Nursing School hosts forum on low birthweight infants

Nurse researchers from across the continent descended on the University this month for a series of educational forums on low birthweight infants. The Summer Nursing Research Institute is designed to provide a forum for researchers to explore the breadth of the knowledge in this area. The participants look for new areas to research and ways to develop studies where nursing knowledege can contribute to the reduction of low birthweight infants. "The idea is that everybody around the country should not be reinventing the wheel," said Project Director Marilyn Stringer last Tuesday. "If one person uses a tool, they can share it with others." Requiring participation in programs for two years, the program is also highly selective; of nearly 100 applicants, only 30 were selected to participate in the seminar which is two weeks long this summer and one week next year. Participants in the Institute commended the program, saying that the nurse networking opportunities it provides is the seminar's greatest benefit. Participants in the program come from many different backgrounds and most are doctorally prepared. Dorothy Brooten, director of the Univerity's Center for Low Birthweight Research said that the program relies on the participants to share information, an exchange which will "drive the science." "Within sub-groups, [the participants] are helping one and another," Stringer added. "It has given them the opportunity to tap other people that normally would not meet." Many participants also commended the University's faculty and biomedical library, which they have used extensively in the past two weeks. The first session focuses on access to parental care, factors contributing to low birthweight, hospital-infant feeding and care after the mother and infant leave the hospital. The programs during the second year will focuss on prevention and care of lowbirthweight infants. The participants also commended the University's faculty and biomedical library, which they have used extensively in the past two weeks. The Institute is being co-sponsored by the University's Center for Lower Birthweight Research and the March of Dimes Birth Defect Foundation.

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