Illinois State University Mennonite College of Nursing is pleased to announce Judith A. Vessey—Ph.D., RN, DPNP, MBA, FAAN, Leila Holden Carroll Professor in Nursing, William F. Connell School of Nursing, Boston College—as the keynote speaker for the Marion McDowell Stafford Lectureship Series in Child and Family Health.
Vessey will present two lectures on Thursday, September 29, at the Alumni Center. Her educational lecture, “Youth Bullying, Public Health, and a Call to Action for Nursing” will be from 1–4:30 p.m. RNs who are school nurses, pediatric nurses, mental health nurses, and college of nursing faculty and students are encouraged to attend.
The learner will be able to define youth bullying, its prevalence, common psychological and physical sequelae, and its relationship to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2020 objectives. In addition, learners will examine approaches to mitigate youth bullying, and what nursing’s responsibility in addressing youth bullying is by using the public health prevention framework.
The educational activity has been submitted to the Ohio Nurses Association for approval to award contact hours. The Ohio Nurses Association (OBN-001-91) is an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Please call Amy Irving at (309) 438-7418 for more information about contact hours.
Vessey will also present a community lecture, “Of Sticks, Stones, and Smartphones: The Impact of Bullying on Today’s Youths,” from 7–8 p.m. This event is open to the public. There will be a reception with light refreshments following the community lecture.
Vessey’s current research focuses on teasing and bullying. Her interest in this area of inquiry began when she witnessed the difficulties that children with chronic conditions faced on being included in school. This work has led to a new avenue of study: bullying, harassment, and horizontal violence in the workplace. Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research, professional organizations, and private foundations.
Currently, she and her team are developing a brief screen for detecting bullying to be used in primary care settings. This work is funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Vessey has authored over 100 articles, chapters, and books and has presented widely. She is actively involved in the American Academy of Nurses and served as co-chair of the Child and Family Expert Panel. She was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International’s Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame in Cape Town, South Africa, at the end of July.
These lectures are free to attend; however, you must register as space is limited. The deadline to register for these events is September 22.
These events are sponsored by the Marion McDowell Stafford Lectureship Series Fund and the Illinois State University Foundation.
