Sinclair School of Nursing

Patricia G. Schnitzer, PhD, RN

Associate Professor

Phone: 573-882-1969
E-mail: schnitzerp@health.missouri.edu
Fax: 573-884-4544

S331 Sinclair School of Nursing
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211

Nursing specialty

Public health, Epidemiology

Interest area(s)

Injury epidemiology and prevention, child abuse and neglect, methods for improving public health surveillance

Education

• BSN, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.
• MS, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska
• PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C.

Area of doctoral study

Epidemiology

Program of research

My research program focuses on the epidemiology and prevention of injuries, particularly childhood injuries and injuries related to abuse and neglect. I am currently conducting a study of the relationship between parent, child, and social context factors and unintentional injuries to toddlers. A secondary research interest involves exploring methods for increasing public health surveillance case ascertainment. My current research is focused on methods for improving surveillance of fatal and non-fatal child maltreatment.

Selected Grants and Awards

• Unintentional Injury in Young Children: Exploring the Role of Adult Supervision — National Institutes of Health, $415,986, 2008-2010   

Selected publications

• Spivey, M.I., Schnitzer, P.G., Kruse, R.L., Slusher, P. and Jaffe, D.M. Association of injury visits in children and child maltreatment reports. Journal of Emergency Medicine, (in press).
• Schnitzer, P.G. and Ewigman, B.G. Household Composition and Unintentional Injury Deaths Related to Child Maltreatment. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2008; 40:91-97.
• Schnitzer, P.G., Covington, T.M., Wirtz, S.J., Verhoek-Oftedahl, W. and Palusci, V. Public health surveillance of fatal child maltreatment: Analysis of three state programs. American Journal of Public Health, 2008; 98:296-303.
• Schnitzer, P.G. Prevention of unintentional childhood injuries. American Family Physician, 2006; 74:1864-1869.
• Schnitzer, P.G. and Ewigman, B.G. Child deaths due to inflicted injuries: Household risk factors and perpetrator characteristics. Pediatrics, 2005; 116:e687-e693.
• Schnitzer, P.G. and Ewigman, B.G. Child Injury Deaths: Comparing Prevention Information from Two Coding Systems. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 2005; 30:413-423.
• Schnitzer, P.G., Slusher, P. and Van Tuinen, M. Child maltreatment in Missouri: Combining data for public health surveillance. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2004; 27:379-384.
• Webster, R.A., Schnitzer, P.G., Jenny, C., Ewigman, B.G. and Alario, A.J. Child death review: The state of the nation. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2003; 25:58-64.
• Stiffman, M.N., Schnitzer, P.G., Adam, P., Kruse, R.L. and Ewigman, B.G. Household composition and risk of fatal child maltreatment. Pediatrics, 2002; 109:615-621.
• Delzell, J.E., Phillips, R.L., Schnitzer, P.G. and Ewigman, B. Sleeping position: Change in practice, advice, and opinion in the newborn nursery. Journal of Family Practice 2000; 50:448.

More Publications

Teaching responsibilities

• N8100 — Epidemiology for Public Health Practice
• N8980 — Advanced Nursing Clinical Practicum — Public Health Nursing area of study

Presentations and lectures

• Schnitzer, P.G. and Ewigman, B.G. “Household composition and unintentional injury deaths related to child maltreatment.” Presented at the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, European Region conference, Lisbon, Portugal, November 2007.
• Schnitzer, P.G., Bullock, L. andMorrongiello, B. “Feasibility of subject recruitment and data collection for a study of supervision and child injury.” Presented at the 2007 National Injury and Violence Prevention Research Conference, Columbus, Ohio, October 2007.
• Schnitzer, P.G., Spivey, M.I., Slusher, P., Kruse, R.L. andJaffe, D.M. “Emergency department injury visits in infants and children: Evaluation of frequency as a risk factor for child maltreatment reports.” Presented at the XVIth ISPCAN International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect, York, United Kingdom, September 2006.
• Schnitzer, P.G., Slusher, P., Tarleton, M., Kruse, R.L. andVan Tuinen, M. “Identification and use of ICD-9-CM codes suggestive of child maltreatment to enhance public health surveillance.” Presented at the 8th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, Durban, South Africa, April 2006.
• Schnitzer, P.G., Covington, T.M., Wirtz, S.J., Verhoek-Oftedahl, W. and Palusci, V.J. “The public health surveillance of fatal child maltreatment: Summary of three programs.” Presented at the 134th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Boston, Mass., November 2006.

Honors and awards

• Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, MU Sinclair School of Nursing (2007)
• Big 12 Faculty Fellowship Award (2006)
• Faculty International Travel Award, University of Missouri (2006)
• James V. and Verna Adwell Rhodes International Research Endowment Award (2005)
• Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award, National Institutes of Health (2000)

Memberships

• Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research
• International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
• International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention
• Society for Epidemiologic Research
• American Public Health Association