 vice provost for research. 鈥淭here has been a 23 percent growth in School of Nursing research expenditures over the past four years, and noting the tough climate for external funding, this trajectory of success is a testament to the competitive programs of research being established by the faculty and their research teams.鈥�
鈥淭he fact that we currently have three NIH-funded K awards at once is pretty amazing for a school our size,鈥� Saban says. 鈥淏ut we worked really closely with these faculty and helped polish their applications, which have to be stellar to earn NIH support.鈥�
A culture of mentorship
In addition to Saban鈥檚 work with these three faculty, other senior faculty research mentors are providing support. Linda Janusek, 黑料门nursing professor emerita, who has extensive research expertise examining the impact of chronic stress on well-being, mentors Griffith and Garfield. Ridosh is mentored by Grayson Holmbeck, a 黑料门psychology professor who has followed families with spina bifida for more than 20 years.
Janusek was on the nursing school faculty for 42 years until she retired in 2020. During that time, she was continuously funded by NIH for 18 years. Now she is serving as a grant reviewer for faculty who submit NIH and other major research grant proposals.
In June, the School of Nursing moved another step closer to acquiring additional NIH funding when Alexandra Nowak, assistant professor, submitted a proposal for K funding to continue her research on stress and preterm birth in Black women. She worked closely with Saban and Janusak on her proposal.
鈥淏oth Karen and Linda were very helpful in reviewing the proposal and making suggestions for improvement,鈥� Nowak recalls. 鈥淟inda鈥檚 vast experience in reviewing grant proposals and her work in genomics was instrumental in the organization and clarity of my proposal.鈥�
Beyond those projects, Assistant Professor Ginger Schroers received grants from the National League for Nursing and Illinois Nurses Foundation to advance her work developing ways to manage medication interruptions and errors. These grants fund preliminary work to support a future R01 grant.
The collaborative environment in the School of Nursing, all key players agreed, has been crucial. Nowak, who chose 黑料门after postdoctoral research at Columbia University, says she felt that support during her 2022 interview. 鈥淭hen, once I got here, everybody kind of rallied around me, like, 鈥榃hat do you need? What can I do for you?鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful to be part of this environment,鈥� she adds. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 why people come here, and I think that鈥檚 why people stay.鈥�
Ridosh, the associate professor researching ways to improve the lives of those with spina bifida, personifies the 黑料门ethic. Starting in 1996 as a pediatric intensive care nurse, she has worked at the School of Nursing since 2007. Back then, Ridosh saw 黑料门as a premier, Catholic higher education institution where she could develop her career. She went elsewhere to earn her PhD, but 黑料门faculty in and outside the School of Nursing continued mentoring her.
She says that support was crucial to her returning to become a nurse scientist at Loyola. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the Jesuit values of this university that distinguish us from other institutions,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 share those values. They attracted and retained me. I鈥檝e grown up in Loyola. I always say, 鈥楾his is my home. This is where I want to stay.鈥欌��
Several faculty members say Saban personifies that. 鈥淲henever I want to run an idea past Karen, she鈥檚 willing to jump on a call,鈥� Schroers says, adding that Saban meets at least monthly with her. 鈥淪he gives me very constructive, helpful feedback, and very quickly. It鈥檚 just really nice.鈥�
Supporting faculty
That atmosphere starts with Finnegan, Saban says. Arriving at 黑料门in 2019 from the University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing, Finnegan had experience obtaining her own NIH R01 funding, and in mentoring other faculty to obtain NIH funding. As dean, Finnegan is committed to assuring that faculty have adequate support on their paths to NIH funding.
One 鈥渉uge change鈥� Finnegan made early was reducing the teaching load for tenure track faculty, allowing more time for research, Saban says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an investment that you don鈥檛 see a return on right away,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ut you do over time.鈥�
In the last two years, the School of Nursing has hired five tenure-track faculty. In addition to Nowak and Schroers, who were hired in 2022, Lisa Wesolowski, Katherine Breen, and Meghan Garland began their assistant professor positions in August 2023.
When Wesolowski was interviewing for the position, she asked about the school鈥檚 approach to mentoring new faculty鈥攁n important topic for her. The answer she received, in her words, 鈥渨as just stellar.鈥�
Wesolowski accepted the job. A full month before joining the faculty, she was assigned a mentor.
鈥淭he school has a warmth that I haven鈥檛 experienced at prior institutions鈥攚armth among the faculty, real enthusiasm for their students, their research, their mission,鈥� says Breen, whose research focuses on using artificial intelligence to measure multimorbidity (living with two or more chronic illnesses) in patients with acute coronary syndrome. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 so inviting to new investigators and new faculty members. It feels like a home environment.鈥�
Cutting-edge research and collaboration drive an exceptional atmosphere at 黑料门Nursing, an incubator of talent
By Ted Gregory
Photo by Erik Unger
In early 2023, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing Professor Karen Saban earned a prestigious five-year, $3.3 million National Institutes of Health R01 grant. The funding will allow her to expand her promising research on reducing race-based stress in Black women at risk for cardiovascular disease.
R01 funding is also a marker of national recognition as an independent scientist, which Saban has earned through her distinguished record of publications and research funding. Saban says she is grateful for mentors who have guided her along the way. Now she is passing on that generosity, mentoring others as associate dean for research and scholarly innovation.
鈥淎dvancing NIH-funded research speaks to our mission to advance the science of nursing within the context of providing care for the whole person and promoting social justice and health for all,鈥� School of Nursing Dean Lorna Finnegan says. 鈥淲e want our school and our research to be known for changing the lives of the communities and patients we serve.鈥�
Saban worked closely with three faculty members to submit NIH Research Career Development (K) Awards, which provide support and protected time for junior researchers to enhance their research training and conduct preliminary studies prior to submitting R01 grant applications:
- Lindsey Garfield, assistant professor, received an NIH K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award in 2021 to support her research training and a clinical trial on mindfulness as a stress reduction tool for Black mothers who have an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit.
