Alpha Epsilon Chapter of
Sigma Theta Tau International
2006-2007 History

By Rose B. Cannon, PhD, RN – Historian & Chair of the Heritage Committee

Introduction
The history for this year includes the activities of the Chapter beginning in September 2005 and ending in May 2006. Under the leadership of President Gail Walls, activities related to her office were taken up at the transition meeting on May 24, 2005, and much work was accomplished during the summer months to prepare for the activities and events of the upcoming academic year. A save-the-dates card was prepared and mailed to all members, a budget was prepared with Treasurer Darla Ura, and the first Board meeting was held on October 3, 2005.

Officers
President – Gail Walls
Past President – Sally Lehr
Vice-President & Program Chair – Jenny Williams
Recording Secretary – Lauren Thomas
Treasurer – Darla Ura/Sally Lehr, Acting
Undergraduate Counselor – Kelly Brewer
Graduate and Community Counselor – Roberta Kaplow/Kathy Matthews

Committees
Governance Chair– Margie Dunne/Kathy Matthews
Committee Members: Corrine Abraham & Kathy Markowski
Leadership Succession Chair– Katherine Abraham
Committee Members: Lilabet Choate & Doug Rice
Bylaws – Kathy Matthews
Research – Joyce King
Newsletter – Ellen Benson
Heritage – Rose Cannon

Other
Administrative Assistant – Di Shelburne

Board Meetings

September 11, 2006
November 27, 2006
February 12, 2007
May 8, 2007

Open Chapter Business Meeting

February 12, 2007

Awards

Awards are presented at the spring induction each year. Dr. Joyce King, chairperson of the Scholarship/Awards Committee sent out the call for applications in January. Committee members included Jenny Williams, Dr. Marsha Lewis, and Dr. Rose Cannon.

Winners for 2007 were:

Research Awards:

Daurice A. Grossniklaus, RN, MS, Med. for “Energy Density of Food Intake in Overweight Adults.”

Michelle A. Nelson, RN, MS, FNP for “African-American Women: Body Image, Weight & Depression.”

Jean Stone Megenity Research Award:

Joyce Edmonds, RN, MPH for “Ethnographic Decision Tree Model of Birth Attendance in Matlab, Bangladesh.”

Scholarship Awards:

Tammy Rabern, graduate student

Amanda Paniagua, undergraduate student

The Jean Thomas Award for Creativity in Teaching was awarded to Dr. Marsha McDonnell Holstad. The 2006 winner, Kelly Brewer, chaired the committee for the 2007 award. Ms. Brewer had all the nominees come forward for well-deserved recognition. In addition to the recipient Dr. Holstad, nominees included Dr. Michael Neville, Queyen Phan, Jeannie Weston, Jane Mashburn, Dr. Joyce King, and Kelly Brewer.

Chapter Service Project

Dr. Sally Lehr, our continuous cheerleader for the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk, was again on hand to welcome our walkers on November 4, 2006 at Chastain Park. She sent a wonderful chronicle to members via e-mail, and photos and a report were added to our web site. She said, “We had a GREAT time walking together for the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk . . . I’m VERY pleased to report that for the second year in a row our Sigma Theta Tau, Alpha Epsilon Chapter was the largest fund raiser of any school organization! We even did better than last year, raising a total of $3,050.00 for a very worthy cause! We also had more walkers – 25 this year.” Phita Phlegar, Development Director of the Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter, presented Dr. Lehr and Sharon Quinn with our award. Sharon Quinn was noted for her stalwart participation for a number of years and being one of the prime motivators of the Chapter’s involvement.

Chapter Holiday Project

A family identified by Emmaus House that serves an Atlanta inter-city community was designated for the Chapter holiday project. Dr. Joyce King led out in this project by collecting funds from Board members and others, buying the gifts for the mother, grandmother and two children, and gathering a group together to wrap the gifts. Mary Kohles-Baker delivered the huge pile of gifts to Emmaus House for us. We all agreed that this worthy project filled our hearts with joy while simultaneously providing a very merry Christmas for the recipients.

International Recognition Received

The Chapter was recognized at the International level for our community service projects. Our dedication in serving the community with two years of award winning participation in the Alzheimer’s Memory walk and providing Christmas presents for families in need led to our being recognized by Sigma Theta Tau International both in their annual report and by recognition at the 39 th Biennial convention.

Other Communications

The Chapter maintains a website accessed from the School’s home page at www.nursing.emory.edu/STTI/ where Chapter news and announcements are posted. In addition, the Chapter utilized electronic voting again this year and on-line surveys to save on mailing costs. An email list is kept and added to as we have the opportunity to collect new addresses. It is used to disseminate program information and news to our membership. A list-serve was also started this year for member communication. This has been a long time goal of the Chapter and finally came to fruition through the tireless efforts of Gail Walls, Ellen Benson and Steve Ellwood.

Chapter Delegates

President Gail Walls and Past President Dr. Sally Lehr are the Chapter delegates for the 38 th biennium. A new on-line voting process was initiated by International this biennium to allow for electronic delegate voting for the purpose of approving new chapter membership into the society. This new process allows universities and schools to become members of the society in a more expeditious manner.

