Penn Nursing

02/15/2026

What Would Bring Nurses Back? New Research Has Answers.

New research from Penn Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR), published in JAMA Network Open, shows that many nurses who have left hospital bedside roles are ready and willing to return—if hospitals address the right conditions.

Analyzing data from 4,043 registered nurses who left hospital direct-care roles in the last five years, the study found a substantial latent nursing workforce: 36% are unemployed; 8% are working outside health care; and 56% are retired, with 37% retiring earlier than planned.

The top factor that would bring nurses back? Safe and adequate staffing levels. “Unsafe staffing drives nurses away from hospital employment—and adequate staffing is the key to bringing them back,” said lead author Karen B. Lasater, PhD, RN, FAAN. “The problem and the solution are the same.”

As Matthew D. McHugh, PhD, JD, RN, CRNP, FAAN, CHOPR Director, notes: “Warnings about nursing shortages should be treated with caution given the existence of an untapped labor force willing to work at the bedside if working conditions were better.”

Bottom line: The nursing workforce crisis is not inevitable—and it is solvable. Evidence-based staffing policy and flexible work design are essential to rebuilding and sustaining the nursing workforce. https://bit.ly/4r9cdTh

Most registered nurses who recently left hospital employment are motivated to return to health care work--and safe nurse staffing levels is the top facto...

02/14/2026

Penn Nursing Study Identifies Key Predictors of Chronic Opioid Use After Surgery

For many patients, surgery is their first exposure to opioid pain medication. While most discontinue use as they recover, a significant subset of opioid-naïve patients develop New Persistent Opioid Use (NPOU)—continuing opioids well beyond the expected recovery period. A new systematic review and meta-analysis led by Penn Nursing researchers and published in Pain Medicine sheds critical light on who is most at risk. Synthesizing data from 27 high-quality studies, the team identified four patient-related factors that significantly increase the likelihood of long-term opioid use after surgery:

📊 Key predictors of NPOU:
• Medicaid enrollment – 77% higher odds
• Preoperative benzodiazepine use – 77% higher odds
• Mood disorders – 24% higher odds
• Anxiety disorders – 17% higher odds

NPOU—defined as opioid use beyond three months post-surgery—is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and long-term complications. Importantly, this study underscores that being “opioid-naïve” alone does not guarantee safety. Social determinants and mental health factors matter—and should be integrated into holistic preoperative screening.

Co-authors include Rosemary C. Polomano, Heath D. Schmidt, PhD, Jungwon Min, PhD, and Peggy A. Compton, PhD, all of Penn Nursing.

This work advances evidence-based strategies to reduce unintended harm and improve long-term outcomes for surgical patients nationwide.

https://bit.ly/4a8cD6B

For many Americans, a routine surgical procedure serves as their first introduction to opioid pain medication. While most stop using these drugs as they h...

02/13/2026

Research Team Awarded AHA Grant to Pioneer “Zero Separation” for Newborns with Congenital Heart Disease

We’re proud to share that a multi-institutional research team led by Penn Nursing, in collaboration with Penn Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, has been awarded a $400,000 American Heart Association implementation science grant to advance “zero separation” care for newborns with congenital heart disease (CHD).

The study focuses on ensuring that mothers and infants with CHD can remain together during the critical “golden hour” after birth by safely implementing immediate skin-to-skin care (SSC)—a best practice endorsed by the WHO and American Academy of Pediatrics, yet often disrupted for this population.

“There is a critical window in the first hour after birth—when both mother and baby benefit from essential contact with each other,” said Amy Jo Lisanti, PhD, RN, CCNS, FAHA, lead investigator and Research Assistant Professor at Penn Nursing and CHOP.

This work exemplifies how interdisciplinary collaboration and implementation science can translate evidence into compassionate, equitable care for families.

https://bit.ly/4tgZSOq

To ensure mothers and newborns with heart defects remain together during the “golden hour” after birth, a multi-institutional research team is leading...

02/12/2026

How do we drive innovation in healthcare? By understanding where we’ve been.

Penn Nursing is honored to partner with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) to preserve its extensive archival collection at the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing—one of the world’s leading repositories for nursing history.

Under the leadership of Dr. J. Margo Brooks Carthon, director of the Bates Center, this work goes beyond preservation. It provides critical context for policy, education, and practice innovation across the nursing profession.

> “It’s hard to innovate unless we have a sense of where we’ve been,” Dr. Carthon notes. “History gives us perspective on our potential.”

This multi-year effort will make AACN’s history accessible worldwide, strengthening nursing’s collective memory and advancing health equity through scholarship.

🔗 Read more via ASAE: https://bit.ly/46rP0n1

AACN is partnering with the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing to safeguard its records and make them accessible to researchers.

02/12/2026

The 2026 Penn Nursing Story Slam
Theme: Human Touch in a Digital World

As healthcare evolves, one question remains: How does empathy endure in an age of artificial intelligence?

Join us on February 25, 2026 (7:00–8:30 PM ET) for a virtual evening of powerful storytelling as nurses share true stories of how AI and emerging technologies transformed care, solved complex clinical challenges, and led to remarkable discoveries.

These stories illuminate the moments where clinical compassion meets digital innovation—demonstrating that even as practice transforms, the human connection remains central.

Hosted by Penn Nursing and Penn Medicine, in collaboration with Bardhan Consulting, this year’s Story Slam features special guest storyteller Sarah DiGregorio, acclaimed author and healthcare writer.

