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2012 Dudley L. Moore Funded Applicants

Congratulations to the 2012 Dudley L. Moore Funded Applicants

The generous Dudley L. Moore research endowment supports research led by nurses and allied health professional at Children's. It will fund proposals from the following Children’s staff for its Fall 2012 Research Funding Announcement:

Terese Wert, RN, MSN, CPNP, CPHON, principal investigator for the study: Implementing Personal Protective Equipment Changes in a Pediatric Oncology Center. The study will assess surface contamination with chemotherapy agents and determine the impact of a comprehensive educational program on nurse perceptions and compliance with use of personal protective equipment during chemotherapy administration.

Kara Klein, BS, CCLS, principal investigator for the study, Therapy Dogs: Effect on Anxiety in Children during Forensic Evaluations. This pilot study will explore the relationship between anxiety and the presence of a therapy dog during the forensic interview process. The study will also assess two well-known measures of anxiety in this pediatric population.

Karen McCarthy, CCLS II, principal investigator and Tracy Howk, MSW, LCSW, co-principle investigator for the study, Improving Psychological Preparation of Children and Their Parents Prior to Radiation therapy: A Child Life Study. Parents and oncology patients undergoing radiation therapy will participate in a focus group or structured interviews to describe the elements of treatment that are most stressful and anxiety producing. The data will guide the creation of a virtual reality game to reduce anxiety for the oncology population.

Stephanie Borer, LCSW, Aflac Cancer Center, Egleston, principal investigator for the study: Examining the Effects of Implementing Psychosocial Distress Screening in Pediatric Oncology:  A Focus on Care giving Satisfaction and Adherence. This study will pilot the use of a distress screening tool to identify families in need of support for newly diagnosed cancer patients and to help guide intervention by Aflac staff to reduce distress.