The interdisciplinary team includes two pediatric psychologists, Timothy Wysocki, Ph.D., and Jessica Pierce, Ph.D., from Nemours Children鈥檚 Health System in Jacksonville, Fla., a pediatric endocrinologist, Dr. Joyce Lee, from the University of Michigan Health System, and Aroian, a nurse scientist who will serve as a co-investigator and qualitative research methodologist on the study.

Type 1 diabetes is increasing in children ages six and younger. Parents are expected to manage their child鈥檚 diabetes successfully, yet are often uncertain how to do so. Care for these very young children is also especially challenging due to their behavior, emotional, cognitive and physiological features. Parent stress related to managing their child鈥檚 care is associated with poorer outcomes for children with Type 1 diabetes.

The social media portal, which will be developed by parents and clinicians, will provide a space for parents to receive timely information and support. The team hopes the portal will help parents with uncertainty and stress, and empower them to effectively manage their child鈥檚 care. If successful, the impact will extend beyond improving the child鈥檚 health to improving the family鈥檚 quality of life.

The project is funded by a grant for $1.589 million from the NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for a three-year period. For the first phase of the project, the team will develop the social media portal. The second phase will be a clinical trial to determine whether the portal improves outcomes and reduces parent stress.

鈥淭his team has a very exciting combination of people with different skill sets and backgrounds,鈥� said Aroian, who is the Chatlos Foundation Endowed Chair at the 麻豆原创 College of Nursing. 鈥淒r. Wysocki is a successful researcher who has received more than $20 million in NIH funding over the course of his career and Dr. Lee has creatively used social media in clinical practice. My research interests with parenting and illness management provide substantive background to apply my methodological expertise to the project.鈥�

Aroian, who is a highly regarded expert in qualitative research methods, has collaborated with Nemours for several years. Most recently, she mentored Dr. Pierce, a post-doctoral student of Dr. Wysocki, in qualitative research methods for a separate study.

Dr. Aroian is one of nine nurse researchers selected by the Congress committee to showcase her research to the entire conference audience during a special 鈥淧resentations of Distinction鈥� time slot. Based on the quality of her work, her abstract, Substantive Application of Cross-lagged SEM for Testing Diathesis-stress Theory, was reviewed and chosen out of more than 500 submissions.

鈥淚 am so honored to have been selected as a presenter of distinction,鈥� said Aroian, the Chatlos Foundation Endowed Chair in the College of Nursing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a great feeling to know that my research is advancing our understanding of stress and health outcomes.鈥� 聽

With more than 30 years of federal and private funding, Aroian has received numerous honors and awards for her research.

鈥淒r. Aroian is internationally known for her research, especially in the area of immigrant health. She was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame in 2013. This is another honor that we are proud of,鈥� stated Mary Lou Sole, interim dean of the 麻豆原创 College of Nursing.

As a promoter of better health through nursing science, the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science will host the biennial State of Science Congress Sept. 18-19. The conference is one of the largest gatherings of nurse researchers with 750 attendees who will examine and discuss more than 540 research presentations. The main focus will be on the many innovative approaches that nurse scientists are applying to emerging science, including trends in Big Data and in the BRAIN initiative.聽聽

Established in 2000 as an open membership entity of the American Academy of Nursing, the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (NursingScience.org) serves as a strong voice for nurse scientists at the national and international levels; supports the development, conduct and utilization of nursing science; and facilitates lifelong learning opportunities for nurse scientists.

Article written by Ivanna Alayon

Established in 2010, the International Researcher Hall of Fame recognizes nurse researchers who have achieved significant and sustained national or international recognition, and whose research has improved the profession and its patients. Aroian, who聽has more than 30 years of federal and private funding, was selected for her outstanding contributions on immigrant and minority health.

鈥淚 am so honored to have been selected for the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame,鈥� said Aroian. 鈥淚t is a wonderful feeling knowing that my research has made such a positive impact in the world of health and health care.鈥�

Aroian, who is a member of an Armenian family that knows the trauma of immigration firsthand, has conducted research and published works about immigrant and minority stress and psychosocial adaptation, health beliefs and health behaviors, and health care accessibility and utilization. Her research includes investigation of the adjustments of immigrants from countries such as Poland, Ireland, China, the former Soviet Union and the Philippines, as well as countries in the Middle East and Latin America. She also developed a widely used measure of immigrant stress, the Demands of Immigration Scale, and is an expert on cross-cultural measurement.

During her time at 麻豆原创, Aroian has developed a model of research partnerships with health care organizations that facilitates the advancement of faculty members鈥� programs of research.

鈥淲e are tremendously proud of Dr. Aroian,鈥� said 麻豆原创 College of Nursing founding Dean Jean D鈥橫eza Leuner.

