Sharon Denham, PhD, RN, CNE

Dr. Sharon Denham is a Professor at Ohio University in the School of Nursing where she teaches courses in family, evidence-based practice, theory, nursing education, nursing research, and community health. Currently, she also serves as the Director of that Appalachian Rural Health Institute (ARHI) which is an interdisciplinary health services and research institute at Ohio University. The mission of ARHI is to foster interprofessional research, community outreach, education, and scholarly activities through collaborative partnerships that empower university and community stakeholders to design solutions for rural health.

Dr. Denham has also authored a textbook entitled Family Health: A Framework for Nursing, a conceptual framework for considering health and illness through a ecological family lens, a result of several studies about Appalachian families. Dr. Denham introduces the Family Health Model as a guide for family-focused care that addresses nursing practice and family health outcomes.  Her program of research has largely focused on family health issues of Appalachian populations and the health disparities for many in the region. She has spent the last several years developing a toolkit entitled Diabetes: A Family Matter for use in Appalachia. This translation work is aiming to provide family-focused and culturally sensitive tools for use by local communities to address the high diabetes rates and risks in the Appalachian region. Dr. Sharon Denham’s work addresses the need for a family and community centered approach to diabetes care and support. This Toolkit focuses on diabetes from the family perspective and provides information, activities, and media geared towards not only those suffering from diabetes, but also their families, friends, and communities.

http://www.ohio.edu/arhi/index.htm
http://www.diabetesfamily.net/