Helen K. Burns, PhD, RN
Associate Professor
Associate Dean for Clinical Education
Department of Health & Community Systems

Phone: 412-624-6616
FAX:      412-624-2401    
Email: burnsh@pitt.edu

ADMINISTRATIVE:
My scholarly interests include the nursing workforce, dissemination and translation of research into practice and healthcare provider adherence to evidence-based guidelines to practice.  I am currently the project director of a 5 year federally funded project, the ELITE (Emerging Learning and Integrated Technologies Education) Faculty Development Program.  This project educates nursing faculty on the implementation, evaluation and dissemination of learning technologies in undergraduate and graduate education including simulated learning, informatics, distance education, and telehealth.  I am also the project directive for a Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry clinical education initiatives grant for preceptor development.

RESEARCH:
My scholarly interests include the nursing workforce, dissemination and translation of research into practice and healthcare provider adherence to evidence-based guidelines to practice.  I am currently the project director of a 5 year federally funded project, the ELITE (Emerging Learning and Integrated Technologies Education) Faculty Development Program.  This project educates nursing faculty on the implementation, evaluation and dissemination of learning technologies in undergraduate and graduate education including simulated learning, informatics, distance education, and telehealth.  I am also the project directive for a Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry clinical education initiatives grant for preceptor development.

TEACHING:
I have been a member of the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh since July 2003, as an Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Community Systems. I am the primary teacher for NUR 0051, the Introduction to Professional Nurse course, and teach the health policy component of NUR 3008 Ethics, Public Policy, Finance And Healthcare Organization. A current focus of mine is program and faculty development for high fidelity human simulation, education and evaluation.

SERVICE:
I serve on a number of School of Nursing and University committees. I direct the research dissemination and translation core for the School’s Center for Research in Chronic Disorders. At the national level, I have been appointed to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice and I represent the Pennsylvania & Ohio Public Health Training Center on the Public Health Nursing Interest Group.  I am active on the leadership committee of the Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) for Pennsylvania Region 13 Regional Counterterrorism Task Force and the Allegheny County Immunization Coalition.