Three UCSF School of Nursing faculty members are now endowed chairs, beneficiaries of endowments that provide them with important support for their research, teaching and clinical efforts.
The three new endowed chairs are:
• Catherine (Kit) Chesla, RN, DNSc, FAAN, Thelma Shobe Endowed Chair in Ethics and Spirituality
• Christine M. Kennedy, RN, PhD, FAAN, the newly established Jack & Elaine Koehn Endowed Chair in Pediatric Nursing
• Christine Miaskowski, RN, PhD, FAAN, Sharon A. Lamb Endowed Chair in Nursing
Catherine (Kit) Chesla
The holder of the Thelma Shobe Endowed Chair focuses research and teaching on the ethical and spiritual dimensions of nursing practice. Formerly, this chair was held by Patricia Benner, RN, PhD, FAAN, who is now a professor emerita.
Chesla has helped to articulate the ethical comportment of patients and families in the face of chronic illness, as well as the ways in which health care providers and services support, versus impede, families’ attempts to create meaning within the context of illness.
She has published and lectured widely on the conflicts that can emerge between care and technology, as well on the spiritual and ethical dilemmas that families face as they live and suffer alongside a family member with progressive or debilitating illness. Chesla has been involved in past Shobe Lectureship activities and, as the holder of the endowed chair, now will lead these activities.
Christine M. Kennedy
Kennedy is the newly established Jack & Elaine Koehn Endowed Chair in Pediatric Nursing. The holder of this chair is involved in overseeing clinical and research projects and supervising the training of students in the care of children and their families.
Kennedy has taught in all of the neonatal and pediatric programs in the UCSF School of Nursing and is a leader in pediatric nursing, having served on numerous pediatric and child advocacy boards at statewide and national levels.
She was the impetus behind the integration of all pediatric nursing programs at UCSF and the creation under her leadership of a cutting-edge advanced practice program that was identified by US News and World Report as the premier pediatric program in the country.
Kennedy is a renowned expert in children’s health behavior. Her research on risk taking, nutrition, physical activity and sedentary behavior has had significant implications for understanding the early development of obesity in childhood, along with interventions to reduce obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk.
Christine Miaskowski
The holder of the Sharon A. Lamb Endowed Chair is a preeminent nurse-scientist with an international reputation whose research, educational and clinical efforts are in the area of symptom management. Formerly, this chair was held by Marylin Dodd, RN, PhD, FAAN, who is now a professor emerita.
Miaskowski is internationally recognized for her work in symptom management. Her clinical activities have focused on symptom management, especially pain management, since early in her career. Her clinical efforts have included the development of a pain management practice and ongoing work in clinical settings to develop quality measures for pain management.
Miaskowski’s mentorship of students and faculty in these areas has been outstanding, spurring them on to many achievements in their own careers. Her research has focused on evaluating the deleterious effects of unrelieved pain and devising strategies to improve pain management. She is widely recognized for her scholarly achievements and is the recipient of many awards for her scientific contributions.
