ITONF Research Subcommittee
ITONF is proud to announce the formation of the ITONF Research Subcommittee (IRSC) in 2023. The IRSC’s main objectives are to raise awareness and interest in thoracic oncology nurse-led research and provide research related education and mentorship. Their first meeting was held on March 9, 2023, and the IRSC has been meeting on a regular basis over the past year.
The IRSC’s members include:
- Yeur-Hur Lai, PhD, RN, FAAN – Professor, School of Nursing, National Taiwan University (NTU); Deputy Director, Office of Research & Devel., NTU College of Medicine; Director, Dept. Nursing, NTU Cancer Center (NTU Cancer Hospital); Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Nursing Research
- Yun-Hsisang Lee (YH Lee), RN, PhD – Assistant professor, National Taiwan University, School of Nursing, Taiwan
- Meng-Ping Hsiao, RN, MS – Nurse Researcher in NTU Cancer Center (NTU Cancer Hospital), Taiwan
- Angela Tod – Division of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Sheffield, UK
- Catherine Henshall, MN, RGN, MA, PhD – Nurse Researcher at Oxford Brookes University, UK
- Stephanie Ejegi-Memeh, PhD, RN – Research Associate, Division of Nursing and Midwifery, Health Sciences School, University of Sheffield, UK
Led superbly by the IRSC Chair, Melissa Culligan, RN, BSN, MS, PhDc – Director of Thoracic Surgery Research, Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, USA.
Melissa Cullingham (USA)
Research Lead
Melissa is the Director of Clinical Research for the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Temple University Hospital. She received her BSN from Wilkes University and a Master’s of Science degree from Drexel University College of Medicine in area of Clinical Research. She has more than 30 years of experience working in the field of thoracic surgery with a special focus and expertise in caring for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma and advanced stage lung cancer. She is the co-author of multiple peer-reviewed papers on the topics of lung cancer and mesothelioma and has lectured nationally and internationally on the nursing care of patients undergoing thoracic surgery. She has a special interest in clinical trial development and management for thoracic oncology patients and leads multiple surgery-based clinical trials at Temple University Hospital and Fox Chase Cancer Center. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. Her doctoral research is focused on the experience of dyspnea for patients undergoing lung-sparing surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Plans for the Research Subcommittee, 2023-2026
The IRSC has developed a strategic plan for 2023-26 which includes development of the Research section of this website, hosting a quarterly thoracic oncology nursing journal club, highlighting nurse-led research within the website and hosting research related educational programs, both in-person and virtually. The IRSC was instrumental in developing the Pillar III research session of the IASLC-NAHP & ITONF Collaborative Workshop to be held at the IASLC-WCLC on September 7, 2024. The IRSC is currently planning to host a webinar in November 2024 that will focus on mixed methods research in thoracic oncology nursing. We will be sharing the details of this webinar during the collaborative workshop at WCLC and will also have details shortly available here, including a link for registration. We are very excited and proud of this international group of thoracic oncology nurse researchers who are willing to share their knowledge and experience with the members of ITONF. It is through nurse-led research that we will be able to improve the care we deliver, optimizes quality of life, and enhance treatment outcomes for thoracic oncology patients around the world.
