SARAH SZANTON, RN, MSN, CRNP, PhD(c)

Pre-Doctoral Fellow
Health Disparities of Underserved Populations

Faculty Advisor:
Jerilyn K. Allen, RN, ScD, FAAN
Professor, Associate Dean for Research

Dissertation Focus:
My research focus is the chronic stress of poverty as a mediator of cardiovascular disease in older adults. I am also interested in affecting public policy to improve health outcomes of poor and minority older Americans

Publications:
Szanton, S.L. Allostatic Load and Frailty: Does their relationship help us understand health disparities? Women�s Health and Aging Investigator�s Meeting. Baltimore, MD. February 2006.

Szanton, S.L., Gill, J., Allen, J.K. Allostatic Load: a Mechanism of Geriatric Cardiovascular Health Disparities? Hot Topics for Nurse Practitioners, Baltimore, MD. October, 2005

Szanton, S.L., Thorpe, R.J. Health Disparities in Black and White Older Adults. Johns Hopkins University Center on Aging and Health Research in Progress meeting. October 2005

Thorpe, R.J., Szanton, S.L., Health Disparities in Black and White Older Adults. Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Health Disparities Seminar. September 2005.

Szanton, S.L., Thorpe, R.J. Substantive and Methodological Issues in studying Health Disparities in Older Adults. National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health. Washington D.C. January 2006 (In preparation)

Presentations:
Presented lecture on integrating theory into research to undergraduate Nursing Research class. Johns Hopkins School of Nursing September 2004.

Allen JK, Szanton S, McGready J, Lindenstruth K, Curtis C. Impact of obesity on atherogenic lipoprotein subclasses in healthy African American and Caucasian postmenopausal women. American Heart Association 45th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, Washington DC, April 2005.

Szanton, S. Presented to National audience of Johnson and Johnson grantees on evaluating community projects. Washington D.C. May 2005.
Szanton, S.L., Gill, J., Allen, J.K. Allostatic Load: a Mechanism of Geriatric Cardiovascular Health Disparities? Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association National Conference New Orleans, LA. March, 2005. First prize in Geriatric category.
Presented 3 hour doctoral workshop on allostatic load in Stress and the Stress Response course at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing February 2005.

Honors and Awards:
Hartford Foundation Building Geriatric Capacity in Academic Nursing Fellow, 2005-ongoing
National Research Service Award from NINR, 2005-ongoing
Interdisciplinary Research Training on Health Disparities Predoctoral Fellowship through NINR, 2003-2004
MSN Nurse Traineeship Scholarship, University of Maryland, 1996-1998
Maryland Nurses Foundation, 1996-1996
Phi Beta Kappa of Radcliffe Dissertation Funding, 1987-1988

Funding:
NRSA to NINR �Poverty, Stress, and Cardiovascular Disease� 1F31NR009470-01.
Funded June 1, 2005 � July 31, 2007.

John A. Hartford Foundation�s Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity Scholarship Program. Funded July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2007.