USF College of Nursing Initiates Partnership with Scotland’s University of Stirling School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health

Tampa, Fla. (May 15, 2013) – University of South Florida College of Nursing makes history by initiating its first European partnership agreement with Scotland’s University of Stirling School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health (SNMH) on May 15, 2013 as part of the College’s initiative, POWER with Nursing: Partnership Opportunities for Wellness, Education and Research. 

Senior Associate Vice President, USF Health and Dean, USF College of Nursing, Dianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN, signed the partnership agreement with Dean and Professor for University of Stirling SNMH, William Lauder, PhD, RN, in front of hundreds of USF College of Nursing faculty, students, and staff during a welcoming ceremony in honor of the SNMH’s delegation. The collaboration, part of the USF College of Nursing POWER with Nursing initiative and part of iCON: International College of Nursing, is hoped to become a long-term partnership between the two universities.

“We are beginning a transformation in healthcare, a transformation of people’s lives, by partnering together with University of Stirling (SNMH) for both nursing education and research, across the globe,” said Dean Morrison-Beedy. “This is really about our POWER initiative within the College – Partnership Opportunities for Wellness, Education and Research – to really change what happens in healthcare around the world.”

Through the partnership agreement, USF College of Nursing and University of Stirling SNMH agreed to co-operate in discussions to identify areas of potential collaborative activity where faculty, staff, and students from both universities can work together to promote international excellence in higher education. The USF College of Nursing will work with University of Stirling SNMH to provide a collaboration that meets each university’s needs. Currently, collaborative discussions have resulted in areas such as research, education, and clinical practice, and specifically include:

• International collaborative research between USF College of Nursing and University of Stirling SNMH faculty
• Pursuing opportunities for cross-cultural learning in community/public health nursing between University of Stirling and USF undergraduate nursing students

“The University of Stirling SNMH prides itself on allying and partnering with universities that aspire to be the best, and it is clear the USF College of Nursing and the university as a whole aspires to be the very best,” Dr. Lauder said. “This agreement will create opportunities for undergraduate students to spend time at University of Stirling, and work in the Scottish National Health Service (NHS). Graduate students will have those same opportunities. We’re also excited to work with USF College of Nursing on research.”

University of Stirling SNMH Dean and Professor, William Lauder, along with two SNMH faculty members including Teaching Fellow, Stephen McGhee, and Director of Policy & External Relations and Teaching Fellow, Pat Bradley, visited USF College of Nursing on Monday, May 13 to discuss opportunities for international partnerships with Dean Dianne Morrison-Beedy,  as well as Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean for Global & Community Affairs, LaRon Nelson, PhD, RN, NP, faculty members, and clinical and community partners. The three-day visit led to the partnership agreement signing on Wednesday, May 15.

Dean Morrison-Beedy and Dean Lauder also announced the finalists from the USF CON Global Nursing Challenge, a pilot grant competition that motivates faculty interest in pursuing their programs of research in international contexts. The competition is a joint venture between the USF CON Office of Global Affairs, USF CON POWER, and the University of Stirling SNMH. Each finalist will develop an international research proposal in collaboration with faculty from the University of Stirling and will compete for a $10,000 pilot award, with a $10,000 match going to their research collaborator in Scotland. Finalists include:

• “Pilot Study of Delivery of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) by Scottish Registered Nurses in Mental Health (RNMH) for Treatment of Military Psychological Trauma”
  Kevin Kip, PhD, FAHA Professor and Executive Director, Research Center

• “Blue Bra Initiative: Respecting Women” 
  Elizabeth Kostas-Polston, PhD, APRN, WHNP-BC, Assistant Professor and Coordinator for Curriculum Development
  Versie Johnson-Mallard, PhD, MSN, MSMS, Assistant Professor

Dr. Kip’s Accelerated resolution therapy (ART) research was recently funded through a federal grant administered by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and the Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) at Fort Detrick, MD. ART aims to treat post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in veterans and military service members, and is being studied as an alternative to traditional PTSD treatments that use drugs or lengthy therapy sessions.

Dr. Kostass-Polston and Dr. Johnson-Mallard recently established the “Blue Bra Campaign”, which helps support the health and well-being of women globally. The Blue Bra Research is about heightening the awareness of women’s oppression throughout the world, and seeking evidence based methods/interventions to lessen oppression among women across the globe. This research focuses on persistent inequalities that may prevent health being improved among women. Women from the U.S. and Scotland will be recruited to participate in Round 2: Collaborative Nursing Research in Scotland proposal.

“Both of those opportunities deal with groups that are disadvantaged and desperately need services,” Dr. Lauder said. “Both are two very worthy causes…One is about the women’s emancipation, and in a profession that’s predominantly women, I think we have a particular responsibility to support that and change the experience of some women in countries who are severely disadvantaged. Dr. Kip’s ART study in PTSD, which targets military veterans, is an area that our university has a particular interest on. One of my colleagues who is here with me today, is a serving British soldier.”

The University of Stirling’s mission is to pursue world-class research, scholarship and learning in order to inspire, challenge and support motivated individuals who want to shape our world. Stirling is ranked number one in Scotland and eighth in the UK in The Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 table, which ranks the world’s best 100 universities under 50 years old. Stirling is top in Scotland and ninth in the UK in the Research Success Rankings (Research Fortnight, 2007). The UK-wide 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) confirmed that Stirling is the leading Scottish research university in a number of areas, including Nursing & Midwifery, Sport, Education, and Film & Media.

The video below highlights remarks from Dr. Morrison-Beedy and Dr. Lauder after the signing event. The video can also be viewed on the official USF College of Nursing YouTube Channel.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgU8QK12Ri0[/youtube]

Through POWER with Nursing, our Partnership Opportunities for Wellness, Education and Research, the College of Nursing’s initiatives with existing and expanding collaborations stretch across the region, nation and globe. POWER with Nursing provides opportunities to collaborate with the USF College of Nursing on important initiatives like expanding the research residencies program, providing increased opportunities for interprofessional education, and expanding USF Global nursing programs.