Nursing Research Highlights

Baystate Health Nurse Scientist Receives Prestigious Research Grant

We are proud to announce that Dr. Ellen Benjamin, Baystate Health Nurse Scientist, has been awarded the Emergency Nurses Association Foundation Annual Research Grant. This achievement was made possible through the collaboration of the Baystate nurse scientist team and colleagues from the University of Massachusetts Boston.

The grant will fund Dr. Benjamin’s groundbreaking study, “Developing and Validating a Model to Predict Emergency Nurses’ Patient-Level Perceived Workload.” This research aims to deepen understanding of how patient characteristics, nursing factors, and departmental dynamics influence workload in emergency care settings.

The study will take place across two Baystate Health emergency departments in 2026. We are excited to support Dr. Benjamin and the entire nursing research team as they lead this innovative work!

Art of Questioning and Innovation Celebration

On Friday, November 21, Chestnut 1A/B was buzzing with energy as Baystate Health hosted The Art of Questioning and Innovation Celebration. The event brought together a packed audience of nurses, support staff, hospital leaders, local nursing colleges, and community members—each united by a shared commitment to advancing patient care through curiosity and innovation.

As the experts at the bedside, our clinical nurses have unparalleled insight into opportunities for improvement, whether in clinical care, workflow, technology, or equipment. The Art of Questioning and Innovation Campaign empowers staff to ask meaningful clinical questions and explore solutions that drive better outcomes. This initiative is designed to spark curiosity and inspire innovation across the organization.

The celebration featured 27 posters representing projects from Baystate Medical Center, Baystate Wing, Baystate Franklin, ambulatory and specialty clinics, and our ongoing collaboration with the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing UMass Amherst. These posters showcased diverse themes, including:

• Patient Education & Engagement
• Workflow & Staffing Innovations
• Safety & Quality Improvement
• Technology & Innovation
• Chronic Disease & Specialized Care
• Holistic & Supportive Care
• Professional Development & Evidence-Based Practice

The keynote address by Frank Sup, PhD, and Karen Giuliano, PhD, RN (also a Nurse Scientist at Baystate Health) underscored the vital role of bedside clinicians in driving research and innovation. Their presentation highlighted how asking the right questions can lead to transformative ideas, strengthened by our collaboration with the UMass Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation.

The event concluded with recognition of our poster contest winners, celebrating the creativity and commitment of our teams. This celebration reaffirmed our goal: to inspire clinicians, especially direct care nurses, to bring forward questions that enhance care and spark innovation.

Winners of the Event

People’s Choice
BMP Pediatric Endocrinology: Does Educating PCP Offices on the Presentation of Type 1 Diabetes in Children Decrease the Incidence of Diabetic Ketoacidosis at Diagnosis?
Authors: Stacey Cagan RN CDCES, Kathleen Dunn RN CDCES, Hannah Kalette RN CDCES, Crystina Kusy RN CDCES, Charity Zaborowski RN CV-BC

People’s Choice
Baystate Medical Center: Improving Workflow and Satisfaction Through Nurse Assignment Models: Acuity vs. Geography
Authors: Amanda Sevinc, MSN, RN-CMSRN; Ashley Parastatidis, BSN, RN; Janina Cepek, LPN; Robert Persaud, BSN, RN; & Sarah Periera, BSN, RN

3rd Place
Baystate Medical Center: Implementing a Standardized Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Adapter: Will it Reduce Risk of Peritonitis?
Authors: Amanda Sevinc, MSN, RN-CMSRN; Megan Pare, BSN, RN-CMSRN; Debra Bercovici, BSN, RN-CMSRN; Madasyn Ward, BSN-RN-CMSRN; & Toni Baldwin, LPN

2nd Place
Baystate Health Trauma Program: Play, Learn, Move: The Impact of Games, Exercise and Education on Fall Prevention
Authors: Diana Chung-Edwards MSN, RN; Jennifer Gold MSN, RN; Erin Jarosz, OTR/L; Gabriel Rybm MD, MPH, FACS

1st Place
D’Amour Cancer Center: Oncology Journal Club: Disseminating New and Updated Knowledge
Author: Carla Lindsay, MSN, RN, OCN

Department of Nursing Research at Baystate Medical Center presented with UMass Amherst's 2025 Distinguished Community Partner Award

Congratulations to the entire Department of Nursing Research team for their impactful collaboration with the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing & Engineering Innovation at UMass Amherst.

Patricia Faron Receives Nursing Research Grant from the American Holistic Nurses Association

Patty Faron, BSN, RN, HN-BC is a professional nurse expert at the Baystate Pain Management Center and was recently awarded the American Holistic Nurses Association Research Grant for her nursing research fellowship study “A Pilot Study of Aromatherapy on Anxiety and Pain in Patients Undergoing Spinal Procedures.” The aims of the study include: to evaluate the feasibility of studying the use of the essential oil of lavender via inhaler in patients undergoing spinal procedures and evaluate the effects of essential oil of lavender via inhaler on pain and anxiety, procedure blood pressure, respiratory rate and heart rate and increases oxygen saturation pre/post procedure.

The Center for Nursing Excellence and Innovation Receives Daisy Foundation Grant

The Use of M Technique to Reduce Pain and Agitation in the Cancer Patient at the End-of-Life.

Congratulations to the grant team and we look forward to learning more about this groundbreaking work!

Connie Blake EdD, MSN, RNC-OB, HNB-BC (top left)
Lauri Deary, MS, BSN, RN, HN-BC (top right)
Sarah Romain, PhD Candidate, RN (bottom left)
Cidalia J. Vital, PhD, RN, CNL, CRRN (bottom right)
Robin Clark, RN, HN-BC (not pictured)