This summer, the Sinclair School of Nursing faculty and postdoctoral fellows have been actively sharing their research and building connections through national and international conferences. They have traveled to various locations including: Thailand, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Seattle, Washington.

Thailand

The Faculty of Nursing at Thammasat University in Thailand, in collaboration with 21 other national and international hosts, including the MU Sinclair School of Nursing, organized the 1st International Conference on Palliative Care and Family Health Nursing in Bangkok. The conference saw a strong representation from MU SSON, with presentations delivered by Elizabeth Anderson, PhD, RN, Jane Armer, PhD, RN, FAAN, Miriam Butler, DNP, NP-C, FNP-BC, Alisha Johnson, PhD, RN and LeeAnne Sherwin, PhD, FNP-BC. Several Thai PhD alumni were also involved in the conference as planning committee members, moderators, presenters, co-authors or attendees. During the conference, our faculty members had the chance to connect with numerous SSON alumni, including Drs. Isaramalai, PhD ’02, Harnirattisai, PhD ’03, Matchim, PhD ’10, Nukaew,, PhD’10, Promnoi, PhD ’16, Krisanabud, PhD’19, Udmuangpia, PhD ’19, Khiewchaum, PhD ’20 and Narkthong, PhD ’23. A key highlight of the conference was Elizabeth Anderson, an assistant professor at MU SSON, receiving the Best Oral Presentation award.

After the conference was over, Sherwin visited Naresuan University in Phitsanulok where she received a warm welcome from the president of the university, the dean of the faculty of nursing, and our alumni Poungkamon “Mew” Krisanabud PhD ‘19, who is now an assistant dean. Sherwin presented a special seminar on “Building Your Program of Research and Getting It Published.”

In addition, Butler went to Boromarajonani College of Nursing in Khon Kaen to visit alumni, Dr. Udmuangpia, PhD, ’19.

Finally, Sherwin and Butler visited Prince Songkla University in Hat Yai, Southern Thailand. They presented on developing nurse practitioner programs and active learning. Sherwin shared that the trip was wonderful, and the Thai people were warm and enthusiastic about future collaborations.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Knoo Lee, PhD, RN, travelled to Denmark to give a presentation titled, “Development of an Immersive Virtual Reality Platform for Innovation in Nursing Education” at the 2023 Human-Computer Interaction International Conference. He hopes that his presentation will garner support for ongoing research and encourage VR in nursing education as a solution to the current nursing workforce shortage and counteract nurse educators aging out of the profession.

Nottingham, U.K.

Jane Armer, PhD, RN, FAAN, traveled to the University of Nottingham in the UK to participate in the 11th International Lymphoedema Framework (ILF) event. She represented the American Lymphedema Framework Project at both the National Framework Day on June 12, and the international conference from June 13 to 15. Dr. Armer was involved in various activities, including organizing a panel discussion on the “Current State of Lymphoedema – Evidence-based Recommendations?” with participants from the U.S., U.K., Canada and Belgium. Over the course of the conference, she presented several research papers related to topics such as the impact of COVID-19 on lymphedema and fatigue among breast cancer survivors, promoting wound healing in resource-limited communities, challenges faced by breast cancer survivors with lymphedema in self-care and the experiences of returning to work while managing lymphoedema. Armer lends credit to her co-authors for the success of her time at the conference.

Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Anne Sales, PhD, RN, and Roy Thompson, PhD, RN, attended the Annual Research Meeting organized by Academy Health in the Pacific Northwest from June 24 to 27. This event is a primary national conference for health services researchers, boasting a substantial attendance of several thousand individuals. This year’s conference prominently revolved around the theme of health equity. Sales led a session concentrating on utilizing organizational interventions to implement evidence-based practices.