PROGRAMS

Research Presentations - September 25, 2006

A wine and cheese reception preceded our first program of the year. The featured speakers were last year’s Alpha Epsilon Research Award recipients, N. Jennifer Klinedinst, doctoral student, and Clinical Associate Professor and Director of the Undergraduate Program, Debbie Ryan.

Ms. Klinedinst reported on her pilot work for her dissertation, “Recognizing and Reporting Post-Stroke Depressive Symptoms.” She included in her presentation the background of her dissertation work, aims, theoretical framework, long-term goals, research questions, characteristics of the convenience sample, tools utilized, and conclusions. As a result of her pilot project she adjusted the age criteria of subjects and increased her recruitment sites to allow for better participation in the study. There was time for audience questions and comments one of which was whether there was a difference in left- vs. right-sided stroke in depressive symptoms. No difference had been noted.

Ms. Ryan’s doctoral study is entitled “Measurement and Nursing Student Performance in the Safe Administration of Medications.” She included in her presentation the research purposes, review of literature, research questions, and results. Forty BSN students were tested using vignettes that included errors in key factors in medication administration (the five rights: time, drug, dose, route, and patient). Students were tested on errors made in working through the vignettes. There was no significant difference in errors comparing junior with senior students. There were a total of 130 errors made. It is hoped that this research will lead to better teaching methods to provide a higher rate of safety in medication administration by nurses, especially new graduates. The aim of Alpha Epsilon Chapter to encourage research activity was clearly displayed in this program.

Excellence in Practice - November 29, 2006

The second evening program of the year began with a wine and cheese reception on the Plaza level of the School of Nursing. The program featured Twilla Haynes, JD, MN, RN-C, ANP presenting, “A Healthier World - Community by Community – The Haitian Community Health Project.” Ms. Haynes fascinated the audience with her reflections on how she became involved in the work she has done in Haiti since 1984. Numerous nurses and nursing students have joined her in her quarterly trips to that country, bringing needed supplies and medicines in their luggage. Over the years, she gradually worked to build trust and cooperation with the healthcare authorities. Now there is an orphanage, and many outlying areas depend on the health care services she and her entourage supply. One of our School’s graduates in midwifery is now living permanently in Haiti where she is in charge of the orphanage. The report of this humanitarian work enthralled the audience and led to questions of opportunities to participate. Excellence in nursing practice is one of the missions of Sigma Theta Tau, and this is clearly demonstrated in the work of Twilla Haynes among the Haitian communities where she and her colleagues provide care.

Clinical Innovations Dinner and Speaker - February 2, 2007

The Clinical Innovations Dinner and Speaker has become a traditional annual education offering. On the day chosen an ice storm was predicted. Even though it did not materialize, the cold and rainy evening that ensued did not deter twenty-three members from attending. They were rewarded with a delicious buffet meal and a most interesting talk on polio eradication efforts worldwide. Captain Margaret Watkins, BSN, MPH from the CDC was the speaker. Her topic entitled, “Global Polio Eradication Update,” included a review of the pathogenesis and transmission of the three types of polio viruses, vaccine history and outcomes, the US experience, global initiatives, and finally, a case study of an outbreak investigation that included many of the challenges and strategies useful in the effort to eradicate polio from all countries. Special strategic emphasis continues in targeting the four remaining countries where polio remains endemic, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. The global initiative is a partnership effort among WHO, CDC, UNICEF, Rotary International, World Bank, USAID, the Bill Gates Foundation and numerous other corporations and countries. In most third world countries children under 5 are the ones targeted for the oral polio vaccine (OPV). This form of vaccine is easily administered so that non-healthcare workers can be trained to give it. In the United States the injectable vaccine (IPV) is the vaccine of choice with no serious adverse events occurring. Even though the US is considered free of polio the risk for acquiring the disease is not zero. At highest risk are the immunosuppressed, the under-vaccinated in urban areas, and vaccine refusers in religious communities. Highly sophisticated techniques to identify the virus (and identify its particular migratory history) are performed in 124 national laboratories one of which is at the CDC. Cases diagnosed in 1988 numbered 350,000 whereas by 2006 there were only 1,912 cases worldwide. These may not be true figures because polio is more difficult to diagnose than other diseases such as smallpox because many of those with the disease have no symptoms. In addition, there are about six other diseases that mimic polio, making surveillance more difficult. An interesting fact reported was that less than 1% of those with polio will progress to having paralysis. There was a lively question and answer session with the older members in the audience relaying some of their experiences with polio before vaccines were available such as nursing patients in iron lungs. All agreed that the evening was instructive and interesting. Special thanks are due Gail Walls for her diligence in securing 1.5 continuing education units for this program through the Georgia Nurses Association, and to Jenny Williams for inviting this excellent speaker to present.

Induction Process

The detailed attention to selecting new members began in earnest with the start of Spring Semester. The Counselors were very busy with all the work this entails. Thanks to the diligence of undergraduate counselor, Kelly Brewer, and acting graduate and community counselor, Dr. Sally Lehr, the process went smoothly. All students eligible for membership were notified, letters of intent were collected, and the list of inductees was uploaded onto the International website. The process has become predominately electronic making it easier to track candidates then in the past.

