Alhusen lauded by AWHONN

The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) today presented its 2016 Award of Excellence in Research to University of Virginia nursing professor Jeanne Alhusen, PhD, FNP, RN, for her excellence in nursing research and continued innovation in the delivery of care for women and their families.

AWHONN presents its Award of Excellence in Research each year to an AWHONN member who demonstrates a history of conducting grant-funded research, publishes research in peer-reviewed journals, reflects AWHONN goals and standards in their contributions to research, and demonstrates clinical applications of research. The award was presented at AWHONN's national convention in Grapevine, Texas.

Alhusen -- an associate professor and the assistant dean for research at UVA's School of Nursing -- focuses on maternal mental health and its relationship to developmental outcomes in young children. With more than 20 years of clinical experience, Alhusen is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and has dedicated her career to addressing the special needs of families living in poverty.

“We are thrilled that Jeanne’s gifts as a scholar are being recognized at a national level,” said Dorrie K. Fontaine, UVA School of Nursing dean, “but what’s even better is the impact her research continues to exert on the nation’s most vulnerable people, and our fuller understanding of the symbiotic relationship between maternal depression and children’s long-term social, mental and physical health. Jeanne’s an incredible teacher, scholar and colleague.”

A long time AWHONN member and past recipient of the AWHONN’s Margaret Comerford Freda "Saving Babies, Together®” Award, Dr. Alhusen is widely published in the area of maternal mental health. She is an invited speaker at international and national conferences and she serves as a member of the editorial advisory board for the Journal of Obstetrics Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing (JOGNN).

“Dr. Alhusen’s research into the correlation between maternal mental health and its effects on early childhood outcomes is critical,” said AWHONN’s CEO Lynn Erdman. “Through her mentorship and research, women in need will be able to access available health resources and nurses will gain the tools they need to assist women whose health may be affected by mental illness.”

Alhusen earned her BSN from Villanova, a master's from Duke and a PhD from Johns Hopkins, completing a post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and Medicine.

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