Loyola Nursing held its largest-ever Ruth K. Palmer Research Symposium in March, highlighting the role of nursing science and interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing health disparities.

The 38th annual event showcased Loyola Nursing’s growing nursing research program and came one month after Loyola was designated an R1 institution by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Keynote speakers were Tené Lewis, a professor of epidemiology at Emory University, and Lenette Jones, the Nancy S. and Michael B. McLelland Professor of Nursing at the University of Michigan.

The Palmer Symposium, which was held at Loyola’s Health Sciences Campus, draws experts in nursing, public health, and medicine.

Several Loyola Nursing faculty were podium presenters, including Assistant Professor Alexandra Nowak and Associate Professor Lindsey Garfield.

Held each spring at Loyola’s Health Sciences Campus, the conference inspires interdisciplinary collaboration and serves as a forum for researchers in nursing, as well as public health and medicine, to develop new partnerships.

Established in 1987 and endowed by former Dean Gladys Kiniery, the Palmer Symposium addresses matters seminal to health care research, education, administration, policy, and clinical practices.