Cheryl Giscombé Wins RWJF Grant

Cheryl Giscombé Dr. Cheryl Giscombé

SON Assistant Professor Cheryl Giscombé, PhD, RN, FAEN, won a highly competitive grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Nurse Faculty Scholars program. Giscombé is one of only 12 nurse educators to win the three-year, $350,000 award this year, which is given to outstanding junior faculty who demonstrate promise as future leaders in nursing. The award will be used to support Dr. Giscombé’s academic career and her research.

Dr. Giscombé will apply the award to her mixed-method study of the influence of stress and coping on health disparities in African American women. Her project investigates how the social and cultural context of African American women’s lives influence stress-related obesity and diabetes risk. With previous support from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Giscombé developed a theoretical framework called the Superwoman Schema to describe how social and cultural patterns such as an obligation to present an image of strength and to focus on care-giving rather than self-care contribute to health disparities in African American women.

“I am truly grateful to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for making such a significant contribution toward my ability to conduct research that generates evidence to support the adoption of culturally-relevant integrated models of care where biological, mental and emotional aspects of health are considered simultaneously,” said Dr. Giscombé. “The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars program will provide support for me to obtain research and leadership training so that I can effectively influence changes in health care delivery and policy to create more equitable health for this population,” she added.

Read more in this press release: Cheryl Giscombé, PhD, RN, FAEN Selected as a 2012 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar