Maternal & Child Nursing Care, 6th edition

About our authors

Marcia L. London received her BSN and School Nurse certificate from Plattsburgh State University in Plattsburgh, New York, and her MSN in pediatrics as a clinical nurse specialist from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. She worked as a pediatric nurse and began her teaching career at the Pittsburgh Children's Hospital Affiliate program.

Ms. London began teaching Pediatric and Maternity Nursing at Beth-El School of Nursing and Health Science in 1974 (now part of the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs) after opening the first intensive care nursery at Memorial Hospital of Colorado Springs. She has served in many faculty positions at Beth-El, including assistant director of the School of Nursing.

Ms. London obtained her postmaster's Neonatal Nurse Practitioner certificate in 1983 and subsequently developed the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) certificate and then the master's NNP program at Beth-El College of Nursing. She is active nationally in neonatal nursing and was involved in the development of National Neonatal Nurse Practitioner educational program guidelines. She is a long-term member of AWHONN, an original member of NANN and an educational affiliate member of ACOG.

Ms. London pursued her interest in college student learning by taking doctoral classes in higher education administration and adult learning at the University of Denver in Colorado. She feels fortunate to have been involved in the education of her future NNP colleagues and undergraduate education. She retired from active teaching in 2016 after 47 years.

Ms. London and her husband, David, enjoy reading, travel and hockey games. They have two sons: Craig, who lives in Florida with his wife, Jennifer, a critical care nurse, and their daughter, Hannah, who works with internet companies; and Matthew, who works in computer teleresearch. Both are more than willing to give Mom helpful hints about computers.

Patricia A. Wieland Ladewig received her BS from the College of Saint Teresa in Winona, Minnesota; her MSN from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC; and her PhD in higher education administration from the University of Denver in Colorado. She served as an Air Force nurse and discovered her passion for teaching as a faculty member at Florida State University.

Over the years, she has taught at several schools of nursing. In addition, she became a women's health nurse practitioner and maintained a part-time clinical practice for many years. In 1988, Dr. Ladewig became the first director of the nursing program at Regis College in Denver.

In 1991, when the college became Regis University, she became academic dean of the Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions. Under her guidance, the School of Nursing added a graduate program. In addition, the college added a School of Physical Therapy and a School of Pharmacy.

In 2009 Dr. Ladewig became Vice President for Academic Affairs, and in 2012 she became Provost at Regis University. She retired in 2016. She remains active professionally, serving on the Community Health Values Committee of Centura Health. Her greatest pleasure comes from her family: son Ryan, his wife, Amanda, and grandchildren Reed and Addison; and son Erik, his wife, Kedri, and grandchildren Emma and Camden.

Michele R. Davidson completed her ADN degree from Marymount University and worked as a registered nurse in multiple women's health specialty areas, including postpartum, newborn nursery, high-risk nursery, labor and delivery, reproductive endocrinology, gynecology, medical-surgical and oncology, while obtaining a BSN from George Mason University (GMU).

She earned her MSN and nurse-midwifery certificate at Case Western Reserve University and continued to work as a full-scope nurse-midwife for 16 years, delivering more than 1,000 babies during her career as a nurse-midwife. She completed her PhD in nursing administration and healthcare policy at GMU and began teaching there in 1999 while continuing in her role as a nurse-midwife.

In 2018, Dr. Davidson earned an additional degree as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP). She has an ongoing interest in women's mental health and focuses her research on perinatal and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders.

Dr. Davidson also has an interest in the care of individuals with disabilities; she has served as a member of the Loudoun County Disability Advisory Committee and is a disability advocate in her community. She was a member of the American College of Nurse-Midwives Certification Council, the body that writes the national certification examination for certified nurse-midwives.

Dr. Davidson was recently appointed to the Virginia State Maternal Mortality Review Board and has served on several federal task forces for the prevention of maternal mortality. She is a member of numerous editorial and advisory boards and has a passion for writing. In 2003, Dr. Davidson founded the Smith Island Foundation, a nonprofit organization in which she served as executive director for eight years and later held an appointment as the vice president of Smith Island United, a community advocacy group.

Dr. Davidson has also completed certifications in lactation consulting, forensic nursing, and as a surgical first assistant. In 2012, her book, A Nurse's Guide to Women's Mental Health, won an American Journal of Nursing Book Award.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her mother, as well as writing, gardening, internet surfing and spending time on Smith Island with her nurse-practitioner husband, Nathan, and their four children, Hayden, Chloe, Caroline and Grant. Dr. Davidson and her family love the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia and continue to be part-time residents of Smith Island.

Jane W. Ball graduated from The Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing. She received a BS from The Johns Hopkins University, as well as master of public health and doctor of public health degrees from The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, with a focus on maternal and child health.

Dr. Ball practiced as a pediatric nurse and pediatric nurse practitioner in the surgical, emergency, and outpatient units of The Johns Hopkins Hospital. She served as the chief of child health services for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health and as faculty with the University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing. Dr. Ball is the author of multiple textbooks, including Seidel's Guide to Physical Examination, Principles of Pediatric Nursing, Child Health Nursing, and Pediatric Emergencies: A Manual for Prehospital Providers.

