Oakland University School of Nursing’s Barbara Penprase Ph.D., RN, has been named the inaugural Endowed Professor at Crittenton Hospital Medical Center (CHMC), a position that will allow her to work in a collaborative role with Crittenton Hospital and focus on the evidence based outcomes of relationship based care (RBC).
“I am very excited about this excellent opportunity,” Dr. Penprase said. “My background was in hospital administration before I began to teach at OU, 17 years ago. This professorship will allow me to have the best of both worlds. It will really extend the scope of my research into a clinical focus based on practice outcomes for relationship based care and still be able to teach.”
The $2 million endowed professorship is a gift from the CHMC Foundation to the OUSON, designed to support the advancement of professional nursing practice and research.
The outcomes of Dr. Penprase’s work will encourage innovation and evidence to support improved patient care, strengthen clinical leadership and develop processes for efficient, safe and high-quality patient care delivery.
It will also allow Dr. Penprase to follow OUSON students who had participated in the RBC cohort as they graduate and begin to practice in the community. The cohort has been in place since 2008, with the fifth group beginning the program this fall.
The cohort allows up to 24 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students a year to immerse into a setting of caring that encourages the RBC model and continually applied these concepts throughout their clinical rotations - all of which will be held at CHMC, with the exception of pediatrics.
“This method makes a difference in the way students practice,” Dr. Penprase said. “It is very important for students in a clinical practice fields to gain experience in the heath care setting and to learn how to meet different community needs. It allows nurses to move our discipline forward and to evolve practices and methods that are more effective.”
Dr. Penprase’s research focuses on empathy in nurses, which is a natural fit with RBC. It is focused on building relationships and emotional bonds that benefit the healing process and increases the satisfaction levels of both patients and nurses.
OUSON Dean Kerri Schuiling, Ph.D., CNM, FACNM, FAAN, is enthusiastic about Dr. Penprase's appointment and her research.
"The RBC philosophy empowers the patient because the patient is respected as a critical member of the treatment team and participates in his or her own treatment,” she said. “Dr. Penprase has been practicing the tenets of RBC through her work with students, staff and patients for a number of years. I can't think of a better person for the position."
For more information about programs and courses in Oakland’s SON, view the website at
oakland.edu/nursing.
