School of Nursing Renames Research Support Office in Memory of Harriet Kitzman

The University of Rochester School of Nursing has renamed its Center for Research Support in memory of Harriet Kitzman, PhD, RN, FAAN.

The area will now be known as the Harriet J. Kitzman Center for Research Support.

The move is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Kitzman, who passed away in March 2020. A prolific researcher in her 60-plus year career as a nurse, professor, mentor, and leader, she was known on campus as much for her groundbreaking work with nurse-home visits as she was for encouraging and supporting others in their own lines of research.

“For many years, Harriet really was synonymous with research at the school,” said Dean Kathy Rideout, EdD, PPCNP-BC, FNAP. “I can’t think of any better way to honor her legacy.”

Kitzman served the School of Nursing in many roles over a 45-year period, but she was most associated with the school’s research mission. She was the school’s longtime senior associate dean of research, serving in that capacity into her 80s.

She was instrumental in the development of the Center for Research Support, which helps facilitate the research and scholarly development of UR Nursing faculty and advances research dissemination and evidence-based practice. The area comprises two groups: the Administrative, Proposal, and Financial Support Group, a team of administrators and accountants who work closely on grant proposals, post-award financial management, and the dissemination of research findings; and the Research Facilitation Group, a team of biostatisticians, data analysts, and health project coordinators that provides consultation, project design and management, data gathering, and technical support.

Housed on the 2^nd floor of Helen Wood Hall, the new Harriet J. Kitzman Center for Research Support will be officially dedicated at a later date. New signage commemorating Kitzman and a portrait of her will be installed in a prominent location.

A brilliant and internationally renowned researcher, Kitzman’s body of work in pediatrics helped to reshape how health care is provided to young mothers and their children. Her investigations related to the effects of nurse-home visitations for first-time mothers and children, focusing on economically disadvantaged families, was the basis for the Nurse-Family Partnership, which now serves more than 38,000 families across 41 states.

At the School of Nursing, Kitzman developed the pediatric nurse practitioner program and was the first clinical chief/chair responsible for nursing services at the UR Medical Center. She was also one of the key drivers in the development of the Unification Model.

Kitzman earned a vast number of awards and accolades over her career, including the Rochester Business Journal Health Care Achievement Award and the University Award for Lifetime Achievement in Graduate Education. In 2019, she was awarded the Dean’s Medal, the School of Nursing’s highest honor. She held graduate degrees from the University of Rochester and the esteemed Loretta C. Ford Professorship.