Freshman class

New measures

William Fehder, clinical associate professor of adult health nursing

PhD, University of Pennsylvania

Representative publication: "Nursing Care and Management of Pathological Oral Conditions Among Women and Children,'' MCN, American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 33 (1)

I study salivary biomarkers of pain and anxiety as measures for nursing research and care. Some patients—very young children, for example, or those who have aphasia caused by a stroke—cannot verbally report sensations of pain and anxiety. This limits the ability of nurses and other health practitioners to assess patients' conditions. Measuring indicators of pain and anxiety found in saliva will enable caregivers to provide more prompt and effective treatment with less risk and upset to patients.