Scientific Sessions, Orlando, Florida, 2007
We enjoyed an exciting program this year at the Scientific Sessions, much thanks to the efforts of the Program Committee whose members included Marjorie Funk, Debra Wiegand, Lynne Braun, Lisa Davis, Lorraine Frazier, Teri Hermandez, Kathy Hinoki, Kathy Holm, Roberta Oka, and Bunny Pozehl. Two of the most prestigious Cardiovascular Nursing (CVN) awards were given at the Scientific Sessions, which include the following:
Katherine Lembright Award
Kathleen Grady, PhD, APN/C-CNS, FAAN
Dr Kathleen Grady is the administrative director of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Center for Heart Failure and associate professor in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. She is world-renowned for her research in the area of quality of life after heart transplantation and ventricular assist device implantation.
Dr Grady has held numerous scientific leadership positions, most notably as the past chair of the American Heart Association's (AHA's) Council on Cardiovascular Nursing (2003-2005). She also serves on the board of directors of the AHA Metropolitan Chicago Division. Dr Grady was the founding cochair of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation's Council on Nursing and Social Sciences. Dr Grady holds the distinction of being a fellow of the American Academy of Nurses. She is also a fellow of the AHA and a fellow of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago. Dr Grady has won several awards including the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation's Nursing Research Award and the AHA's Council on Cardiovascular Nursing Arteriosclerosis and Heart Failure Research Prize.
Dr Grady's research on quality-of-life outcomes after heart transplantation and left ventricular assist device implantation has been funded by the AHA and the National Institutes of Health. She has been a co-principal investigator and coinvestigator on 2 other R01 scientific grants and consultant on another funded R01 research project. Her research and review articles have been published in a variety of journals including Circulation, The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, and The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing.
Martha Hill Young Investigators Award
Melissa V. Taylor, PhD, RN
This year's recipient of the Martha Hill Young Investigator Award is Melissa V. Taylor, RN, PhD. Dr Taylor is a core investigator at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. She is a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, and her research is on social support, personal control, and physiological functioning among individuals with heart failure.
Advanced Practice Corner
A new opportunity to get involved with the CVN Council: Complex Cardiovascular Patient and Family Care Committee
The CVN Council has received approval for a new science subcommittee entitled "Complex Cardiovascular Patient and Family Care." The purpose of this subcommittee, according to the Commission approved by the AHA, is "To serve as the AHA's panel of experts on adults with complex cardiovascular conditions requiring advanced nursing knowledge, skills, and care. The areas of focus will span the continuum of care (critical care to home care) and include (but are not limited to) enhancing quality of life; promoting symptom management, integrating technologies into care, managing transitions across the aging and care continuums, and strengthening family care giving."
The membership of the Committee will include a chairperson and 6 to 8 members from the CVN Council. A liaison from the Clinical Cardiology will also participate as a member. Committee responsibilities are to (1) update AHA on complex cardiovascular conditions in adults that require advanced nursing knowledge and skills, (2) propose sessions for AHA Scientific Sessions and conferences, (3) propose and author scientific statements, (4) develop skill sets that nurses need to foster high-quality research and evidence-based care related to complex cardiovascular conditions, and (5) review, revise, and produce educational materials for patients and families. This subcommittee complements the other 3 science subcommittees of the CVN Council-the Pediatric Cardiology, Prevention, and Stroke subcommittees. We are excited about the opportunities our new group will have to work toward accomplishing the AHA's mission to "build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease and stroke."
Research Corner
This is a regular feature of the Research Corner to provide members with a quick summary of a statistic synopsis.
Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve Analysis
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC), or simply ROC curve, is a graphical plot of the sensitivity versus [1 - specificity]. Accuracy is measured by the area under the curve (AOC). An area of 1 represents a perfect test; an area of 0.5 is equivalent to chance or represents a useless test. A rough guide for classifying the accuracy of a diagnostic test is: 0.90 - 1 = excellent, 0.80 - 0.90 = good, 0.70 - 0.80 = fair, 0.60 - 0.70 = poor, and 0.50 - 0.60 = fail.
Thus, in the following example, the study compared Q waves of infarction on the electrocardiogram and Q waves or fragmented QRS complexes to detect myocardial scar volume compared to the gold-standard positron emission tomography.1 Using ROC analysis, the results show that the Q wave alone performed more accurately (AOC = 0.73) than Q waves for QRS complexes (AOC = 0.61).
American Heart Association Funding
The AHA offers many different types of research funding opportunities, and the CVN encourages our members to apply. Submission dates vary from affiliate to affiliate, so make sure you check your specific affiliate. Here is a summary of specific types of programs available from AHA. Cardiovascular nurse scientists should pay particular attention to the Scientist Development Grant as a way toward advancing their research independence. Visit the AHA Web site for specifics regarding affiliate and national funding programs. Each affiliate may differ slightly, so make sure you find your correct affiliate for funding opportunities.
National:http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/1194636165666National_Final_with
Affiliate:http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3014871
Consider Becoming a Fellow in American Heart Association
Fellows are an identifiable, knowledgeable group of cardiovascularleaders with specialized expertise who may be called upon to develop scientific and position papers and to address issues beyond the scope of the council. Visit our Web page, http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3004210, to see specific criteria. Even if you are not quite ready to apply this next year, review the criteria so you can work toward this honor.
It is not too early to begin thinking who to nominate for next year's awards. In addition to the applications for fellows, June is also the deadline for theawards. Awards sponsored by the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing:
* Arteriosclerosis/Heart Failure Translational Research Prize
* Excellence in Clinical Practice Award
* Katharine A. Lembright Award
* Martha N. Hill New Investigator Award
* Early Clinical Practice Leadership Nursing Award
* Student Scholars in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke
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