Miriam O. Ezenwa, RN, MS

Office Address: K6/333 - Clinical Science Center
600 Highland Ave.
Madison, WI, 53792
Office Phone: 608/263-6476, 262-9610
Email: moezenwa@wisc.edu

DEGREE INFORMATION:

DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH FOCUS:

Unrelieved pain is a major health problem, despite the fact that in many cases it can be treated effectively. Many scholars globally recognize that inadequate pain management continues to be a problem. In the United States, investigators have found disparities in pain management in that minority patients are more at risk than others for experiencing under-treatment of pain. One of the major goals of the Healthy People 2010 is the elimination of health disparities with emphasis on the disparities due to race and ethnicity. To assist Africans in the United States achieve this goal, it is imperative that we understand their perspective of pain and pain management.

My research interests center on pain and symptom management with a focus on understanding the ethno-cultural influences of pain and pain management of the indigenous Africans in the United States. Many of the studies that examined pain management disparities in racial and ethnic minority groups have focused primarily on African-Americans and Hispanics. There is another group, however, that has not received specific attention in research on pain, the African diaspora. It is possible that members of the African diaspora have actually been included in studies, but that they have been unidentifiable because they have all been given the generic label “African-American.” On the other hand, perhaps they truly have not been studied. Members of the African diaspora may have completely different perspectives or realities, cultural expectations, values, and customs that may affect their perceptions and responses to pain compared to the minority group considered African-Americans in the United States. To the extent that such differences exist, combining these two distinct groups may have significant implications on the conclusions about pain management of either group, given their distinctive cultural orientations and practices.

My first step in directing research inquiry at this group is to find out how individuals in this group classify themselves and then to refer to them using their preferred terminology. Subsequently, inquiry may then focus on how they have managed pain since their migration to the United States, how their views of pain and its management have been affected by their new environment, what types of folk remedies, if any, they use to treat pain, how often they access healthcare facilities for pain management purposes, and barriers to pain management in this population. My ultimate goal is to develop a culturally sensitive and appropriate pain management intervention for the indigenous Africans living in the United States.

MAJOR ADVISOR:

Sandra E. Ward, RN, PhD, FAAN

SECONDARY AREA OF CONCENTRATION:

SECONDARY AREA ADVISOR:

REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS/PRESENTATIONS:

Ezenwa, M. (2003). Mentorship in Black and White. Minority Nurse, 60-64

Gordon D., MS, RN., Pellino, T., PhD, RN., Ezenwa, M.O., BSN, RN., Wan, Jun. (2004, May). Evaluation of the Quality of Pain Management on Inpatient Oncology. Poster presented at the UW-Hospital Research Fair, Madison, Wisconsin.

Ezenwa, M., Ameringer, S., Wang, K., Hughes, S., Serlin, R., Ward, S. (2004, February). Eliciting Patient-Related Barriers to Pain Management by Questionnaire Versus Interview. Poster presented at the Midwest Nursing Research Society, St. Louis, Missouri.

Ezenwa, M. (2003, February). High Blood Pressure: A Silent Killer. Presented at the International Center Annual Health Fair, New York, NY.

Ezenwa, M., Wilkie, D. (2002, November). Feedback about TNEEL (Toolkit for Nurturing Excellence at the End-of-Life) Transition. Presented at the Ronald E. McNair 11th Annual National Research Conference, Delavan, Wisconsin.

Ezenwa, M. (2002, August). Feedback about TNEEL (Toolkit for Nurturing Excellence at the End-of-life) Transition. Poster presented at the STAR (Stipend for Training Aspiring Researchers) Symposium, Seattle, Washington.

Ezenwa, M (2002, June) How do your personal goals influence your road to success? Presented at the Summer Academic Enrichment Program Symposium, San Francisco, California.

Ezenwa, M. (2002, March). Parkinson’s Disease’s: The Case for the Use of Sensory Cues. Paper presented at the National Ronald E. McNair Undergraduate Research Conference, College Park, Maryland.

RESEARCH TEAM AFFILIATION:

Ward Research Group