Educating Nurses in Genomics: Overcoming Barriers and Integrating Creative Strategies

Educators play a central role in preparing professional nurses for patient care in the genomic era. This Webinar will provide insight into knowledge gaps of nursing faculty and students and describe genomic nursing competencies that can guide curricular development. Creative teaching strategies that stimulate student interest in genomics will be presented.

NOTE:This Webinar is open to everyone including non-members, communities of interest, practice representatives, and AACN member schools including deans, faculty, staff, and students

Webinar Speakers

Catherine Read, PhD, RN
Associate Professor
Connell School of Nursing
Boston College

Dr. Catherine Read is an associate professor in the Connell School of Nursing at Boston College with over 35 years as a nurse educator and a long-standing interest in genomics. She earned her BS in nursing and MS in physiology from the University of Illinois, her MS in Nursing Education from Salem State College, and her PhD in Nursing and Health Promotion from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She served as associate dean for undergraduate education at Boston College for nine years, where she spearheaded curricular change and accreditation activities. She currently teaches adult health to undergraduates, pathophysiology to graduate students, and genomics topics at all levels. Dr. Read is has been an active member of the International Society for Nurses in Genetics since 1997, where she has worked on webinar development and other projects aimed at disseminating genomic information to health professionals. She currently works with nurse colleagues at the National Human Genome Research Institute on initiatives aimed at faculty and nursing workforce development. She has conducted research and authored numerous publications and presentations on the integration of genomics into nursing curricula, genomic competence of nursing faculty, genetic technology, and psychological adaptation to genetic information.

Marcia Van Riper, PhD, RN, FAAN
Professor, Chair of Family Health Division & Joint Appointment
School of Nursing and the Carolina Center for Genome Sciences
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Each spring Marcia teaches a required undergraduate course, Family Centered Genomic Health Care to over 160 students. She has also taught a clinical genetics course for DNP students. In addition, faculty from nursing programs in the United States and internationally have sought her guidance and expertise to further their efforts to integrate genomics into their curricula. The primary focus of her program of research is the family experience of being tested for and living with a genetic condition, with special emphasis on families of individuals with Down syndrome. To date, other conditions she has focused on include Sickle Cell Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer, Huntington Disease, and Factor V Leiden. Marcia and her international colleagues are currently conducting a mixed-methods, cross-cultural study designed to address existing gaps in knowledge concerning how cultural scripts and a variety of family factors contribute to adaptation and resilience in families of individuals with Down Syndrome. To date, over 1200 parents of individuals with Down syndrome from over 10 countries have participated (e.g., Brazil, Ireland, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Portugal, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States). In 2012, Marcia was awarded a Fulbright Scholar Award to spend 6 months at the Catherine McAuley School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork, Ireland, collaborating with faculty on family research, teaching, and publishing. She has also been a Visiting Professor for Schools of Nursing in Brazil, Portugal, Scotland, and Taiwan.