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Research Faculty

Donna Gates, EdD, MSPH, MSN, RN, FAAN

Professor
Jane E. Procter Endowed Chair
Deputy Director of Nursing at the NIOSH Educational Research Center

College of Nursing University of Cincinnati
PO Box 210038, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0038
Phone: 513/558-3793
Fax: 513/558-2142
Donna.Gates@UC.Edu

EDUCATION

1975 BSN, Nursing University of Cincinnati
1982 MSN, Nursing, University of Cincinnati
1994 MSPH, Public Health, University of Kentucky
1995 EdD, Health Promotion, University of Kentucky

BACKGROUND

Professor Gates is known for her expertise in public health and occupational health nursing. She has 30 years of experience in hospitals, clinics, home health, occupational health, and education. In addition, she initiated and managed a company in Lexington, Kentucky that provided health and safety programs to companies throughout Kentucky. Dr. Gates has served as a volunteer on several public health and occupational health committees and boards.

TEACHING

Professor Gates has taught community health courses to both undergraduate and graduate students. These include courses in Community Health nursing, Epidemiology, and Health Planning. In addition, she teaches didactic and clinical courses in Occupational Health nursing and the doctoral course, Quantitative Research Methods. As Deputy Director of Nursing for the NIOSH funded Educational Research Center (ERC), Professor Gates interacts regularly with faculty and students in occupational medicine, industrial hygiene, occupational safety, and ergonomics.

HONORS & AWARDS

Professor Gates has received recognition for her contributions in the areas of teaching, research and service with the following awards:

• Golden Pen Award (1996) for article, "Workplace violence: Occupational health nurses' beliefs and experiences," awarded by AAOHN Journal
• Faculty Research Award, College of Nursing University of Cincinnati, 2000
• Research Award, Midwest Nursing Research Society, Cleveland, Ohio, 2001
• Award (2003) for article “Preventing assaults by nursing home residents: Caregivers’ knowledge and confidence – A pilot study” for the greatest contribution to long-term care industry in 2002 awarded by Journal of American Medical Association
• Inducted as a Fellow into American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), 2004
• President's Excellence Award for UC 21 Goals, University of Cincinnati, 2006

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

American Academy of Nursing
American Nurses Association
Kentucky Nurses Association
American Association of Occupational Health Nurses
Southwest Ohio Occupational Health Nurses Association
Sigma Theta Tau
Midwest Nursing Research Society

RESEARCH

Professor Gates has been involved in occupational health and safety research for more than 10 years. Since 1994 she has been studying workplace violence with funding support from National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH - R01OHO4037), National Institute for Nursing Research (NIH - R15NRO4866), the Ohio Healthcare Association, and the NIOSH NORA Pilot Research Program. Along with her colleague, Professor Evelyn Fitzwater, Dr. Gates initiated a program of research (1998-2004) to study the violence against nursing home caregivers and to test the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce assaults. Professor Gates recently (2005) completed a cross-sectional study of emergency department workers regarding their experiences with violence from patients and visitors. Currently she is mentoring two PhD students who are studying incivility and workers in healthcare settings.

In addition to her work with workplace violence, Professor Gates and colleague, Professor Bonnie Brehm, obtained funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to test the effectiveness of an institutional level (environmental) intervention to prevent or reduce obesity at small manufacturing companies. As secondary aims we will determine whether the intervention increases health-promoting behaviors, decreases cardiovascular and diabetic risk factors, and reduces productivity costs related to absences and work limitations. Funding for this controlled trial is from 2004-2007.

PUBLICATIONS