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Ruth K. Palmer Endowment funds three COVID-19 research studies

What is the pandemic’s impact on nurses? How does the added stress of living through a pandemic impact pregnant women? These and other questions will be the focus of three, short-term COVID-19 research projects identified by the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing Research Committee through its COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Program. The grant program’s funding comes from the Ruth K. Palmer Endowment Fund, which was established by the late Loyola Nursing Dean Gladys Kiniery in memory of her beloved sister Ruth K. Palmer. It supports short-term (six to 12 month), innovative studies that address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In October 2020, the committee announced it will fund three studies (listed below) with their findings to be shared in 2021:  

Giving Voice and Embracing Registered Nurses (GIVERS) Study  

This study examines nurses’ psycho-behavioral responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of COVID-19 related cumulative stress on their health over time.   

Primary Investigator: Jorgia Connor, PhD, RN 

Co-Investigators:  

• Patricia Bachmeier, MSN, RN 
• Regina Conway-Phillips, PhD, RN 
• Linda Janusek, PhD, RN 
• Audrey Klopp, PhD, RN 
• Carol Kostovich, PhD, RN 
• Kim Oosterhouse, PhD, RN 
• Barb Pudelek, RN, PhD (candidate) 
• Karen Saban, PhD, RN 
• Jeanne Van Denack, MSN, RN 

Patient-Reported Symptoms and Psycho-Behavioral Response Following COVID-19 

This project seeks to identify the pattern (over 12 months) of COVID-19 related symptoms in patients diagnosed with the disease.  Its secondary objective is to examine the influence of risk and protective factors on COVID-19 symptom experience. 

Primary Investigator: Karen Saban, PhD, RN 

Co-Investigators: 

• Jorgia Connor, PhD, RN 
• Colleen Fitzgerald, MD 
• Linda Janusek, PhD, RN 
• Erin Lowery, MD 
• Mekhala Merchant, PhD 
• Kim Oosterhouse, PhD, RN 
• Monique Ridosh, PhD, RN 
• Jessica Shore, PhD, RN 

Perinatal Focused Experiences during COVID-19 Time Period (PERFECT Study) 

This research study focuses on understanding the changes in perinatal stress, depression, social support, and maternal-infant interaction of perinatal women and families living during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Primary Investigator: Lindsey Garfield, PhD, RN 

Co-Investigators: 

• Emily Chin, PhD, RN 
• Sandi Tenfelde, PhD, RN