Jesuit founder St. Ignatius of Loyola charged his followers to “set the world on fire,” to ignite a passion, to spark a change — a calling that’s echoed through the generations and continues to find voice and form at Creighton University today.
That tradition, for instance, is alive in the College of Nursing’s new Center for Faculty Innovation, Research and Education (FIRE), which seeks to light the path of wisdom and knowledge within the profession.
“The center will build a transformative culture around scholarship that informs faculty efforts for teaching and best practices in patient care,” College of Nursing Dean Catherine Todero, PhD, BSN’72, says.
The center will house top researchers, experts who will focus on critical issues in the nursing field. Faculty will continue to examine critical health care issues affecting our most vulnerable populations.
College of Nursing alumna Beth Lenke, BSN’86, and her husband, Lawrence Lenke, MD, a spinal surgeon in New York, who previously established the Lenke Family Scholarship in the College of Nursing, believe research and education go hand-in-hand. This understanding of the power of research has ignited the Lenkes to support the center’s endowed research fund.
“The point of research is to change practices for the betterment of individuals and society at large,” Beth Lenke says. “Nursing research directly impacts patient care and thus the lives of so many people. To be a part of this initiative at a university level, especially at a place that I believe in and love so much, is a great honor for us.”
The first Lenke scholar is assistant professor of nursing Meghan Walker Potthoff, PhD, BSN’01, who is focusing her research on pediatric palliative care — looking at how decisions are made around end-of-life care for children.
“With this opportunity, I am excited to continue to grow my work with mentors and to make an impact in the care provided to children and families that have to endure this unimaginable journey,” Potthoff says. “There is a tremendous need for increased research in pediatric palliative care, and I am honored to have the commitment from the Lenke family and the College of Nursing to pursue this passion.”
With the Lenke scholarship, Potthoff will be able to focus a portion of her faculty time solely on research, Todero says.
“It’s the first step in establishing a scholarly culture — helping faculty adjust priorities, and moving Creighton College of Nursing forward,” Todero says.
When Todero came back to Creighton as dean in 2015, she instantly realized that the talented faculty were dedicated to creative teaching methods but had little time for research.
“A big part of FIRE is having the resources to buy faculty time to work on their ideas,” Todero says. “Bring in consultants, bring in visiting scholars to talk about scholarly elements of nursing.”
FIRE will help change the culture of the College of Nursing, creating a long-range plan around faculty development and building academic leaders for the future, Todero says.
Students will benefit as well. One of the requirements to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is to complete a quality improvement project. Todero says these students could work directly with Potthoff and other researchers to collaborate on both faculty and student projects.
“You want your nursing education to be cutting-edge, you want faculty who are engaged in discovery of the best ways to treat patients,” Todero says. FIRE makes this possible.
