NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

Dr. Martha “Marti” Engelke has spent her career developing partnerships that help people – often children – manage chronic illness.

Engelke, longtime professor and associate dean for research and creative activity in the College of Nursing, has received East Carolina University’s 2014 Scholarship of Engagement Award.

“Nursing is a practice discipline,” Engelke said. “When working with nursing in the community, it keeps you grounded. You know more about what’s going on in the real world.”

Engelke’s background is public health nursing. “It just comes natural that I would be working with nurses in community settings,” she said.

One of her recent and notable collaborations has been with the N.C. Division of School Health to develop a case management program for students with chronic illness ranging from asthma, diabetes and severe allergies to attention deficit disorder.

Engelke and her partners developed a tool kit for school nurses, a nursing model of case management, a website and portal for data entry and statewide interdisciplinary educational programs.

Research shows that school nurses who use the model improve the health, safety and quality of life for students with chronic illnesses, said Engelke, who was awarded the outstanding research award by the National Association of School Nurses.

Two Kate B. Reynolds Health Care Trust grants have helped to grow the program from five rural counties in eastern North Carolina to 29 counties across the state.

“The project helped not only children and their families in the communities…but also improved school health programs in those school districts,” said Martha Guttu, a nurse and school health consultant from Edenton who partnered with Engelke on the project.

Engelke continues to receive requests for materials, speaks about the program and is participating in a new initiative to establish a statewide school nurse research network.

“I don’t think school nurses are recognized for all they do,” Engelke said. “With the stress and mental health issues in schools today, it’s becoming more and more a part of the role of the school nurse.”

In 1996, Engelke was awarded a federal Health Resources and Services Administration grant to develop a community health concentration in the college’s graduate program. The goal was to prepare community-based nurses who could lead interdisciplinary teams and use emerging technology to combat serious health problems.

She worked with a colleague at Pitt County Memorial Hospital (now Vidant Medical Center) to develop an early telehealth model to serve chronically ill patients, particularly those with heart failure. The program showed a reduction in hospital readmission rates and improvement in quality of life. That project received the international nursing honor society Sigma Theta Tau Information Technology Award for clinical practice in 1999. Since then, the model has expanded and is used across the country.

“She has an exemplary record of enduring and substantial contributions to partnered scholarly endeavors with communities and has demonstrated a strong commitment to engagement with community partners to transform the health of rural underserved regions,” said Dr. Sylvia T. Brown, dean of the College of Nursing, in her nomination letter.

Helping others was instilled in Engelke as a child. “The idea of caring for people was very important, serving your fellow man or woman,” she said. “It was always a part of our family.”

Engelke plans to return to teaching and reduce her administrative duties by fall semester. She has led nursing’s research, scholarship and creative activity efforts since 2001, and serves as the Richard R. Eakin Distinguished Professor of Nursing.

Engelke received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Michigan State University, a master’s degree in public health nursing and health education from the University of Michigan, and a doctorate in sociology from N.C. State University.

She is a recipient of the Sigma Theta Tau, Beta Nu Chapter of Excellence in Research Award and, in 2012, was awarded the ECU Teacher/Scholar Award. In October, Engelke was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, a prestigious honor in the field of nursing.

Engelke has secured more than $1.2 million in funding, has published more than 40 articles, written four book chapters and made numerous national and international presentations. She has chaired several doctoral dissertations, student research projects and served on dozens of master’s theses committees and research projects at ECU.

— Crystal Baity