Bernadine Cimprich, Ph.D., RN, FAAN


Associate Professor Emerita
Room 3330 NURS1

University of Michigan School of Nursing
400 North Ingalls Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482

Telephone: (734) 647-0347
Fax: (734) 763-9306

Interests

  • Cancer
  • Cognitive function
  • Breast cancer survivorship
  • Attentional fatigue and restorative environment interventions

Dr. Bernadine Cimprich, PhD, RN, FAAN, is Emerita Professor at the University of Michigan. Dr. Cimprich studies alterations in cognitive function in individuals with cancer and her current research focuses on major cognitive problems in women treated for breast cancer. She is examining possible alterations in functional neural brain activation patterns underlying attention and working memory using functional magnetic resonance imaging in women treated with and without chemotherapy for breast cancer. Her research interests also include the problem of mental or attentional fatigue and the therapeutic use of natural restorative environments to enhance cognitive functioning.

Current Research Grants and Programs

  • R01 Altered Brain Function in Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer (PI), NIH, NINR
  • Faculty Sponsor: NRSA, NIH, NINR (M Visovatti), Assessment of Cognitive and Immune Function in Colorectal Cancer

Teaching

Dr. Cimprich taught in the undergraduate program, the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Master’s program and the biobehavioral concentration of the PhD in Nursing program. She advises and mentors doctoral students studying cognitive dysfunction in cancer including cognitive effects of estrogen deprivation, immune dysfunction, and chemotherapy. She advises Master’s students and serves as a mentor for undergraduate students interested in learning the nursing research process. She has made national and international invited presentations on cognitive dysfunction in chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Affiliations / Service

  • Fellow, American Academy of Nursing, 2001-Present
  • Member, Council for Advancement of Nursing Science, 2000-Present
  • Member, Midwest Nursing Research Society, 1987-Present
  • Senior Scientist, Behavioral Cooperative Oncology Group, 1999-Present
  • Member, Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society, 1987-Present
  • Oncology Nursing Society, 1980-Present

Notable Awards / Honors

  • Cancer Nursing Best Original Research Award, International Journal for Cancer Care, 2004
  • Fellow, American Academy of Nursing, 2001
  • Outstanding Research, New Investigator Award, Chronicity Research Section, Midwest Nursing Research Society, 1997

Education

  • PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 1990
  • MA, Columbia University, New York, NY, 1977
  • BS, Columbia University, New York, NY, 1967

Publication Highlights

  • Cimprich, B., Visovatti, M., & Ronis, D. (2010). The Attentional Function Index: A self-report measure of cognitive function. Psycho-Oncology. (Pre-publication online in www.interscience. Wiley.com).

  • Cimprich B., Reuter-Lorenz P, Nelson J, Clark PM, Therrien B, Normolle D, Berman M, Hayes DF, Noll DC, Peltier S, Welsh RC. (2009). Pre-chemotherapy alterations in brain function in women with breast cancer. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. 29, 1-8.

  • Lehto, R., & Cimprich, B. (2009). Worry and the formation of cognitive representations of illness in individuals with newly diagnosed lung cancer. Cancer Nursing, 32 (1), 2-10. PMCID 19104196

  • Chung L & Cimprich B, Janz N, & Mills-Wisneski S. (2009). Breast cancer survivorship program: Testing for cross-cultural relevance. Cancer Nursing, 32 (3), 236-245.

  • Cimprich, B., Janz, NK., Northouse, L., Wren, P.A., Given, B., & Given, C.W. (2005). Taking CHARGE: a self-management program for women following breast cancer treatment. Psycho-Oncology, 14, 704-717.

  • Cimprich, B., So, H., Ronis, D. L., & Trask, C. (2005). Pre-treatment factors related to cognitive functioning in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 14(1), 70-78.

  • Cimprich, B., Ronis, D. (2003). An environmental intervention to restore attention in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Cancer Nursing 26(4), 284-292.

  • Stark, M.A., & Cimprich, B. (2003). Promoting attentional health: Importance to women’s lives. Health Care for Women International, 24(2), 93-102.

  • Cimprich, B., Ronis, D., & Martinez-Ramos, G. (2002). Life stage at diagnosis influences quality of life in breast cancer survivors. Cancer Practice, 10(2), 85-93.

  • Cimprich, B., & Ronis, D. (2001). Attention and symptom distress in women with and without breast cancer. Nursing Research, 50(2), 86-94.

  • Cimprich, B. (1998). Age and extent of surgery affect attention in women treated for breast cancer. Research in Nursing & Health, 21, 229-238.

  • Cimprich, B. (1993). Development of an intervention to restore attention in persons with cancer. Cancer Nursing, 16(2), 83-92.

  • Cimprich, B. (1992). Attentional fatigue following breast cancer surgery. Research in Nursing & Health, 15, 199-207.

  • Cimprich, B. (1992). A theoretical perspective on attention and patient education. Advances in Nursing Science, 14(3), 39-51. Reprinted: In P. Chinn (Ed.) (1994). Developing substance - Mid-range theory in nursing, (pp. 238-251), Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen.