The University of Vermont issued the following announcement.
The College of Nursing and Health Sciences hosted its annual Zeigler Research Forum on May 11 in the UVM Davis Center.
Featuring more than sixty projects by undergraduate and graduate students, the forum opened with a keynote by Dr. Yanick Vibert, attending neonatologist and assistant professor of Pediatrics with Drexel University College of Medicine, and teaching faculty with Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health.
Vibert’s presentation “R is for Resilience, Seeing the ‘R’ in MCH (Maternal Child Health)" addressed the impact that the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals - which call for countries to act in partnership to improve health and education, reduce inequality, spur economic growth, and preserve the environment - have had in promoting Maternal Child Health.
Over the past decade, Vibert has trained more than 200 health care providers on three continents through Helping Babies Survive, an initiative of the American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization to reduce neonatal mortality by teaching resuscitation techniques to providers in resource-limited settings. From the perspective of researcher as storyteller, Vibert described accounts of the struggles of newborn babies she met through her work supporting projects in Haiti, Guyana, Cuba, Uganda, and The Gambia; and the resilience demonstrated by their mothers, whose stories Vibert said she feels a responsibility to pass on.
The moving images Vibert shared in her presentation - of mothers who gave her permission to document their experiences - showed infants whose lives lasted weeks, days, or hours: a premature infant resting skin-to-skin on his mother’s chest; a newborn injured during delivery in an earthquake; a small wooden casket.
Vibert also addressed the prevalence of neonatal mortality in the U.S. She closed her talk by urging students to recognize the impact that thoughtful research can make.
“As you decide what your research topics look like, recognize the gift that you've been given to be able to describe someone's story,” said Vibert. “I hope that you recognize the power that you have to use your voices for those who can’t use their voices for themselves."
Student poster presentations and a series of departmental research talks followed Vibert’s keynote. The Zeigler X Forum, which features Doctor of Physical Therapy candidates’ work, took place after the session.
Dean Noma Anderson closed the forum with an announcement of the 2022 Dean’s Research Awards. Dr. Shelley Velleman received the Dean’s Faculty Excellence in Research honor and Dr. Tim Tourville received the Dean’s Research Incentive award.
The College of Nursing and Health Sciences currently has $5.1 million in active research funding awards. Faculty have submitted 16 external grant applications totaling more than $10.6 million and secured $1.1 million in research funding so far in 2022.
Original source can be found here.
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