Penn State College of Nursing faculty and research staff have made contributions to two recently published textbooks in health sciences.
Kesha Baptiste-Roberts, assistant professor of nursing and public health sciences at the Hershey campus, co-edited and contributed chapters for “Obesity During Pregnancy in Clinical Practice,” published by Springer in December. The clinical textbook highlights the evidence on obesity during pregnancy and postpartum, giving clinicians the knowledge necessary to communicate with patients about effective lifestyle interventions to break the cycle of obesity. Baptiste-Roberts authored a chapter titled “Maternal Obesity and Implications for the Long-term Health of the Offspring,” and co-authored “Body Image as a Contributor to Weight in Pregnancy and Postpartum: Racial Differences.” Danielle Downs, associate professor of kinesiology and obstetrics/gynecology in the College of Health and Human Development, also was a contributing author.
Janice Penrod, professor of nursing and director of Penn State’s Center for Nursing Research; Lisa Kitko, assistant professor; and Gwen McGhan, research assistant, authored a chapter in the eighth edition of “Nursing Theorists and Their Work” (ed. Martha Raile Alligood), published by Mosby in October. An in-depth look at 39 significant theorists, the book presents case studies, critical thinking activities, and objective critiques to help bridge the gap between nursing theory and application. The Penn State researchers contributed a chapter on the theory of illness trajectory, developed by Carolyn L. Wiener and Marilyn J. Dodd, which describes how patients and families manage uncertainty caused by chronic illness.