鈥淗er selection for this international honor indicates that her research has impacted the lives of people far beyond our community. Dr. Aroian鈥檚 research, which spans three decades, is now celebrated along with other distinguished international nursing research. We are fortunate to have Dr. Aroian as a member of the College of Nursing faculty, where she readily mentors doctoral students and fellow faculty members to further the discipline of nursing,鈥� Leuner said.

Aroian received her B.S. in nursing from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, her M.S. in psychiatric mental health nursing from Boston College, and her Ph.D. in nursing science from the University of Washington. She is serving as the director of nursing research and holds the Chatlos Endowed Chair professorship in the College of Nursing. Aroian is an American Academy of Nursing Fellow and a member of STTI, Theta Epsilon Chapter.

STTI, founded in 1922 and incorporated in 1985, is a nonprofit organization committed to supporting the learning, knowledge and professional development of nurses committed to making a difference in health worldwide.

Comprised of the nation鈥檚 top nurse researchers, policy makers, scholars, executives, educators, and practitioners, the academy鈥檚 2012 inductees include 176 nurse leaders. The academy鈥檚 mission is to serve the public and nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the development and dissemination of nursing knowledge.

鈥淪election for membership in the academy is one of the most prestigious honors in the field of nursing,鈥� said academy president Joanne Disch. 聽

Karen Aroian, a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and director of nursing research for the 麻豆原创 College of Nursing, sponsored Leuner in her application to the academy.

鈥淒r. Leuner has shaped health initiatives, nursing education and practice models that improve nursing workforce capacity and population health by developing cutting-edge models and implementing them through her strategic leadership in national, regional, and local boards and task forces,鈥� Aroian said. 鈥淪he began actualizing recommendations from the Institute of Medicine鈥檚 report on the Future of Nursing well before the report was published, and has the knowledge, skills and passion to contribute significantly to the academy鈥檚 mission.鈥�

Leuner said she was honored to be selected as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

鈥淚 look forward to working alongside our nation鈥檚 top nurse leaders, many of whom I have admired throughout my own career, to further advance the nursing profession and address the issues affecting our current health care environment.鈥�

During her tenure, Leuner has made substantial contributions to the field of nursing through her strategic vision and longstanding leadership to improve population health and well-being, and prepare a well-educated nursing workforce. She has served as the sole nurse on three strategically selected national and regional boards to shape health policy and advance the stature of nursing. As an invited member of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, she led efforts to advance women鈥檚 health and family care.

Leuner served on the board for the Heart of Florida United Way and sits on the board of trustees for the Winter Park Health Foundation. She also chaired the Older Adult Work Group at the Winter Park Health Foundation, where she reviewed and allocated grant funding for innovative, evidence-based community projects. Her leadership and community engagement were honored in 2010 by the Orlando Business Journal鈥檚 鈥淲omen Who Mean Business.鈥�

Leuner served as co-leader for the Florida statewide Future of Nursing Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative and chair for the Florida Association of Colleges of Nursing. She has implemented an innovative education model in Florida with seamless articulation and concurrent enrollment in associate and baccalaureate nursing programs. With three locations and expanding, this innovative model accelerates the route to earn a baccalaureate degree and provides regional access to the nursing baccalaureate. She has raised more than $6 million in endowments for nursing education and established four endowed chairs in one decade.

Leuner serves on the board of directors for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and is the immediate past president of Sigma Theta Tau鈥檚 Theta Epsilon chapter. She received her B.S.N. from Seton Hall University in New Jersey and her M.S.N. and Ph.D. from Boston College.

With Leuner鈥檚 induction into the academy, she joins four other 麻豆原创 College of Nursing faculty members who also hold this nursing honor: Karen Aroian, Angeline Bushy, Anne Norris and Mary Lou Sole.

The academy is made up of more than 1,850 nursing leaders. Leadership positions held by academy fellows include university presidents, chancellors, and deans; state and federal political appointees; hospital chief executives and vice presidents for nursing; researchers and entrepreneurs; and practicing nurses.

Selection criteria include evidence of significant contributions to nursing and health care and sponsorship by two current academy fellows. Applicants are reviewed by a panel comprised of elected and appointed fellows, and selection is based, in part, on the extent to which nominees鈥� nursing careers influence health policies and the health and well-being of all.

The article presents findings about an important but seldom studied group, Muslim American immigrant families in the United States, and provides direction for helping mothers and adolescents adjust to a new country. More than six hundred families provided extensive data.

Professor Aroian is the director of research for 麻豆原创’s College of Nursing and holds the Chatlos Foundation Endowed Chair in Nursing.