Friday, July 7, 2017
Posted by: Courtney Duggan

Nebraska Professor Receives National Nursing Research Award
Dr. Susan Wilhelm Accepts the Hill-Rom/AWHONN Grant

The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) today presented the Hill-Rom/Celeste Phillips Family-Centered Maternity Care Research Award to Susan Wilhelm, PhD, RN, for her research entitled, “The Effects of a Motivational Interviewing Intervention to Increase Breastfeeding Duration in Rural Hispanic Mothers.” The award was presented at AWHONN’s Annual Convention in New Orleans, LA.

This award is supported by Hill-Rom, Inc. and is named for Celeste Phillips, a nurse and internationally recognized leader in family-centered maternity care. Dr. Wilhelm is passionate about utilizing Motivational Interviewing (MI) to promote breastfeeding. Her research examines the effectiveness of the use of MI and an education intervention prenatally to promote increased duration of breastfeeding for Hispanic mothers.

“Dr. Adams’ important research seeks to improve breastfeeding outcomes for Hispanic mothers,” said AWHONN’s Chief Executive Officer, Lynn Erdman, MN, RN, FAAN. “We are grateful for Hill-Rom’s continued support for this award and are excited to see the potential impact this research has on perinatal nursing practices.”

Dr. Wilhelm is an assistant dean and an associate professor in the UNMC College of Nursing-Western Nebraska Division in Scottsbluff. Her clinical background is as a labor and delivery staff nurse and a perinatal educator in the hospital setting. She earned a PhD in education from the University of Wyoming; a Master’s degree in nursing from the University of Wyoming; and a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the University of Northern Colorado.  Dr. Wilhelm is MI a certified and has experience administering and training others to administer MI interventions to promote behavioral change. She has written related publications and given presentations across the United States.  She is a longtime Section Chair for AWHONN and a member of the American Nurses Association.

For media interviews, contact:
Mary Elkordy for AWHONN
202-261-2447
melkordy@awhonn.org

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About AWHONN
Since 1969, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) has been the foremost authority promoting the health of women and newborns and strengthening the nursing profession through the delivery of superior advocacy, research, education, and other professional and clinical resources. AWHONN represents the interests of 350,000 registered nurses working in women’s health, obstetrics, and neonatal nursing across the United States. Learn more about AWHONN at www.awhonn.org.

About Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc.
Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. is a leading global medical technology company with 10,000 employees worldwide. We partner with health care providers in more than 100 countries by focusing on patient care solutions that improve clinical and economic outcomes in five core areas: Advancing Mobility, Wound Care and Prevention, Clinical Workflow, Surgical Safety and Efficiency, and Respiratory Health. Around the world, Hill-Rom’s people, products, and programs work towards one mission: Every day, around the world, we enhance outcomes for patients and their caregivers. Visit www.hill-rom.com for more information.