In an era where healthcare organizations are challenged like never before, the role of nurses—as frontline providers, patient advocates, and evidence-based practitioners—has never been more vital. The 2025 Midwest Nursing Research Conference, held in March 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana reaffirmed that research is not only the backbone of nursing practice but also the driving force for future innovations in patient care.
The conference brought together nurse researchers, educators, clinical practitioners, and students from the Midwest to share groundbreaking work, collaborate on new ideas, and inspire the next generation of nursing scientists. Faculty and students from Kent State attended and presented a range of topics—a reflection of Kent State University College of Nursing’s wide scope of scholarly work and its responsiveness to emerging health needs.
Dr. Reed (pictured below, left) presented her interdisciplinary research with Drs. Dodson and Petrinec in a podium presentation titled “Evaluation of the HARMONEE Project in Long Term Care (Harnessing Artificial Intelligence Resources for Mental Wellbeing for Older Adults and Nurturing Empathy in Education)”. She also served as a mentor to Shawna Cripple (pictured below, center), a BSN student who presented a poster “Healing the Healers: A Mental Health Retreat for Nurses to Reduce Burnout and Support Job Retention”. Dr. Reed also worked collaboratively with Drs. Wang and Motter to present “Advancing AI in Nursing: Training, Research, and Practice Implications.” Haley Adams (pictured below right), a BSN student presented a poster “Perceived Resiliency: The Need for Scale Development”. Mentors included Drs. Cleveland, Hansen, Petrinec, and Anita Slack.
Kristine Jacobson (pictured below left) represented the DNP program by displaying a poster titled “A Quality Improvement Measure Bundle to Deliver Memory Care in a Community-Based Neurology Clinic”. Mentors included Drs. Onesko, Cleveland, Knox, and Petrinec. Dr. Aller (pictured below center) displayed a poster, “Exploring the Psychological Capital of Freshmen BSN Students: Reflective Photo Voice”. Dr. Miner (pictured below right) provided a presentation on her interdisciplinary work titled “Leveraging Machine Learning for the Comprehensive Diagnosis and Improved Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder”.
Drs. Anthony and Hansen (pictured below left) displayed a poster “Design Thinking Meets Science: Paving the Way for Emerging Scientists”, a collaborative project with Athichai Pankam, Kobkul Madican (PhD students). Andrea Nelson, a PhD student and mentor Dr. Hansen (pictured below middle) presented “Challenges and Opportunities Utilizing Social Media Recruitment of Adolescents”. Dr. Wang (pictured below left) presented her interdisciplinary work, “Psychometric Properties of the Brief Resilience Scale Among Undergraduate Nursing Students”.
Dr. Edmondson (pictured below right) displayed her research focused on ADHD titled “Effects of Low, Moderate, and High-Intensity Exercise on Executive Function, Functional Impairment, and Symptom Severity in ADHD”. Dr. Petrinec and Wang (pictured below center) presented their collaborative work in a poster, “Post-Intensive Care Syndrome-Family: Psychometric Properties of the PCL-5. Doctoral student Tamara Howell and mentor, Dr. Petrinec (pictured below left), presented a poster titled “Translation and Content Validation of the Total Pain Questionnaire”.
Doctoral student, Kim Haag mentored by Dr. Petrinec (pictured below left) displayed her research “Cognitive Interviews: Assessing ICU Nurses Willingness to Teach Family Caregiving Activities”. The below center picture displays the congregation of past and current faculty at the designated KSU MNRS table. Last but not least - Dr. Miner, students, and colleagues demonstrated research is fun! (pictured below left).
What stood out the most was the steadfast commitment to transforming bedside challenges into research questions – and then into practice-changing answers. Equally inspiring were the voices of early-career nurses and students who presented with confidence and rigor, signaling a bright and strong future for nursing scholarship. Their enthusiasm, paired with the guidance of experienced researchers, demonstrated the power of intergenerational collaboration within the nursing profession.
As we move forward, continued institutional support for nursing research is essential to ensure that nurses are inspired and empowered to ask bold questions and lead meaningful change.
In closing, the 2025 Midwest Nursing Research Conference did more than celebrate research; it reignited a shared purpose: to use evidence as a catalyst for compassionate, effective and equitable care.
And that, more than anything, is what nursing is all about!