Dr. Mary Ann Jezewski

My research area of interest is provider patient interaction within a theoretical framework of culture brokering (mediation, negotiation) within a health care delivery system. Culture brokering is the act of mediating or negotiating between individuals/groups for the purpose of reducing conflict or producing change. A grounded theory of culture brokering is developed to explain how health care providers broker for persons entering the health care system as patients or families of patients.

End of Life Decision Making:
My research also focuses on Advance Directives (ADs) and how ADs are executed by patients, the barriers (social, cultural, political and economic) to completing Advance Directives.
I have developed the Knowledge, Attitudinal, Experiential Survey on Advance Directives (KAESAD) instrument.
An NIH funded study focuses on completing health care proxies within the context of chronic illness.

Current Studies:

Family Surrogate Decision Making at the End of Life
Principal Investigator: Mary Ann Meeker
Co-Investigator: Mary Ann Jezewski
Agency: DHHS NIH/NINR 1 R15 NR009026-01A1
9/1/05-8/31/08
The purpose is to study, prospectively and longitudinally, surrogate decision making for family members with advanced illness.

Partnering to Empower Near East Side Family Caregivers. [Meeker, Mary Ann, PI] Co-Investigator, DHHS, NIH/NINR. 4/07-3/09 $429,000.
The purpose of this study is to test an intervention aimed at African American family caregivers to address the needs of these caregivers using a community participatory research methodology.

A Phenomenological Investigation of Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Patients' Experiences with Tysabri and the Impact on Quality of Life (QOL). MA Jezewski Co-investigator, [Dr. Colleen Miller PI.,Jacobs Neurologic Institute] Funded by: Biogen Idec and Elan Pharmaceuticals. 10/1/08-9/30/10, $20,000.
The purpose is to undertand the experiences of patients with MS taking Tysabri and their quality of life.

Recently Completed Studies:
The Transtheoretical Model and Health Care Proxies. Funded by DHHS/NIH NINR 1 R21 NR008594-01A1
Principal Investigator: Mary Ann Jezewski $471,000, 9/23/04-8/31/07
The purpose of the study is to operationalizethe four measures of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) (stages of change, decisional balance, processes of change, self-efficacy) for health care proxy (HCP) completion, and to develop models based on the relationships between the stages of change measure and the other three measures.

People with Chronic Illness and Advance Directives.
Principal Investigator: Mary Ann Jezewski
Agency: DHHS NIH/National Institute Nursing Research
Type: Research Grant. 1 R15 NR07608-01, $155,000. 9/1/01-6/30/03.
The purpose of this study is to explain the needs, attitudes, understanding and experiences of people with chronic illnesses related to end of life decision-making particularly completing advance directives.

Relapsing MS Patients' Experience with Copaxone Treatment: A Phenomenological Study
Prinicipal Investigator Colleen Miller, DNS 2002.
Methodology Consultant: Mary Ann Jezewski
Teva Marion Partners. $80,000
The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of patients with relapsing/remitting Multiple Sclerosis who are taking Copaxone. My role, as consultant, was to guide the design of the study including the interview guide, and to guide and participate in the data analysis.

An Exploratory Study of the Meanings of Type 2 Diabetes for Mexican Americans Living in El Paso County, Texas.
Prinicipal Investigator: Jane Poss, DNS, RN.
Consultant: Mary Ann Jezewski
Agency: Center for Border Health Research
Type: Research Grant. November, 1999 to October, 2001.
The purpose of this study is to develop culturally specific explanatory models of diabetes based on the health beliefs of Mexican Americans with Type 2 diabetes who reside in four colonias in El Paso, Texas. My role as consultant included assisting with preparation of the grant proposal and construction of the interview guide. My role also includes assisting with data analysis and preparation of manuscripts. Grounded Theory is used to analyze data.

Oncology Nurses and Advance Directives.
Principal Investigator: Mary Ann Jezewski
Agency: Oncology Nurses Foundation.
Type: Research Grant, June, 1999- May, 2001
The purpose of this study is to measure oncology nurses' knowledge of, attitudes towards and experiences with advance directives. A survey instrument, Knowledge, Attitudinal and Experiential Survey on Advance Directives (KAESAD) was developed by the PI and reliability and validity established.

Oncology Nurses and Advance Directives.
Principal Investigator: Mary Ann Jezewski
Agency: Sigma Theta Tau - Gamma Kappa Chapter
Type: Research Grant, 1999.
Additional funding for same as above.

Avonex: The Lived Experience.
Prinicipal Investigator: Colleen Miller DNS, RN. Consultant (Methodology): Mary Ann Jezewski
Agency: BIOGEN Corporation.
Type: Research Grant, June 1997 - June 1999.
The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of patients with relapsing/remitting Multiple Sclerosis who are taking Avonex. My role, as consultant, was to guide the design of the study including the interview guide, and to guide and participate in the data analysis.

Emergency Nurses and Advance Directives
Principal Investigator: Mary Ann Jezewski.
Agency: Emergency Nurses Foundation.
Type: Research Grant, January 2001-December 2001
The purpose of this study is to measure emergency nurses' knowledge of, attitudes towards and experiences with advance directives using the survey instrument, Knowledge, Attitudinal and Experiential Survey on Advance Directives (KAESAD)

Current Projects:
Medical Training in diversity: Disparity across cultures.
Griswold, Kim, PI
Co-Investigator: Mary Ann Jezewski
DHHS NIH K07
July, 20006-December, 2011
The purpose of this project is to develop new instructional tools for teaching cultural competence base on experiential learning theory in medical, practice, and CME programs.

Completed Projects:
Consultant to Center for International Rehabilitation Research, Information and Exchange (CIRRIE). 1999-2004.Funded by National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).
The major objective, in which I am involved, is to develop information on cultural issues that can be disseminated to rehabilitation service providers to help them meet the needs of foreign-born persons in the U. S. My Culture Brokering Theory is the framework for a series of monographs currently being developed. My role is to guide the monograph series and help write the lead monograph as well as assist in developing workshops.

Transcultural Health Care Issues
Qualitative Method of Inquiry
Instrument Development

Fellow, Society for Applied Anthropology
Fellow, American Academy of Nursing
SUNY Chancellor's Award for Research and Scholarly Activities 2008

Design and test a stage-based, web-based intervention focused on increasing the number of completed health care proxies in the general population.