 |
|
| Edwin Aroke, MSN, CRNA, a PhD student in the Graduate School of Nursing, was named the 2014 Emerging Scholar by the International Society of Nurses in Genetics. |
Edwin Aroke, MSN, CRNA, a PhD student in the Graduate School of Nursing, was named the 2014 Emerging Scholar by the International Society of Nurses in Genetics. The honor for his research abstract “Exploring the pharmacogenetics of ketamine-induced emergence phenomena” was announced at the society’s 2014 World Congress on Nursing and Genomics held Nov. 7 to 9 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
A global nursing specialty organization dedicated to genomic health care, education, research and scholarship, the International Society of Nurses in Genetics fosters and advocates for the scientific and professional development of its members and the nursing community in the discovery, interpretation, application and management of genomic information for the promotion of the public's health and well being.
“My career goal is to develop a research program to investigate the pharmacogenetics of anesthetics and pain medications to lead to better prescribing decisions by providers and better outcomes for patients,” said Aroke, a third year PhD student and a nurse anesthetist at UMass Memorial Medical Center.
UMass Chan is one of just a few PhD in nursing programs that requires all students take at least one course in genetics and genomics. “This requirement was added two years ago to meet the growing need of nurse scientists to understand the interplay between genetics and clinical outcomes,” explained Carol Bova, PhD, professor of nursing and medicine and director of the PhD in nursing program.
Aroke received his bachelor’s in nursing from Salem State College and his master’s in nursing and registered nurse anesthetist certification from Duke University. He received further didactic and laboratory training in genetics through the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Nursing Research’s 2014 Summer Genetics Institute, a highly competitive month-long experience that gives participants a foundation in molecular genetics appropriate for use in research and clinical practice.
“Edwin is an outstanding doctoral student who has excelled in every aspect of our program,” said Dr. Bova. “We are so proud of his accomplishments and believe he will be a wonderful ambassador for our doctoral program going forward.”