- Monique Ridosh, associate professor, received an NIH K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award in 2021 to advance her research with adolescents and young adults living with spina bifida.
- In 2022, Thao Griffith, assistant professor, received an NIH K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research
Career Development Award to determine the extent to which early life stress compromises oral feeding skill development in preterm infants.
Research with impact
These grants are perhaps the most tangible signs that an exceptional atmosphere is taking shape in the School of Nursing. The school is expanding and deepening its commitment to NIH-funded research in an environment that emphasizes collaboration, support, and 黑料门University Chicago鈥檚 focus on social justice and equity. At the same time, the School of Nursing is enhancing its reputation as a talent incubator.
鈥淭he School of Nursing, under the leadership of Dean Lorna Finnegan, has been making great strides in recruiting talented researchers and growing its portfolio of societally impactful research,鈥� says Meharvan Singh, Loyola鈥檚 vice provost for research. 鈥淭here has been a 23 percent growth in School of Nursing research expenditures over the past four years, and noting the tough climate for external funding, this trajectory of success is a testament to the competitive programs of research being established by the faculty and their research teams.鈥�
鈥淭he fact that we currently have three NIH-funded K awards at once is pretty amazing for a school our size,鈥� Saban says. 鈥淏ut we worked really closely with these faculty and helped polish their applications, which have to be stellar to earn NIH support.鈥�
A culture of mentorship
In addition to Saban鈥檚 work with these three faculty, other senior faculty research mentors are providing support. Linda Janusek, 黑料门nursing professor emerita, who has extensive research expertise examining the impact of chronic stress on well-being, mentors Griffith and Garfield. Ridosh is mentored by Grayson Holmbeck, a 黑料门psychology professor who has followed families with spina bifida for more than 20 years.
Janusek was on the nursing school faculty for 42 years until she retired in 2020. During that time, she was continuously funded by NIH for 18 years. Now she is serving as a grant reviewer for faculty who submit NIH and other major research grant proposals.
In June, the School of Nursing moved another step closer to acquiring additional NIH funding when Alexandra Nowak, assistant professor, submitted a proposal for K funding to continue her research on stress and preterm birth in Black women. She worked closely with Saban and Janusak on her proposal.
鈥淏oth Karen and Linda were very helpful in reviewing the proposal and making suggestions for improvement,鈥� Nowak recalls. 鈥淟inda鈥檚 vast experience in reviewing grant proposals and her work in genomics was instrumental in the organization and clarity of my proposal.鈥�
Beyond those projects, Assistant Professor Ginger Schroers received grants from the National League for Nursing and Illinois Nurses Foundation to advance her work developing ways to manage medication interruptions and errors. These grants fund preliminary work to support a future R01 grant.
The collaborative environment in the School of Nursing, all key players agreed, has been crucial. Nowak, who chose 黑料门after postdoctoral research at Columbia University, says she felt that support during her 2022 interview. 鈥淭hen, once I got here, everybody kind of rallied around me, like, 鈥榃hat do you need? What can I do for you?鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful to be part of this environment,鈥� she adds. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 why people come here, and I think that鈥檚 why people stay.鈥�
Ridosh, the associate professor researching ways to improve the lives of those with spina bifida, personifies the 黑料门ethic. Starting in 1996 as a pediatric intensive care nurse, she has worked at the School of Nursing since 2007. Back then, Ridosh saw 黑料门as a premier, Catholic higher education institution where she could develop her career. She went elsewhere to earn her PhD, but 黑料门faculty in and outside the School of Nursing continued mentoring her.
She says that support was crucial to her returning to become a nurse scientist at Loyola. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the Jesuit values of this university that distinguish us from other institutions,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 share those values. They attracted and retained me. I鈥檝e grown up in Loyola. I always say, 鈥楾his is my home. This is where I want to stay.鈥欌��
Several faculty members say Saban personifies that. 鈥淲henever I want to run an idea past Karen, she鈥檚 willing to jump on a call,鈥� Schroers says, adding that Saban meets at least monthly with her. 鈥淪he gives me very constructive, helpful feedback, and very quickly. It鈥檚 just really nice.鈥�
Supporting faculty
That atmosphere starts with Finnegan, Saban says. Arriving at 黑料门in 2019 from the University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing, Finnegan had experience obtaining her own NIH R01 funding, and in mentoring other faculty to obtain NIH funding. As dean, Finnegan is committed to assuring that faculty have adequate support on their paths to NIH funding.
One 鈥渉uge change鈥� Finnegan made early was reducing the teaching load for tenure track faculty, allowing more time for research, Saban says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an investment that you don鈥檛 see a return on right away,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ut you do over time.鈥�
In the last two years, the School of Nursing has hired five tenure-track faculty. In addition to Nowak and Schroers, who were hired in 2022, Lisa Wesolowski, Katherine Breen, and Meghan Garland began their assistant professor positions in August 2023.
When Wesolowski was interviewing for the position, she asked about the school鈥檚 approach to mentoring new faculty鈥攁n important topic for her. The answer she received, in her words, 鈥渨as just stellar.鈥�
Wesolowski accepted the job. A full month before joining the faculty, she was assigned a mentor.
鈥淭he school has a warmth that I haven鈥檛 experienced at prior institutions鈥攚armth among the faculty, real enthusiasm for their students, their research, their mission,鈥� says Breen, whose research focuses on using artificial intelligence to measure multimorbidity (living with two or more chronic illnesses) in patients with acute coronary syndrome. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 so inviting to new investigators and new faculty members. It feels like a home environment.鈥