School of Nursing faculty member inducted into American Academy of Nursing

December 5, 2005

AUSTIN, Texas—Dr. Eun-Ok Im, associate professor of nursing at The University of Texas at Austin, has been elected a 2005 Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, an organization that strives to promote health policy and practice.

The academy is composed of about 1,500 nursing leaders in education, management, practice and research. Fellows are chosen annually to recognize their efforts in advancing the profession of nursing. The university School of Nursing now has 14 fellows in the academy, three of whom are emeritus faculty members.

An expert in international cross-cultural women’s health issues, Im is developing a computer program to help oncology clinicians better manage the pain of their patients by dealing with gender and ethnic differences in cancer pain experience. She is working with a five-year, $1.8 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant that began in 2003.

“Erroneous assessments and subsequent undertreatment and mistreatment of cancer pain are still common occurrences, disproportionately affecting women and ethnic minorities,” said Im. “Very few expert systems have been developed to effectively support nursing care for patients with cancer pain.”

In addition to providing nurses with new technological tools, Im collects data using Internet survey techniques that allow her to sample across the country and around the world, giving her access to a broader range of individuals from different ethnic groups. She also has written extensively about the ethics of Internet research and has a $1.3 million NIH grant to study ethnic differences in menopausal symptoms.

For more information contact: Nancy Neff, School of Nursing, 512-471-6504.