Page 33 - Johns Hopkins Nursing Magazine Fall 2020 - Johns Hopkins School of Nursing

NEWS FROM JOHNS HOPKINS NURSING His research seeks to streamline care China at an affiliated institution as Bloomberg News. “I, like everyone else, Working Remotely 41 countries that Jhpiego serves—or to Stender loves the job, and has learned NEWS FROM JOHNS HOPKINS NURSING
statewide on proper use of PPE,
established a mobile COVID-19
well as country-level health system
want to get back to normal, and so I
to roll with it. The current road trip
began as a journey to a July memorial
responses to tuberculosis and HIV
raised my hand to participate. As a
testing site in a parking lot behind
researcher, it is my ethical obligation
service at Lake Tahoe in Nevada for
co-infection.
the Johns Hopkins School of
Stacie Stender, ’99, ’01, facilitates response for Jhpiego
to also participate if I’m enrolling
her brother, who died in January.
Nursing, and recently announced his
In other words, this isn’t Farley’s first
Afterward, Stender and her husband
commitment to personally take part
patients in trials.”
boxing match with an epidemic, and
in vaccine trials.
decided, “Let’s just keep going.”
Stacie Stender, a senior technical
systems and capacity in several of the
Besides, “home” is a different concept
advisor with Jhpiego, was somewhere
these days. Even while getting back in
on the West Coast, having stopped for
approaches that optimize navigation,
roads, Stender has left her heart in
linkage, engagement, and retention
only a moment as she, her husband,
sub-Saharan Africa, India, and Haiti,
and a new pup rode out the COVID-19
focused on revitalization of primary
South Africa, where she had lived since
in care for individuals with infectious
of stress, and that feeling of
2004. She returned to the U.S. in March,
care and ensuring equitable access to
diseases, including studies designed “It was constant maneuvering and a lot pandemic in an Airstream Basecamp travel. She has spent 18 years traversing touch with America through its back
to keep patients engaged in care trailer. It’s no vacation, days filled health care. leaving “a beautiful home in Cape
over long periods of illness. He is the with the same
director and founder of the REACH personal responsibility.” cavalcade of
Initiative serving Baltimore City virtual meetings “get the evidence in the right hands and
residents living with and at risk for and sensitive
HIV and associated co-infections. He discussions
is a fellow in the American Academy he’s not the type to back down. “We — as her normal make sure people are sharing the information.”
of Nursing, most recently serving all really want to get back to normal schedule, with
as chair of the Emerging Infectious as quickly as we can, and to be able For Clinical Nurse Specialist the added stress
Diseases Expert Panel. As a seasoned to do that, we have to stand up and Michelle Patch, PhD, MSN, RN, a of connecting
infection-prevention expert, he participate—all of us, as many as transition to full-time assistant with people in time zones across the Along the way, she’s helped ramp up Town,” a favorite sushi joint, beloved
was part of a Johns Hopkins team we can and as quickly as we can—in professor at JHSON would have to be world. From the camper, Stender uses efforts to combat HIV, tuberculosis, colleagues, and the convenience of a
evaluating the SARS response in the various vaccine trials,” he told temporarily set aside as she jumped her cellphone to create a portable and now coronavirus. Her job is time zone that more closely matched
30 to join the core of Johns Hopkins WiFi hotspot, logs on to her computer, to observe, analyze available data, that of nations she frequently visits or 31
Medicine’s pandemic response as and she is wherever her leadership is have frank conversations without Zooms into.
an operations chief of its unified needed most. overstepping or condescending, and
command center. Through spring “get the evidence in the right hands The dream is to eventually split the
and summer, she worked on a team A family nurse practitioner and and make sure people are sharing year between the U.S. and South Africa,
to untangle a knot of logistical specialist in infectious diseases, the information.” Stender must keep but scale back her other international
puzzles, like how to allocate personal Stender is no stranger to outbreaks— the focus on facts, not local rumors, travel even as she looks for ways to
protective equipment evenly across spending up to 50 percent of her time and filter a stream of information for make a greater impact on health
the institution. “It was constant each year on the road building health what’s most relevant there and then. systems wherever she may be. Of
maneuvering and a lot of stress,” course, COVID-19 will have a lot to say
Patch says. “And that feeling of “We synthesize and about the timing of her plans. She’ll
personal responsibility.” translate evidence into cross that bridge, ocean, or stretch of
practice on the ground,” highway when she gets there.
JOHNS HOPKINS NURSING FALL/WINTER 2020
There was no second-guessing. The she explains. Protocols
months that have followed have only must be developed and Meanwhile, Stender thinks we will all
reinforced in the researcher, educator, tested and adapted locally. take some positive social and work-
and caregiver a belief in the huge role Cultivating relationships life lessons away from the pandemic.
to be played by nurses with the proper and trust with a local “People are starting to recognize how
education and practice authority. And nurse or physician in each precious time is,” she says. “We’re
what she has accomplished—and country is a crucial task. learning to not just talk for an hour
learned—on COVID’s front lines will After all that, “It’s still up to at meetings, or have a meeting just
soon enough come with her back to governments to implement to have a meeting, but respect each
the classroom. ◼ them.” That can be among other’s time—start on time and end MAGAZINE.NURSING.JHU.EDU
the biggest challenges. early if you’re finished.”
This article includes reporting from (“Misinformation on
Johns Hopkins University’s newsletter, COVID-19 is not unique to Many among us would give the world
the HUB. the U.S.,” she says.) to see that. ◼