Ginette A. Pepper, PhD, RN, FAAN
Current Position: Professor; Associate Dean for Research and PhD Programs; and Executive Director for the University of Utah Hartford Center of Geriatric Excellence
Contact Information
Address:
College of Nursing
10 South 2000 East
Salt Lake City , Utah 84112
Phone: (801) 793-5733
Fax: (801) 581-4642
Email: ginny.pepper@nurs.utah.edu
Background
Ginette A. Pepper, PhD, RN, FAAN is a Professor at the University of Utah College of Nursing where she teaches gerontology, pharmacology, and research. The nation's first geriatric nurse practitioner, Dr. Pepper holds the Helen Lowe Bamberger Colby Presidential Endowed Chair in Gerontological Nursing. She is trained as a nurse pharmacologist with a focus in geriatrics.
Dr. Pepper is recognized nationally and internationally as an expert in patient safety and a frequent lecturer in drug therapy for advanced practice nurses.
Research
- Enhanced RN Credentials
- 2008-13 Co-investigator, RENEW to Decrease Falls in Older Adults, NIA/NINR (PI: P. LaStayo)
- Dr. Pepper's program of research is focused on patient safety, specifically adverse drug effects on the functional status of elderly adults and medication administration safety. The overall goal of her scholarship is to prevent or ameliorate harm resulting from pharmacologic interventions. As a nurse pharmacologist, her focus is nursing and system interventions that promote appropriate and safe use of medications. Topics of investigation have been medication-related falls in elderly adults, how nurses working conditions affect medication administration accuracy and adverse event prevention, pain management in nursing homes, safety culture, error reporting, antibiotic resistance, pressure ulcer prevention, and prescribing by advance practice nurses.
Publications
- Sanborn, M.D., Moody, M.L., Harder, K.A., Pepper, G.A., Scanlon, M., Vaida, A.J., Zugcic, M. (2009). Second Consensus Development Conference on the Safety of Intravenous Drug Delivery Systems - 2008. American Journal of Health Systems Pharmacy, 66: 185-192.
- Scott-Cawiezell, J., Madsen, R.W., Pepper, G.A., Vogelsmeier, A., Petroski, G., & Zellmer, D. (2009). Medication safety teams' guided implementation of electronic medication administration records in five nursing homes. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety 35(1): 29-35.
- Pepper, G.A. & Towsley, G. L. (2008). Medication errors in nursing homes: Incidence and reduction strategies. Journal of Pharmaceutical Finance, Economics, and Policy, 16: 5-133.
- Hutt, E., Buffum, M.D., Fink, R., Jones, K.R., Pepper, G. (2007). Optimizing pain management in nursing homes. Geriatrics and Aging. 10(8): 523-527.
- Scott- Cawiezell, J., Pepper, G. A., Madsen, R.W., Petroski, G., Vogelsmeier, A., & Zellmer, D. (2007). Nursing home error and level of staff credentials. Clinical Nursing Research, 16(1):72-8.
Presentations
- 5/09 Symposium: "Beyond Polypharmacy: Optimal Geriatric Pharmacotherapy," Utah Nurse Practitioners Pharmacology Conference, Salt Lake City, UT.
- 04/09 La Salle Distinguished Lecture: "Lessons Learned from Direct Observation of Medication Administration," Philadelphia, PA
- 4/09 Poster: "Drugs and Fall Risk: An Updated Systematic Review," Western Institute of Nursing Conference, Salt Lake City, UT. (with L. Orderda, C. Asche, R. Leipzig, D. Tasic). [Also presented at Center on Aging 2009 Retreat (03/09) and Careers in Aging Week sponsored by the College of Social Work (04/09)
- 11/08 Seminar: "Perspectives of Geriatric Case Management," Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, National Harbor, MD. (with C.P. Brunker, D. Dorr, C. Schraeder, H.S. Kim, P. Berry, J. Abramson, R. Burdon, K. Radican, H. Tran, L. Widmier, M. Henry)
- 11/08 Poster: "The Geriatric Nursing Leadership Program: Innovation in Baccalaureate Completion and Specialty Nursing Education, " Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, National Harbor, MD. (with P. Berry).
- 10/08 Podium: "Updated Systematic Review of Medication-Related Falls and Injuries," Utah Aging Alliance Annual Meeting, Midway, UT (with L. Oderda, C.A. Ashe, R. Leipzig, D. Tasic).
- 10/08 Podium: "New Careers in Aging," Utah Aging Alliance Annual Meeting, Midway, UT (with S. Wright and F. Wilby).
- 4/08 Poster: "Innovations in Gerontological Nursing Education," Western Institute of Nursing, Garden Grove, CA (with P. Berry, D. Lund, J. Abramson).
- 4/08 Poster: "Mild Cognitive Impairment Progression: Genomic and Pharmacologic Factors," Western Institute of Nursing, Garden Grove, CA.
- 11/07 Invited Speaker: "Medications Management and the Elderly," University of Utah Center on Aging Seminar Series, Salt Lake City, UT. (with L. Oderda)
- 9/07 Poster: "The Economic Impact of Treatment of Falls-Related Injuries from a U.S. Employers Perspective" Utah Gerontological Society Annual Meeting, Midway, UT (with C. Asche & L. Oderda)
- 4/07 Podium: "Medication-Related Imbalance and Fall Events," Western Institute of Nursing, Portland, OR
- 4/07 Poster: "Nurses' Working Conditions: Effects on Medication Safety," Western Institute of Nursing, Portland OR
- 4/07 Poster: "Developing a Taxonomy of Medication-Related Falls," Western Institute of Nursing, Portland OR
- 4/07 Invited Speaker: "We All Fall Down- So What's the Big Deal?" Healthy Aging Conference, University of Utah, St. George UT
- 3/07 Poster: "Hospital Unit Safety Climate Measure--Structure and Validation," National Patient Safety Foundation Annual Congress, San Francisco CA (with M. Blegen)
- 3/07 Keynote Speaker: "Beyond the IOM Reports: How Nurses' Working Conditions Affect Medication Administration Safety," Rocky Mountain Regional Multidisciplinary Research Conference, Denver CO
- 3/07 Invited Speaker: "Unique Considerations for Pharmacotherapy in Older Adults," Annual Texas Nurse Practitioner's Conference, Texas Tech University, Lubbock TX
- 1/07 Invited Speaker: "Financing the Research Enterprise & Building Faculty Productivity," American Association of Colleges of Nursing Doctoral Conference, Captiva FL
Awards
- Hartford/WIN Regional Geriatric Nursing Research Award, April 23, 2009
- Member, Expert Panel, IV Delivery Consensus Group, Rosemont, IL, August 7-8, 2008
- Utah Nurse Practitioners Award for Excellence in Research, 2007
- Dean's Leadership Award, University of Utah College of Nursing, 2007
Academic Activities
- Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (CANS), 2006-present
- Invited Expert, National Health Information Infrastructure 03/2003
- American Academy of Nursing 1996-present
- Institute for Safe Medication Practice, 1994-present
- United States Pharmacopeia, 1991-present
