Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON) Professors Cynda Rushton and Sarah Szanton have been selected for induction into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) 2019 International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. Both were chosen for significant contributions to the nursing profession and their sustained research efforts to improve the care and health of people, specifically in the areas of aging and nursing ethics.
“Drs. Rushton and Szanton are stellar examples of nurses who have translated their research and knowledge into tangible and effective health care solutions,” says Patricia Davidson, PhD, MEd, RN, FAAN, dean of the school. “May this recognition be a springboard for their continued research efforts in improving care around the world.”
As Anne and George L. Bunting Professor of Clinical Ethics in JHSON and the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, Rushton, PhD, RN, FAAN, focuses on moral suffering and resilience of clinicians, and designing cultures of ethical practice. In 2014, she co-led the first-ever National Nursing Ethics Summit to prepare a blueprint for nursing ethics in the 21st century, and in 2016, an initiative to help nurses transform morally distressing experiences into moral resiliency.
Her most recent work has been designing, implementing, and evaluating the Mindful Ethical Practice and Resilience Academy (MEPRA) to train nurses challenged with patient suffering, resource allocation, and other ethical situations to respond with integrity. She is author and editor of a new book Moral Resilience: Transforming Moral Suffering in Healthcare (Oxford University Press).
“Ethical practice is the bedrock of nursing, and we are at a pivotal junction in health care that demands that we reorient toward our moral compass,” says Rushton. “My work has been supported by so many peers and mentors along the way, which has helped make this honor a reality. I am humbled and grateful to have been selected as part of this distinguished group of nurses.”
Sarah Szanton, PhD, ANP, FAAN, the school’s inaugural endowed professor in health equity and social justice, has forged her career as an expert in gerontology, aging with independence, and social determinants of health. As co-developer of the Community Aging in Place Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE) program, Szanton broadened the Baltimore-based intervention to more than 25 cities in 12 states. In the last year, CAPABLE was implemented by Habitat for Humanity in six new areas across the U.S. and funded by the Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation as its largest grant ever given to a nurse-driven innovation.
Szanton also serves as Director of JHSON’s Center for Innovative Care in Aging and its newly created PROMOTE Center, which advances science in supporting patients with multiple chronic conditions. She researches the impact of food access on health, how to prevent falls among older adults, and is frequently involved in policy efforts to develop tax-saving programs that improve health.
“I am sincerely humbled and excited by this new designation to the STTI Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame,” says Szanton. “The nursing profession is incredibly rewarding and has offered me so many areas of opportunity. It is an honor to be listed among these inspiring nurses.”
Rushton and Szanton will be inducted at Sigma’s 30th International Nursing Research Congress in Canada, July 2019.
***
Located in Baltimore, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing is a globally-recognized leader in nursing education, research and practice. The school ranks No. 1 nationally for its graduate and online programs and No. 2 for DNP programs in the U.S. News & World Report 2019 rankings. First opened in 1889, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing is celebrating throughout 2019 its 130th anniversary as a school and leader in nursing education and excellence. For more information, visit www.nursing.jhu.edu and www.hopkinsnursing130.org.
Media Inquiries
Danielle Kress
410-955-2840