She served as the executive director of the federally funded Emergency Medical Services for Children National Resource Center for 15 years, providing consultation and resource development for state health agencies, health professionals, families and advocates to improve the emergency healthcare system for children.

Dr. Ball is a consultant for the American College of Surgeons, supporting the development of best practice guidelines for the Committee on Trauma. She is currently the vice president of nursing and content development for Triaj, Inc., a company that recently launched a mobile app called Triaj to guide nurses and physicians in the care of children with injuries, from resuscitation through hospital discharge.

Ruth C. McGillis Bindler received her BSN from Cornell University-New York Hospital School of Nursing in New York. She worked in oncology nursing at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and then as a public health nurse in Dane County, Wisconsin. This began her commitment to working with children, as she visited children and their families at home and served as a school nurse for several elementary, middle and high schools.

Dr. Bindler received an MS degree in child development from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. A move to Washington State was accompanied by a new job as a faculty member at the Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education in Spokane, now the Washington State University College of Nursing. She received a PhD in human nutrition from Washington State University (WSU).

Dr. Bindler feels fortunate to have been a faculty member for 38 years, teaching theory and clinical courses in child health nursing, cultural diversity, graduate research, pharmacology and physical assessment. She served as lead faculty for child health nursing; was the first director of the PhD in nursing program at WSU; and was associate dean for graduate programs, including Master of Nursing, post-master's certificates, PhDs and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs.

She is now retired from this position and continues to serve the college and profession as Professor Emeritus, working with graduate students to facilitate their research agendas. Her first professional book, Pediatric Medications, was published in 1981, and she has continued to publish pediatric textbooks and professional articles focused on nutrition and research.

Her research concentrated on childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors in children. In addition to teaching, research, publication and leadership, Dr. Bindler is engaged in professional and community activities, and enjoys outdoor adventures with family and friends.

Kay J. Cowen received her BSN degree from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, and began her career as a staff nurse on the pediatric unit of North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston Salem. She developed a special interest in the psychosocial needs of hospitalized children and preparing them for hospitalization. This led to the focus of her master's thesis at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), where she received a Master of Science degree in nursing education with a focus on maternal-child nursing.

Ms. Cowen began her teaching career in 1984 at UNCG, where she continues today as clinical professor. Her primary responsibilities include coordination of the pediatric nursing course, teaching classroom content and supervising a clinical group of students. Ms. Cowen shared her passion for the psychosocial care of children and the needs of their families through her first experience as an author of the chapter “Hospital Care for Children” in Child Health Nursing: A Comprehensive Approach to the Care of Children and Their Families, published in 1993.

In the classroom, Ms. Cowen realized that students learn through a variety of teaching strategies, and she became especially interested in the strategy of gaming. She led a research study to evaluate the effectiveness of gaming in the classroom and subsequently continues to incorporate gaming in her teaching. Ms. Cowen's most recent research focused on the concerns and expectations of nursing students in clinical courses.

In the clinical setting, Ms. Cowen teaches her students the skills needed to care for patients and the importance of family-centered care, focusing not only on the physical needs of the child but also the psychosocial needs of the child and family.

During her teaching career, Ms. Cowen has continued to work part-time as a staff nurse, first on the pediatric unit of Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro and then at Brenner Children's Hospital in Winston Salem. In 2006 she became the part-time pediatric nurse educator in Brenner Children's Hospital. Through this role, she is able to extend her love of teaching to children and families. Through her role as an author, Ms. Cowen is able to extend her dedication to pediatric nursing and nursing education.

Laura M. Wisely received her BSN degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a nursing student, Ms. Wisely was able to study nursing abroad in London, England and Managua, Nicaragua.

After graduation, she began her career as a nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Her love of caring for children in their most vulnerable state inspired her to explore health and wellness outcomes and policy of children, particularly injury prevention.

She completed an MSN degree with a focus on public health from The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She also earned a master of public health degree from The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, with a certification in injury prevention.

Ms. Wisely began teaching nursing students during their pediatric clinical rotations at The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and realized she loved to teach the care of children. She currently works in nursing education as a clinical instructor in the Emergency Medicine and Trauma Center at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC.

Ms. Wisely is honored to be part of the team that created this book, and hopes it lays the foundation for nurses who choose to care for children.

Robin M. Dawson completed her BSN and MSN-PNP at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also holds a graduate certificate in women's and gender studies and a PhD in nursing science from the University of South Carolina (UofSC). Her clinical background includes hospital-based nursing in pediatric surgery and neonatal intensive care, as well as over 20 years in pediatric primary care advanced practice nursing.

She currently serves as associate professor at the UofSC College of Nursing and director of the Smart Start Nursing Program, the undergraduate nursing honors program. Dr. Dawson sees academic teaching as a natural extension of her practice career, in which she can apply her clinical expertise to strategies and activities that enhance the student experience and their ability to attain knowledge.

She is also committed to fostering a passion for research at all levels, from undergraduate to doctoral. Her multi-level program of research focuses on understanding the context and processes of communication and the development of practical and innovative interventions designed to facilitate optimal patient-provider communication. She uses the intersection of rurality and childhood asthma to explore three specific areas of patient-provider communication research: language discordance, technology-based interventions and healthcare provider communication skills.

Dr. Dawson volunteers in a variety of community-based organizations and enjoys spending her free time with her four wonderful children.