This month, Kristin Merss, BSN, RN, project assistant with the Gilmore-Bykovskyi Research Lab at the BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine, was awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31) grant to support the study Perspectives of Correctional Officers about Older Adults in Prison: A Grounded Theory Study.
The study is funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research. The primary research aim is to use Grounded Theory, a theory-generating methodology, to explore how correctional officers perceive and respond to age related changes in incarcerated older adults, including when, how and with what consequences correctional officers collaborate with correctional nurses.
Kristin is currently a PhD student at the UW–Madison School of Nursing, pursuing interests in incarceration and health, specifically during release and reentry.
She will be supported by a team of mentors, including Dr. Barbara Bowers (UW School of Nursing), Dr. Ryan Westergaard (UW School of Medicine and Public Health), and Dr. Susan Loeb (College of Nursing & Department of Medicine, Penn State University). The total award costs are $77,177.
The National Institute of Nursing Research, as part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, supports clinical and basic research to establish a scientific basis for the nursing care of individuals across the life span—from management of patients during illness and recovery, to the reduction of risks for disease and disability, and the promotion of healthy lifestyles.