We're about the science.
Associate Professor
School of Nursing, College of Health Sciences
University of Delaware
323 McDowell Hall
Newark, DE 19716
Email: ccannon@udel.edu
Phone: (302) 831-8389
Fax: (302) 831-2382
PhD, Family Studies, University of Delaware, 1997
MSN, Adult/Chronic Illnesses Studies, University of Pennsylvania, 1978
BSN, Nursing, University of Delaware, 1970
Following 20 years of nursing practice and coordination of interdisciplinary patient and family education at a large medical center, I started college teaching at the University of Delaware. I have combined my love of science, research and families by teaching pathophysiology, health assessment, nursing research, and the family contexts of chronic illness and by working with students interested in quantitative and qualitative methods to understand the reciprocal impacts of illness and family relationships. I have given priority to developing research-based products / publications to support families in need (such as the Caring Partners Program at www.caringpartnersde.org.) In addition to professional service, I have been a life-long volunteer for the American Lung Association at local and national levels.
My research agenda continues to extend to the study of the impact of chronic illness on young and middle-aged marriages — with a growing emphasis on the bio-psycho-social changes in “well” partners. My research on marital coping in alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, young couples confronting breast cancer, caregiving, and continuing nursing education has been disseminated internationally. Based on recent mentorship opportunities at University of Pennsylvania during my 2005-6 INBRE – NIH fellowship, my research has extended into areas of sleep alterations in families coping with chronic illness. My goals include the discovery of new information, the translation of the many current findings that can improve the quality of life for families, and the fueling of student excitement to build upon evidence-based nursing practice.