Spring Induction – April 17, 2007

There was electrifying excitement as the inductees along with their families and friends gathered for this yearly evening event. The location was the main auditorium in the School of Nursing, with a reception that followed in the Grand Plaza. President, Gail Walls presided and welcomed those gathered. Dr. Joyce King, Chair of the Research and Scholarship Committee announced the winners and congratulated them. Dr. Rose Cannon gave a brief history of the Dr. Jean Stone Megneity Research Award before announcing the recipient, Joyce Edmonds, a doctoral student. Ms. Kelly Brewer, the 2006 recipient of the Jean Thomas Award for Creativity in Teaching, had all the 2007 nominees come forward, and then announced the winner, Dr. Marsha McDonnell Holstad. Jenny Williams, Vice President in charge of programming, introduced the speaker, Dr. Kenneth Hepburn, Associate Dean for Research in the SON. Dr. Hepburn spoke eloquently and passionately on the topic of “A Nursing Research View on Family Caregivers.” The audience could not help but be inspired in learning that his research of the past 30 years was the result of his personal experience with a health care system that failed to consider the needs of family caregivers. In his case this was his father in caring for his mother with colon cancer. His own education in the social sciences and humanities gave him greater understanding into what might improve health care – the great need for someone to interpret medical plans, and teach the skills needed by the family. Little did he know at the time that his personal experience would lead him into a research career in collaboration with nurses and nursing. Dr. Hepburn’s research in cooperation with Dr. Marsha Lewis, teaches families how to be savvy in accessing caregiver supports. He also spoke of other research being conducted at the School such as the study underway by Ms Edmonds, the recipient of the Jean Megenity Research Award. His final words were to the new graduates telling them that they are moving into a privileged stand in the world, sometimes daunting and frightening, but privileged in being able to see and touch people in intimate ways with the capacity to help caregivers.

The induction was presided over by President Gail Walls; Undergraduate Counselor, Kelly Brewer; President-Elect, Jenny Williams; and Past-President, Dr. Sally Lehr. Those inducted included 29 BSN students, 22 MSN students, and five nurse leaders, for a total of 56 new members added to Alpha Epsilon, Emory’s chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, International. Special thanks are due to all those involved in bringing these new members into the Honor Society.

Wine and Cheese Reception and Program – April 24, 2007

President Gail Walls presided at the last program of the academic year. Again we were reminded of the quality of the research advanced by the funds provided by Alpha Epsilon Chapter. Doctoral student and Fulbright Fellow, Mabel Magowe, presented her pilot work on “Perception of Young Botswana Women about Health Protective Sexual Communication.” She was clear that women in Botswana are able to stand up for themselves because the laws are favorable to women. Identifying how women communicate with their intimate partners is a first step in planning interventions for safer sexual health. Ms Magowe will again travel to Botswana this summer to complete her data collection.

The second speaker of the evening was Doctoral student Andrea Landis. It was clear as she presented her research “Sleep and Obesity in Adolescents” that she has a great love for and excellent rapport with teens. Her pilot work entailed examining 800 charts to get 52 records that fit her research criteria. She hopes to be able to show that sleep deprivation increases the risk for obesity since earlier studies do not always show a clear relationship. Through the collection of food diaries, phone calls, and surveillance data, Ms. Landis has volumes of data to analyze and add to our growing body of sleep and obesity research. Learning the final outcomes of both these studies will be exciting.

The final duty of President Gail Walls was to install the newly elected officers. Present for installation were: Jenny Williams, President; Adlene McElroy, Leadership Succession member; and Corrine Abraham, Undergraduate Counselor. Other newly elected and appointed officers and board members are: Bethany Robertson, Vice-President; Carolyn Clevenger, Secretary; Kathy Markowski, Governance member; and Kelly Brewer, Governance member. These new leaders with their enthusiasm and experience are a great addition to the Chapter.

Transition Meeting – May 8, 2007

The transition meeting occurred on May 8, 2007 at a local Atlanta restaurant. Here the year’s events were summarized, and outcomes celebrated. Agenda items included plans for the upcoming year such as program activities, induction procedures, membership involvement, mentoring members for leadership positions in the Chapter and attendance at the Sigma Theta Tau International 39 th Biennial Convention November 2-7, 2007. Outgoing, continuing, and new officers were invited to attend. New members were oriented to their specific duties, and helpful resource and role responsibility documents were shared.

Gail Walls is to be commended on her splendid leadership during her second year as President. A wonderful melding of conscientious members served on the Board. Excellent progress was made in keeping the Chapter running smoothly and efficiently. The programs were outstanding, and a larger number than usual new members were inducted. The Chapter is in good standing with International.

And finally, this documented history in its final version will be maintained in hard copy and on a disc and be added to other Chapter documents that become part of the on-going history maintained in the Chapter file cabinets in the School of Nursing. It will also be added to the Chapter web site housed on the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing web page.

Last update 04/30/07