CoN Receives Notice of Award for Research on Socio-Behavioral Training & Research (STaR) Program
November 15, 2012

Dr. Nancy Artinian has collaborated with Dr. Xiaoming Li from Wayne State University's School of Medicine on an R25 grant application titled Socio-Behavioral Training and Research (STaR) Program for Nursing College Students.

The purpose of the STaR program is to a) enhance and expand the research skills of undergraduate nursing students with the goal of improving their ability to transition to either research work environments and/or graduate studies sooner rather than later;  and b) provide research training to undergraduate students from a diversity of backgrounds who are underrepresented in the health-related sciences. In a recent survey, of the 417 recipients of nursing doctoral degrees who reported age, the median age was 47.3 years. Almost half of all graduates (50.8%) were between the ages of 45 and 54 years; 12.8 percent were older than 55 years, and only 36 individuals (8.6%) were under the age of 35. In comparison, the median age of all research doctoral awardees in the US was 33.3 years. Given that the mean age of retirement for full-time doctoral prepared faculty in 2004 was 63.1 years, the number of productive teaching and research years are curtailed because of advanced age at graduation. Thus, engaging nursing students’ interest in doctoral education early, through such programs as STaR, is critical.