Partnership Seed Funding Advances Nursing Scholarship

Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences Nursing Seed Funding program has awarded funding to five collaborative research projects, with each project receiving $5,000 to support innovative work that fosters nursing scholarship and practice.

"This seed funding award recognizes the innovative spirit and dedication of our nurses,” said Kathleen Poindexter, Ph.D., Henry Ford + MSU Nursing Steering Committee member and MSU BSN Nursing Program interim associate dean. "By fostering collaboration between Henry Ford and MSU, they support projects that advance nursing scholarship, improve patient care, and strengthen the future of health care.”

This funding initiative supports grant proposals that leverage clinical expertise and scientific strengths from both Henry Ford and MSU. The funding also aims to catalyze collaboration to enhance nursing inquiry and raise scholarly visibility through joint research, innovation and dissemination.

"These awardees are setting a new standard for nursing research and practice,” said Angela Morris, DNP, Henry Ford + MSU Nursing Steering Committee member and Henry Ford Nursing Clinical Education director. “Their creativity and evidence-based approaches have the potential to transform patient care and inspire the next generation of nursing leaders."

The recipients of the 2025 Nursing Seed Funding program are:

• Shaping the Future of Henry Ford + MSU Cancer Nursing Research and Quality Improvement: A Collaborative Priority-Setting Conference
  • Principal Investigators: Courtney Sullivan, Ph.D. (MSU) and Cynthia Faigin, M.H.A. (Henry Ford)
• Virtual Reality as a Tool to Evaluate Comfort and Clinical Skills in Ambulatory Nursing and Medical Assistant Training
  • Principal Investigators: Hillary Hart, M.S.N. (Henry Ford) and Jeanette Tanafranca, D.N.P. (MSU)
• The Benefit of Doll Therapy on Decreasing Patient Falls on a Medical General Practice Unit
  • Principal Investigators: Christy Vrana Stevens, B.S.N. (Henry Ford) and Joshua Winowiecki, D.N.P. (MSU)
• Understanding Nursing Time Spent On Patient Repositioning To Prevent Pressure Injuries
  • Principal Investigators: Sarah Beldin, M.S.N. (Henry Ford) and Tamara Bush, Ph.D. (MSU)
• Developing Visual Tracheostomy and Feeding Tube Care Videos for the HNC Post-surgery Survivorship Care Plan
  • Principal Investigators: Reema Rahal, M.S. (Henry Ford) and Veronica Bernacchi, Ph.D., (MSU)