Giving nurse practitioners the authority to prescribe buprenorphine has brought that gold standard treatment for opioid addiction to people who might not have had access to it before, according to a new study led by Tracy Klein, PhD, associate professor at the Washington State University College of Nursing in Vancouver.

Klein and her colleagues Dan Hartung, PharmD, and Jonah Geddes, MPH, used Prescription Drug Monitoring Data to look at prescription and dispensing patterns in Oregon before and after nurse practitioners and physician assistants gained the authority to prescribe buprenorphine in 2017. Before that time, only physicians were allowed to prescribe the medication nationally.

Her study … » More …

Lonnie Nelson’s work improving the health and well-being of indigenous peoples has earned him grant funding, awards and citations as an academic researcher at Washington State University Health Sciences.

Very rural areas in the United States have fewer mental health services for young people, yet that’s where the help is needed the most, says a study led by Janessa Graves of the Washington State University College of Nursing, published this week in JAMA Network Open.

Connie Kim Yen Nguyen-Truong, PhD, RN, an assistant professor at the Washington State University College of Nursing in Vancouver, is being honored with the 2020 Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Award from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Calls to U.S. poison centers about phenibut, an anti-anxiety drug sold on the internet, rose dramatically over the past decade, according to new research led by Janessa Graves, associate professor and associate dean at the Washington State University College of Nursing.

Debbie Brinker has been named a 2020 Woman of Achievement by the YWCA of Spokane.

Three Washington State University College of Nursing faculty will be inducted as Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing this fall.

Marijuana can worsen depression, anxiety and cognition among people who use cannabis to help with their chronic pain, according to a new study. Negative effects increased with the amount of cannabis used, said the study, published recently in the journal Pain Management Nursing.

Dr. Mary Koithan is facing more than a few unknowns as she prepares to become the next dean of the WSU College of Nursing. Will there be faculty and staff in the building when she begins her new job on July 1? What’s the plan for instruction in the fall semester? And how in the world do you sell one house and buy another given social distancing and travel challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic?

We spoke to Dr. Koithan via Zoom recently about what attracted her to the WSU College of Nursing and what’s important for the future of nursing education and … » More …

Associate Professor Janessa Graves has been named a recipient of the 2020 WSU President’s Award for Leadership-Faculty and Staff.

The President’s Awards, which have been granted since 1996, recognize top leaders at WSU.

“Recipients of this prestigious award demonstrate exceptional leadership and service to the university and the community as well as to those who support leadership development in WSU students,” according to the university.

The Faculty and Staff category recognizes “Candidates (who) challenge and work with students to support their development into active global citizens, and collaborate with others on campus or in the community to promote engagement.”

Dr. Graves is Director of the … » More …