Distinguished Nursing Alumna to Present Margaret A. Nelson Inaugural Lecture

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Anne Skelly, PhD, RN, ANP-C, associate professor of nursing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a University at Buffalo School of Nursing distinguished alumna, will present the inaugural Margaret A. Nelson Lecture at 2 p.m. on March 4 in 114 Wende Hall on UB's South Campus.

The lecture, "Self-Care of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Lessons Learned from the Field" is free and open to the public.

"It is an honor to be the inaugural speaker for this endowed lecture, and to begin the dialogue about diabetes and present findings from our research to families and health care providers," said Skelly. "Self-care is the cornerstone of effective diabetes management; however, important questions remain regarding the best ways to help individuals with diabetes -- and their families -- implement and sustain the behavioral changes necessary."

Skelly is a community-oriented board certified primary care nurse practitioner who has worked in neighborhood health centers, health departments and specialty clinics. Skelly's research interests involve improving the self-care practices of minority women with diabetes, particularly African-American elders living in rural communities.

She received her BS and MS in nursing from UB in 1976 and 1979, and went on to get her PhD in medical sociology from UB in 1992. In 2004, she received the first UB School of Nursing Distinguished Alumni Award.

Margaret A. Nelson, a UB School of Nursing alumna (BS '54, MS '58) created this endowed fund to honor her late children, Linda Nelson Buettner and Bruce Nelson, who died of complications related to diabetes. The endowment fund was established to invite a visiting scholar to the UB School of Nursing to educate faculty, students, staff and the community about prevention, early detection and management of diabetes and other chronic illnesses. Margaret Nelson died Dec. 5.

"We are very proud to be holding the inaugural Margaret A. Nelson Lecture. This lecture honors Margaret's devotion to the health care of children, especially those with diabetes like her own two children, and continues her legacy of community activism to improve child health," said Jean Brown, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing. "It also honors Margaret's commitment to science as a means of improving health care and her wonderful inquiring mind. Margaret was a mother, nurse, World War II veteran, fourth-grade school teacher, community activist and UB alumna who exemplified a life well lived."

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system that is its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities. The School of Nursing is one of five schools that constitute UB's Academic Health Center.