In August, ANF's 12-member Nursing Research Review Committee (NRRC) awarded more than $85,000 in ANF Nursing Research Grants (NRG) funds for the 2009 cycle. Linda Chlan, PhD, RN, chaired the 2009 NRRC to complete her third and final year on the committee. Chlan joined the NRRC in 2007 and was named vice-chair in 2008 and chair in 2009.

Chlan was responsible for leading the more than 70 reviewers through the high caliber and rigorous scientific review, then guiding the NRRC through a two-day conference call, during which final reviews were held and the 2009 grants awarded to the most highly qualified applicants. She led with professionalism, focus, and commitment, ensuring the integrity of the overall process.

On Aug. 10 and 11, the 2009 NRRC met by conference call to review the applications ANF received for funding. After two days of intense review, the NRRC recommended to the ANF board of trustees that prestigious grants be awarded to the nurse researchers. Along with NRRC Vice-Chair Patricia Flannery Pearce, MPH, PhD, FNP-BC, Chlan was highly praised by the NRRC members for her careful direction and valuable input to future Nursing Research Grant (NRG) review cycles. Her humor and concentration on the goal at hand culminated in the 2009 process' success.

Chlan serves as associate professor at the University of Minnesota, School of Nursing. Her specialty areas of research are outcomes and effectiveness of nursing interventions and testing non-pharmacologic relaxation and anxiety management techniques with critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilatory support, specifically music intervention.

One of Chlan's active research endeavors is a National Institute of Nursing Research-funded multi-site clinical trial that is testing patient-directed music intervention for anxiety self-management in patients receiving mechanical ventilatory support. Chlan and her team of investigators are also studying the feasibility of patient-controlled sedation in critically ill patients who are receiving mechanical ventilatory support. Chlan feels that patients should be more involved in the management of their symptoms, even in the ICU. Scientifically sound research and appropriate interventions led by nurses can promote this goal.

For 2010, Pearce will step in as the NRRC chair, with Joachim Voss, PhD, RN, serving as vice chair. ANF wishes Chlan continued career success in nursing research and education.

Since 1955, the American Nurses Foundation (ANF), as the philanthropic arm of the American Nurses Association (ANA), has been in the business of promoting the welfare and well-being of nurses, advancing the nursing profession and enhancing the public health. This vital work is possible through the nurse researchers who proudly call themselves ANF Scholars. Over the past 54 years, ANF has awarded over $4 million to more than 1,000 beginning and experienced nurse researchers. Many of these ANF Scholars have gone on to become leaders in nursing research, the profession, and their own communities.

For more information on the American Nurses Foundation (ANF), visit www.ANFonline.org. ANF is a not-for-profit, 501(c)3, organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law in support of ANF's work and mission.