2016 Awardee

Barbara Given PhD, RN, FAAN

Barbara Given PhD, RN, FAAN is one of the most consistently well-funded nursing researchers in oncology nursing. She has successfully obtained funding from the National Institutes for Health for more than 30 years. Her areas of investigation include long-term cancer home care, family caregivers, cancer nursing intervention, adherence with oral cancer medication and cancer symptom management. Her research has employed Interactive Voice Response systems to monitor symptoms of patients in their homes, and to provide them with evidence-based information to manage their symptoms using a Symptom Management Toolkit her team developed. Dr. Given is one of the charter members of the Midwest Nursing Research Society and the Oncology Nursing Society. She was honored at Michigan State University as a University Distinguished Professor (2001), was the Associate Dean for Research College of Nursing (2007-2012) and Director of the PhD program College of Nursing (2007-5/2015). She currently serves on the Sparrow Health System Governing Board where she is the Chair. Dr. Given received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the MSU College of Nursing Alumni Association (2000) and from Sparrow Health System (2013), Friends of the National Institute for Nursing Research Pathfinder Distinguished Researcher Award (2001), Oncology Nursing Society (ONS)/Schering Excellence in Cancer Nursing Research Award (2002), ONS Distinguished Service Award (2006), the Ohio State University College of Nursing 100 Alumni Transformers in Nursing Healthcare (2014), and the Burdette Kunkel Behavioral Research Achievement Award (2014). The Cancer Nursing’s Research Article Award was named in her honor (2013). Dr. Given is a Visiting Professor at Vanderbilt and she began her work with Sparrow Hospital in January 1966.