Press Release
June 25, 2007
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: Lynn McFarlane
Phone: (973) 972-8539
mcfarlld@umdnj.edu
UMDNJ Researcher Wins Highest Award from National Nursing Journal
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NEWARK — A faculty member at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey has received an award for best article of the year for her work published in a national nursing journal.
Della Campbell, PhD, APRN-C, an assistant professor at UMDNJ-School of Nursing, received the Best of 2006 Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing (JOGNN) Writing Award from the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) at its annual meeting, held June 23-27 in Orlando, FL.
Dr. Campbell, a resident of Ridgefield, New Jersey, won the award as the lead author of the July-August 2006 JOGNN article, “A Randomized Control Trial of Continuous Support in Labor by a Lay Doula.” Jeffrey Backstrand, PhD, of South Orange, an associate professor at UMDNJ-School of Nursing is a co-author of the article along with Marian Lake, RNC, MPH and Michele Falk, MSW, both of Saint Peters University Hospital.
The award-winning article reports the results of a clinical trial conducted to determine whether having a female friend trained to act as a lay “doula” helps a woman through labor and improves the childbirth experience. A professional doula provides continuous one-to-one physical, emotional and informational support for a woman during labor.
The researchers found that women accompanied by their trained friend had significantly shorter labors, lower cesarean rates, and higher Apgar scores for their newborns. The Apgar test measures a newborn’s health factors including heart rate, breathing and activity.
“This important study demonstrates that a simple, low-cost intervention can make a significant difference in women’s childbirth experiences, even in the context of high-technology obstetrical care,” said JOGNN Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Nancy Lowe. “Campbell and her colleagues have made a valuable contribution to the current literature on care during labor.”
Campbell’s article was selected for The Best of JOGNN Writing Award based on originality, scholarliness, potential to affect healthcare practice, and interdisciplinary importance. The study also received the 2006 Outstanding Research Award from the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, which represents more than 22,000 healthcare professionals in the U.S., Canada and abroad.
UMDNJ is the nation's largest free-standing public health sciences university with more than 5,500 students attending the state's three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and its only school of public health, on five campuses. Last year, there were more than two million patient visits to UMDNJ facilities and faculty at campuses in Newark, New Brunswick/Piscataway, Scotch Plains, Camden and Stratford. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, a mental health and addiction services network.
