Featured Interventionist
Janie Heath, RN, PhD(c), CCRN, ANP, ACNP
Janie Heath is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Acute Care
Nurse Practitioner and Critical-Care Clinical Nurse Specialist at the
School of Nursing & Health Studies at Georgetown University. Heath
received her Masters Degree (clinical nurse specialist focus) from the
University of Oklahoma and her Post-Masters (adult nurse practitioner
with acute care focus) from the University of South Carolina. She will
be completing her PhD in Nursing from George Mason University in Fairfax,
Virginia in 2004. She has authored several data-based papers that focus
on tobacco education in nursing and tobacco control policy papers. Currently
she is the Director of the Tobacco Cessation Program for the Georgetown
University Medical Center where she does clinical practice, research and
community initiatives. In addition, she serves on the Board of Directors
for the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
Professor Heath’s passion is tobacco cessation. A nurse for over
twenty-five years, she has seen the deadly health effects caused by tobacco
use. “You can’t give up on people who smoke. Whether they
quit 5 or 50 times, smokers have to know that health professionals care
about their health and educating other faculty and students on how to
intervene is the first step”, says Heath. In an effort to reach
students and community members who smoke, Heath directs the Tobacco Cessation
Program, an initiative that assists smokers in reducing or quitting smoking
in an informative and supportive environment.
She is also the Director of the Summer
Institute for Tobacco Control Practices in Nursing Education. In its
second year, the Summer Institute provides nursing faculty from across
the country with the tools and skills needed to increase tobacco education
in nursing curricula. Heath’s research has shown that very little
is  taught
in the area of smoking cessation in nursing programs. “Nurses are
the largest healthcare profession. It is essential that every nurse knows
the ‘3 minute intervention’ to help patients quit smoking”,
says Heath. She hopes to sustain the Summer Institute so that it will
eventually become a center and expand the population of trainees to include
a broader representation of nursing professionals across the continuum.
Heath has written numerous articles on both tobacco cessation and professional
development for critical care nursing. She is a frequent speaker and member
of several professional organizations, such as the National Organization
of Nurse Practitioner Faculty and the Nursing Organization for Veterans
Administration. In 2000, she received the AACN National Mentoring Award
and in 2001, she received the Graduate Teaching Excellence Award from
Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies.
So, how does she spend her free time? Professor Heath enjoys spending
time with her husband Mike and curling up with her beloved cocker spaniel
to read the latest John Grisham novel or poetry by David Whyte. This year,
she will be awarded her doctoral degree in nursing from George Mason University,
in nearby Northern Virginia, USA. Listed below are some of her most recent
publications:
- Heath, J., Andrews, J., Balkstra, C. (2004). Potential reduction
exposure products and FDA tobacco regulation. Clinical Nurse Specialist.
18(1), 40 – 48.
- Heath, J., Andrews, J., Andres, K. (2003). Tobacco control: An update
to influence decision-making. Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice.
4(1):36-44.
- Heath, J., Andrews, J., Thomas, S., Kelley, F., and Friedman, E.
(2002). Tobacco curriculum in acute care nurse practitioner education.
American Journal of Critical Care.11(1):27-32.
View Previous Featured
Interventionists
- Janie Heath, RN, PhD(c), CCRN, ANP, ACNP
- Mary Ellen Wewers, RN,
PhD, MPH, FAAN
- Louise M. Nett, RN, RRT
- Linda Lillington, RN, DNS
- Patricia G. Rienzo, RN, MSN
- Linda Sarna, RN, DNSc, FAAN
- Kathleen O' Connell, RN, PhD,
FAAN
- Karen Ahijevych, RN, PhD
|