Virtual Event, February 25, 2026, 7:00–8:30 PM ET. Register today and be part of a conversation shaping the future of care.
https://bit.ly/3MzwbaS

02/11/2026

This month, we are sharing our gratitude as we mark the anniversary of Leonard A. Lauder’s extraordinary gift to Penn Nursing. His transformational $125 million commitment, the largest ever to an American nursing school, established the Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program. This tuition-free fellowship supports nurses committed to improving primary care access in high-need communities in six clinical areas. To date, the program has admitted 73 Fellows, graduated 46, and each year accepts up to 30 Fellows who receive clinical training in communities with high unmet medical needs, grounded in working with community partners across diverse sites. The program helps build a diverse primary care workforce, reduce the financial barriers to advanced nursing education, and advance health equity. To honor this milestone, we are highlighting the voices of Lauder Fellows whose lives and careers have been shaped by this gift.

Adam shares that visiting The Met in New York City and seeing a tribute to Leonard A. Lauder made him stop and think about how Mr. Lauder’s gift to Penn Nursing has changed his life. After changing careers to pursue his dream of becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner, he sees the fellowship as an amazing opportunity and says he will be grateful “for the rest of my days” for the support that made it possible.

02/11/2026

Proud to share that Sharon Y. Irving, PhD, CRNP, FCCM, FAAN, FASPEN has been named the **2026 recipient of Penn Nursing’s Norma M. Lang Award for Scholarly Practice and Policy**. A nationally recognized leader in pediatric critical care and nutrition science, Dr. Irving is the Miriam Stirl Endowed Term Chair in Nutrition, Professor of Pediatric Nursing at Penn Nursing, and a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Irving’s scholarship and clinical leadership have transformed pediatric critical care nutrition, including the development of evidence-based feeding pathways at CHOP and the founding of the ICU–Pediatric Nutrition Team (ICU-PNuTs). Her work exemplifies the application of rigorous research to practice, advancing outcomes for critically ill children across local, national, and global settings.

Her impact extends to national policy and leadership as President-Elect of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN)—the first nurse, nurse practitioner, and first woman of African American heritage to hold the role—and as a contributor to major national clinical guidelines. The 9th Norma M. Lang Lecture honoring Dr. Irving is scheduled for April 27, 2026.

02/10/2026

Power to Heal - Film Screening + Panel Discussion
Join the Barbara Bates Center and the Office of School and Community Engagement in honoring Black History Month on Feb. 11 with a viewing of The Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution, a documentary chronicling the historic struggle to secure equal and adequate access to healthcare for all Americans.
After the screening, stay for a panel discussion featuring scholars Vanessa Northington Gamble, MD, PhD, Hafeeza Anchrum, PhD, RN, and Ashley Graham-Perel, EdD, RN, NPD-BC, MEDSURG-BC, CNE, FAAN.
Event details: 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. EST Feb. 11, Claire M. Fagin Hall, Room 116, floor 1, 418 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
RSVP here: https://bit.ly/4srX7cI

02/09/2026

Cheers & Connections: Penn Nursing - NYC Alumni Reception
Reconnect, network, and celebrate with the New York City-area Penn Nursing community at our upcoming alumni reception! Join us on February 26 5-7pm for a chance to catch up with fellow alumni, expand your professional network, and hear exciting updates from a featured faculty speaker. Open to all members of the Penn Nursing community, this is an evening you won’t want to miss. Join us for a night of camaraderie and connection by registering https://bit.ly/4s7fzag.

02/07/2026

Dr. Carmen Alvarez is our inaugural Associate Dean for Global Engagement and Afaf I. Meleis Director of the Center for Global Women’s Health as of Feb. 1.

A professor in the Department of Family and Community Health, Dr. Alvarez will lead Penn Nursing’s global strategy and advance the Center’s educational and research mission, strengthening partnerships that promote health equity worldwide.

Trained as a family nurse practitioner and certified nurse-midwife, Dr. Alvarez’s work spans Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe, with collaborations including the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization. Her research focuses on trauma-informed, equity-centered interventions—most notably *Cuidándome*, a telehealth program supporting Latina immigrant survivors of violence and childhood adversity.

“In this inaugural role, Dr. Alvarez will leverage her strategic vision and global partnerships to elevate Penn Nursing’s international presence and create transformative opportunities for faculty, students, and communities—advancing health equity from Philadelphia to the world,” the School shared in a press release.

Dr. Alvarez was named Penn’s first Presidential Professor at Penn Nursing in 2022. Her appointment reflects the School’s continued momentum under Dean Antonia Villarruel’s leadership, following Penn Nursing’s nine consecutive years ranked No. 1 globally by QS World University Rankings.

Congratulations to Dr. Alvarez on this landmark appointment and expanded leadership role.

02/05/2026

Unlock Your Innovation Potential with the Penn Nursing Innovation Accelerator!

Are you a nurse with an idea that could make care better? Have you ever thought, “There has to be a better way,” and wished you had the support, guidance, and funding to explore it?

The Penn Nursing Innovation Accelerator is designed to help busy nurses turn early-stage ideas into real-world solutions.

💡 What awardees receive:
• $10,000–$20,000 in funding
• Dedicated mentorship
• Brief, high-impact education sessions tailored to clinicians

In return, we ask you to bring your curiosity, frontline insight, and commitment to doing the work. Deadline: Feb. 20.
🔗 Learn more and see if the Accelerator is right for you: https://bit.ly/4sOSbiu

Funding, mentorship, and practical training to move early-stage solutions forward and improve health outcomes where they are needed most.