Nursing theory expert Dorothy Jones to deliver 22nd Bullough lecture on power of nursing research

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The potential for clinical partnerships and meaningful research to expand nursing’s impact on patient care will take center stage as the focus of the University at Buffalo School of Nursing’s 7th Annual Research Day and 22nd Annual Bonnie Bullough Lecture.

Nursing theory and practice expert Dorothy A. Jones, EdD, professor in the Boston College Connell School of Nursing, will deliver the annual lecture, the keynote event of Research Day, which brings together nursing scholars across Western New York to discuss and share advancements in the study of pressing health care issues.

The events are scheduled for Friday, April 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in 403 Hayes Hall, South Campus. Jones’ lecture, “Building Academic-Clinical Partnerships: Opportunities, Strategies and Challenges,” will occur at 2:45 p.m. A reception will follow.

“Academic-practice partnerships are a critical mechanism to strengthen nursing practice and provide nurses with needed tools to lead change and advance health care in our communities. Effective academic-practice partnerships require mutual investment, respect and commitment from both academic institutions and practice settings, leading to a sustainable relationship,” says Yu-Ping Chang, Patricia H. and Richard E. Garman Endowed Professor and associate dean for research and scholarship in the School of Nursing.

“We are excited that Dr. Dorothy Jones will provide insight and recommendations to strengthen our current partnerships with Kenmore Mercy and ECMC through conducting clinically meaningful research and implementing evidence-based practices.”

A prolific researcher, Jones has published more than 150 academic articles and more than a dozen books, several of which have received Book of the Year awards from Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

Her current research focuses on patient home recovery following same-day surgery; patient responses to early hospital discharge; and the development and testing of practice models and nursing language that impact nurse empowerment, decision making and satisfaction.

She has also worked internationally as a curriculum consultant and adviser to hospitals seeking magnet status.

“Academic-clinical partnerships in nursing have increased dramatically in recent years,” says Jones, also a senior nurse scientist at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and a former president of the Eastern Nursing Research Society.

“They provide multiple opportunities for student learning, promote scholarship and address important health care problems of importance to nurses through research. Academic–clinical partnerships also have increased funding opportunities for academic and clinical sites, expanded nursing science, increased mentoring opportunities for students and staff, and promoted innovation in care delivery using new evidence to inform health care, enhance quality and safety, and promote patient, family and community outcomes.”

Jones has served as a faculty member of the Connell School of Nursing for more than 40 years, and has been named a Living Legend in Massachusetts Nursing by the American Nurses Association Massachusetts.

She was named one of the Top 100 Alumni Legacy Leaders by Indiana University, and was listed among the top 25 most influential leaders in the Eastern Nursing Research Society. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and is a past president of the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association.

Jones received a bachelor of science in nursing from Long Island University, a master of science in nursing from Indiana University, and a doctorate in education from Boston University.

The Bullough Lecture was established in 1997 to honor the memory of Bonnie Bullough, dean of the UB School of Nursing from 1980-91. Bullough developed the first nurse practitioner program in California in 1968, and one of the first master’s degree programs in nursing in the U.S.

Bullough is remembered at UB for her focus on faculty development and establishing the School of Nursing’s doctoral program. The lecture, sponsored by the Bonnie Bullough and Margaret A. Nelson Endowments, brings prominent leaders to the school to speak on topics relevant to the nursing profession.

Other presentations on Research Day include:

• “Collaboration Between a Magnet Hospital and Academia to Promote Nursing Research,” by Rebecca Lorenz, PhD, associate professor in the UB School of Nursing; and Cheryl Hayes, vice president of patient care services at Kenmore Mercy Hospital.
• “Creating Academic Partnerships: Research and Clinical Opportunities to Advance Scholarship,” by Karen Ziemanski, senior vice president of nursing at Erie County Medical Center; and Mary Rose Gaughan, assistant professor of nursing at Erie Community College and adjunct instructor in the UB School of Nursing.

A poster session of research presentations by UB nursing students will follow. For more information on the events, visit the School of Nursing website.