Faculty member Rita John, DNP, EdD winner of Purdue Pharma National Pain Management Award

The Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation (NPHF) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2011-2012 Purdue Pharma Pain Management Awards, designed to further educate and research in the area of pain management. Five awards of $5,000 each were given to practicing nurse practitioners and students for their projects. “Pain effects millions of people and prevents many of them from conducting productive lives,” said Phyllis Zimmer, President, NPHF. “We are thrilled to provide these five deserving recipients with the opportunity to address this national public health issue. We appreciate the funding provided by Purdue Pharma L.P. to support this programming.” “We are pleased to support the Foundation’s efforts to increase the understanding of scientific, clinical and healthcare issues that contribute to the improvement of patient care,” said Pamela Bennett, BSN, RN, Executive Director of Healthcare Alliance Development at Purdue Pharma L.P. “The award recipients are to be applauded for their dedication to improving the lives of patients suffering from pain.”

CUSON Faculty member Rita Marie John, DNP, EdD, CPNP is an Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing and the PNP/NNP Program Director at Columbia University School of Nursing. Dr. John is a member of the Glenda Garvey Teaching Academy, which recognizes outstanding educators; she has received numerous other awards and honors as a teacher. This award will fund research to evaluate the effectiveness of two different buzzers in reducing immunization pain in adolescents between the ages of 10-18. Her other research interests include informatics, innovative nursing education methods, and childhood obesity.