Dr. Susan McMillan to mentor USF Nursing PhD Alum, Dr. Harleah Buck

Susan C. McMillan, PhD, ARNP, FAAN, University of South Florida College of Nursing Distinguished Professor and Thompson Professor of Oncology Nursing will mentor USF Nursing PhD ’08 alum, Harleah G. Buck, PhD, RN, CHPN, as part of the National Palliative Care Research Center Junior Faculty Career Development Program.

Susan C. McMillan, PhD, ARNP, FAAN, Distinguished Professor and Thompson Professor of Oncology Nursing at USF College of Nursing

“I am very happy that she won this very competitive award, but I am not surprised,” McMillan said. “She is one of the up and coming palliative care researchers in the U.S. She won a post-doctoral fellowship at University of Pennsylvania after her graduation from USF, and that set her up for a career as a nurse scientist.”

During the National Palliative Care Research Center fellowship, Dr. Buck will examine the relationships between the dyad’s characteristics of mood and perception and their symptom management in a pilot study designed to generate information about the participants, variables, and the strength of the relationships between the variables in a primarily rural, underserved Appalachian population.

“I am delighted to be able to continue my relationship with her,” Dr. McMillan said. “It is always a pleasure to watch someone you have mentored as they continue to excel. We will meet in October at the 2012 National Palliative Care Conference in Park City, Utah to discuss her project, and how I can be most helpful. I will provide whatever kind of support and advice she thinks she needs.”

Through the fellowship, Dr. Buck plans to lay the groundwork for a future study of a dyadically informed symptom management intervention.