Honoring a Legacy : Madalynn Neu , PhD , RN
Career success depends on both internal and external factors . First , the individual must possess extraordinary ability and drive ; next , the individual ’ s environment must provide ample opportunity and support . By leveraging internal and external resources , Madalynn Neu has had , without a doubt , a very successful career . “ I like to learn , and I like research ,” Neu says . “ And Children ’ s has done so much for me .”
CAREER BEGINNINGS
Neu received her bachelor of science in nursing from St . Louis University , and , after 11 years of working in the NICU at Loyola University ( Chicago ) Medical Center , relocated with her family to Denver , where she again settled in the NICU , this time at Children ’ s Hospital Colorado . At Children ’ s Colorado , she started making the kinds of observations that launch research studies and research careers . “ I saw that opioid meds were being administered to babies during weighing , which was different from where I ’ d worked previously , and I wanted to explore that ,” Neu remembers . “ Susan Koch was the head nurse . She helped and encouraged me , and at night , when it was slow , I would look at charts . When I finished this first study , she sent me to a conference to present the findings .”
would propel her toward formal graduate study . “ Maureen Keefe , Ann Marie Kotzer , Dori Biester , really everyone at Children ’ s was nurse-forward , research-forward , and they supported my starting the master ’ s in nursing program at CU in 1989 ,” Neu recalls . She became one of the first practicing nurses to conduct research at Children ’ s Hospital Colorado .
Upon completing her master ’ s , it was only natural for Neu to get her PhD in nursing . “ I found I could finally get answers to questions ,” Neu recalls . “ Eventually , my network would grow to include the Developmental Psychobiology Research Group on campus — JoAnn Robinson , Mark Laudenslager — people who were really focused on child development .”
CAREER FOCI
Neu ’ s program of research includes a predoctoral NIH National Research Service Award grant that examined sequelae of infant irritability , a postdoctoral fellowship that focused on maternal holding patterns , a K23 award that addressed infant emotion regulation , and an R21 that examined the benefits of massage therapy for infants with gastroesophageal reflux disease ( GERD ). Three of her publications reporting findings from NIH-funded grants received special recognition — two as best journal article of the year , and the other as one of the most downloaded articles of the year .
Intervention studies for medically fragile infants . Neu ’ s early work was motivated by experiences at the bedside with critically ill infants . “ I led interdisciplinary research studies investigating physiological and emotional interventions to
At the same time , Joy Browne , who had a PhD in psychology , began working with the Children ’ s Colorado NICU on implementing developmentally supportive care . “ Dimming the lights , keeping voices down … just keeping the stimulation low for the babies who were sick and small ,” Neu says . Soon , Neu and the NICU staff were asking questions that would inform additional best practices : Is swaddling effective in comforting infants during weighing ? How about kangaroo holding ? Should babies be transferred to the parent for holding to achieve optimal outcomes ? These questions reflected Neu ’ s curiosity ; in turn , this curiosity
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