Sheila Ridner

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Professor Sheila Ridner, PhD, FAAN, recently completed a large randomized trial to assess early detection methods coupled with a prevention intervention for a common side effect of breast-cancer treatments—lymphedema. Read More

The 2020-21 academic year saw a number of School of Nursing longtime faculty and staff retire and be honored with virtual retirement events. In fall 2020, longtime Admissions Coordinator Bernie Rimgale retired, as did then-assistant dean for student affairs Sarah Ramsey, BA’77, MEd’81. Rimgale joined VUSN in 1985 and worked… Read More

Vanderbilt University professors Sheila Ridner at the School of Nursing and Barbara Murphy at the School of Medicine have contributed to the development of a first-of-its-kind device to treat head and neck lymphedema–a chronic disease that causes fluid buildup in the body and can complicate normal functions. When this disease occurs in the head… Read More

During Commencement ceremonies on May 15, Vanderbilt University honored five distinguished Vanderbilt University School of Nursing faculty by naming them faculty emeriti. The university also announced that Dean Linda Norman, DSN, FAAN, would be designated dean emerita, effective July 1, 2021. Norman, who has been dean of… Read More

Under a tent at Recreation Field 1 on Vanderbilt’s East side, the Vanderbilt School of Nursing Class of 2021 reassembled for Investiture on May 15. The joyful celebration reflected a mix of tradition and variations necessitated by pandemic precautions, and marked the first time some participants had been on… Read More

Associate Professor Terrah Foster Akard, PhD’08, MSN’01, FAAN, has been named director of the PhD in Nursing Science program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Akard, a Vanderbilt University Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow and noted scholar in pediatric palliative care, had been… Read More

When in-person research activities at Vanderbilt were put on hold in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sheila Ridner, Martha Rivers Ingram Professor of Nursing and director of the Ph.D. in Nursing Science Program, was the primary investigator on two research studies with oncology patients. Entering… Read More

When in-person research activities at Vanderbilt were put on hold in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sheila Ridner, PhD'03, MSN'00, FAAN, the Martha Rivers Ingram Professor of Nursing and director of the PhD in Nursing Science Program, was the primary investigator on two research studies with oncology patients. “The participants in the lymphedema prevention study had given us five years of their lives, and so we also felt an ethical responsibility to finish our work in supporting them,” Ridner said. Read More

Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) is better than a tape measure for assessing a woman’s risk for developing lymphedema after breast cancer surgery, according to interim results of a study led by Sheila Ridner, PhD, RN, Martha Ingram Professor and director of the PhD in Nursing Science Program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Read More

Sheila Ridner, PhD, RN, FAAN, Martha Rivers Ingram Professor and director of the Vanderbilt School of Nursing’s PhD in Nursing Science Program, has been named a 2019 American Cancer Society ResearcHERS Ambassador. In this role, Ridner is advocating for her fellow women researchers… Read More

Research Grants Susie Adams Child Protective Services Assessment Track Training Academy VUMC — State of Tennessee 7/1/2018–6/30/2023 $147,727 Michelle Collins Use of Nitrous Oxide During Labor and Birth & Perinatal Outcomes, Development of a U.S. Repository of Nitrous Use Porter Instrument Division — Parker… Read More

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing alumni and faculty will reveal recent nursing science discoveries and how they translate into practice and improved patient care during a continuing education session on Friday, Oct. 12, from 2-4 p.m. in Nursing Annex room 155. “From Discovery to the Bedside: Vanderbilt’s Nursing Science to… Read More

Sheila Ridner Ph.D., RN, FAAN, MSN, MSHSA, BSN, principal investigator of the PREVENT trial and the Martha Rivers Ingram Professor of Nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing conducted an educational webinar series. The presentation proposed a new standard of care for health care providers and health plans that is aligned… Read More

Dr. Sheila Ridner was one of five new inductees into the UK college of nursing’s Hall of Fame. The College of Nursing’s Distinguished Alumni award was established by the college and the Alumni Board of Directors to recognize graduates who demonstrate outstanding leadership related to the field of nursing or… Read More

Sheila H. Ridner, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, the Martha Rivers Ingram Professor of Nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN), will be honored by Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) with induction into its International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held July 29… Read More

BRISBANE, Australia and CARLSBAD, Calif., July 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — ImpediMed Limited (ASX:IPD) announces that it is partnering with Vanderbilt University School of Nursing for a series of patient and clinician human factors testing for the company’s next generation technology platform. Under the direction of Principal Investigator… Read More

Linda Norman, Valere Potter Menefee Professor of Nursing and dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, announced faculty and staff awards during the school’s spring faculty meeting May 17. Marilyn Dubree, executive chief nursing officer of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, received the Dean’s 2016 Award for Outstanding Service to… Read More

Lymphedema patients experienced a nearly 80% reduction in their cellulitis episodes just by using an advanced pneumatic compression device (APCD) at home, according to a study in JAMA Dermatology (2015; doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2015.1895). Read More

Lymphedema patients saw a nearly 80 percent reduction in cellulitis episodes by using an advanced pneumatic compression device at home, according to a study in JAMA Dermatologyco-authored by Vanderbilt University School of Nursing’s Sheila Ridner, Ph.D., and University of Minnesota School of Public Health Associate Professor Pinar Karaca-Mandic, Ph.D. The… Read More

Cancer is bad enough. But cancer patients who receive surgery, radiation and chemotherapy may suffer from side effects that run from irritating to crippling — problems that are postural, musculoskeletal and respiratory, along with lowered self-esteem. Many suffer from lymphedema, swelling caused by retained fluid in a compromised lymphatic system. Read More

A new Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) study may lead to earlier detection and better outcomes for the 20-30 percent of breast cancer patients with lymphedema, the painful and stigmatizing arm swelling that often results from treatment. The study is testing bioimpedance spectroscopy, a device where electrodes are placed… Read More

Nine Vanderbilt University faculty members named to endowed chairs were honored for their academic achievements during a celebration Jan. 22 at the Student Life Center. “One of the greatest assets we have (is) the incredibly talented faculty we attract,” Richard McCarty, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, said in… Read More

Each year, the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the March of Dimes recognizes nurses who demonstrate excellence in various aspect of the nursing profession. At a recent awards ceremony, seven nurses from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and Vanderbilt University School of Nursing were… Read More