DNP student and colleagues win research excellence award

Shafeah Morrison, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student and clinical instructor at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in Stratford, NJ, co-authored a research article with colleagues “A pilot study of the effects of an 8-week integrative yoga program on function and quality of life in people with moderate multiple sclerosis–related disability” in the International Journal of MS Care.

The study was also presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC), held in conjunction with the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) from May 28-31 in Dallas, Texas. The presentation won the Labe Scheinberg Award for Excellence in Neurorehabilitation Research.

According to the presentation abstract, while there is little formal research evidence for its benefit in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), many participate in yoga programs. For the study, a standardized, integrative yoga program was created, specifically designed to be feasible for, and to address the needs of, a group of individuals with moderate disability related to MS. Results indicated that this program was feasible for and well tolerated by the participants and that improvements were found in a number of activity- and participation-level outcomes.

Interested in reading more?  See Cohen, E.T., Kietrys, D.M., Gould-Fogerite, S., Silva, M., Barone, D.A., Yost, K., Morrison, S. (2014). A pilot study of the effects of an 8-week integrative yoga program on function and quality of life in people with moderate multiple sclerosis–related disability. International Journal of MS Care 16(3), 10-11.