A. Marilyn Sime Faculty Research Fellowship

Applications now being accepted for the 2014-2016 Fellowship

A critical role of the Center is to generate and disseminate research in complementary therapies and healing practices. While many of these practices have flourished for thousands of years, relatively little formal research has been conducted. In establishing a research program, the Center for Spirituality and Healing faces several significant challenges.

• There is a shortage of faculty nationally as well as within the University who have the knowledge and skills to conduct research in the field.
• Federal funding remains quite limited and competitive.
• To successfully compete for federal funding, preliminary or pilot studies are generally required.

Established in 1998 from a gift by School of Nursing Professor Emeritus, A. Marilyn Sime, PhD, RN, the fellowship was created to identify and support faculty who have high potential for a research career in areas including complementary therapies and healing practices, spirituality and cross-culture healing practices.

Under the fellowship program, faculty receive up to .50 funding for a period of up to two years. At the conclusion of the fellowship, it is expected that extramural funding will sustain the research. Research fellows hold appointments in both their academic department/collegiate unit as well as the Center for Spirituality & Healing. University of Minnesota tenure and tenure-track faculty are eligible to apply for Faculty Research Fellowships in the Center for Spirituality & Healing.

Application process:

The Sime Fellowship for 2012-2014 cycle has been named. To apply for the A. Marilyn Sime Faculty Research Fellowship, please submit the following materials to Pamela Cherry by Monday, March 31, 2014:

• A letter that describes your long-term research goals as well as what you hope to accomplish during the 2-year fellowship program. Please be specific in describing the research you would like to initiate and your education/training and mentorship needs
• Curriculum vitae
• Letters of support from a division head or department chair, and a colleague who can describe your research potential in the area of complementary therapies and healing practices

Pamela Cherry
University of Minnesota
Center for Spirituality and Healing
MMC 505
420 Delaware Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-626-2356
Fax: 612-626-5280
Email: cherr006@umn.edu

For more information, please contact Pamela Cherry at 612-626-2356 or cherr006@umn.edu.

Previous & Current Sime Fellows and Research Focus:

'12 -'14, Susan O'Connor-Von, Phd, RN
Spiritual care needs for persons receiving palliative care.

'10 - 12, Annie Heiderscheit, PhD, MT-BC, FAMI, LMFT
Imagery and musical interventions in clinical settings.

'08 - '10, Patricia Judson, MD, FACOG, FACS
Complementary and alternative therapies for patients with gynecologic cancers.

'06 - '08, Laura Duckett, PhD, MPH, RN
Reiki therapy for premature infants and their mothers. 

'04 - '06, Gretchen Zunkel, PhD, RN
Emotional health and well-being for women and their significant others coping with a recent breast cancer diagnosis.

'02 - '04, Linda Halcon, PhD, RN
Tea Tree oil as an antimicrobial treatment for chronic wound infections.

'00 -'02, Linda Chlan, PhD, RN
Non-pharmacologic therapies for patients recieving long-term mechanical venilation.