Lucia Wocial
Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics

Please describe your work with the COVID-19 pandemic.
I am working on triage protocols, identifying resources to address and alleviate moral distress and have been approached by international colleagues wanting to use my instrument (moral distress thermometer) for real time assessment or front line provider moral distress. 

What else would you like the public to know about your role or the role of nurse scientists in the fight against COVID-19?
The ethical challenges for nurses on the front lines are real. People can help us by being patient, and be engaging in difficult conversations about what matters most to them if they were to get sick with COVID-19 and die from it. This is especially important for people with serious illness.

Candy Wilson
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Please describe your work with the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are focusing on research topics for COVID-19 to support nurses caring for patients.

Please give us information about your background and history as a nurse scientist.
I am a military nurse scientist for 12 years. My research background is on symptom science.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented global challenge – one that NINR and the nursing science community are poised to address. While we all know that everyone’s participation is essential in limiting the spread of this novel coronavirus, nurses represent the front line of health care. We are grateful for the dedication of those nurses who have cared for COVID-19 infected patients, and for the commitment of all those who will in the coming weeks and months. We are also proud of the research done by nurse scientists, some of it supported by NINR, that has helped to provide a foundation of evidence and guide best practices in clinical settings, including advances in infection control.

We recognize that many of you will have to balance clinical responsibilities related to the pandemic with your research responsibilities. If you are a current grantee, or if you are planning to submit an application for funding, we urge you to visit https://grants.nih.gov/grants/natural_disasters/corona-virus.htm for the latest NIH guidance. If you have any questions, please contact your NINR program director.