In higher education these days, it’s not very often we get to give money away—even to the most impactful and innovative projects. But thanks to the generous support of our longstanding donors and our incredible peer reviewers, this past spring the UW School of Nursing Office for Nursing Research & Innovation was able to award $100,000 to four rigorous research projects from UW School of Nursing investigators.
The Research Intramural Funding Program (RIFP) is designed to enhance the research environment within the School of Nursing by providing faculty with seed funding to initiate innovative studies and collect pilot data that will lead to advancements in our understanding of clinically relevant issues. These foundational efforts aim to support future applications for extramural funding and foster a culture of scholarly excellence within the UW School of Nursing.
We are proud to recognize the 2025 RIFP awardees for their visionary projects
Maria Bleil, PhD
Associate Professor, Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing
Research study: Does exposure to air pollution accelerate pubertal development in girls?
Supported by: Suzanne E. VanHooser Endowed Nursing Research Fund
Omeid Heidari, PhD, MPH, ANP-C
Assistant Professor, Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing
Research study: Development of a nurse-led implementation strategy to reach individuals at high risk of an opioid overdose with high-quality treatment services
Supported by: Dean’s Nursing Research Fund
Jerusha Mogaka, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics
Research study: Monitoring biomarkers of metabolic health among mother-infant pairs using novel dried blood spot assays
Supported by: Suzanne E. VanHooser Endowed Nursing Research Fund
M. Rebecca O’Connor, PhD, RN
Associate Professor, Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing
Research study: Rapid Redesign of IBIAS™ Implementation to Support Adoption in an Evolving Higher Education Climate
Supported by: Troop Endowed Nursing Research Fund
As we celebrated and supported these outstanding scholars, we were equally eager to explore the insights emerging from recently concluded RIFP-funded projects. Throughout the 2025–2026 academic year, the ONR&I Lunch and Learn series provided opportunities for members of our vibrant research community to share their findings, discuss their impact and chart the path forward for research that improves the health and well-being of Washingtonians and beyond.