TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing will host The Donna Cox Bridger Endowed Lectureship in Nursing and Health Care on March 5, 2004, in the Bryant Conference Center’s Sellers Auditorium.

The topic for this year’s annual lecture, “Health Care Practitioners: Our Role in Medical Errors Prevention and Terrorism Preparedness,” is expected to be of critical importance to nurses, physicians, pharmacists and emergency medical personnel.

Guest speakers and their topics will include:

• Judith M. Atkins, president, McKenna and Associates health care consultation, “Staffing Standards Related to Medical Errors”
• Dr. David Franz, vice president, Chemical and Biological Defense Division at Southern Research Institute, and deputy director of the Center for Disaster Preparedness at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, “The National Perspective, The Need for Preparedness Against Disasters of Terrorism”
• Dr. Donald E. Williamson, state health officer and director of the Alabama Department of Public Heath, “The State Perspective: Preparedness for Terrorism and Other Disasters”
• Dr. Zane Robinson Wolf, dean and professor of nursing at LaSalle University in Philadelphia who has published in the area of medication errors and other risks to patient safety, “Emotional Impact of Errors on Health Care Practitioners”

The cost of the lecture is $50 for regular registration and $30 for students. This program is approved by the Alabama Board of Nursing for 6.00 contact hours and by the Medical Association of the State of Alabama (MASA) for 5.00 continuing medical education (CME) hours. The Alabama Board of Pharmacy will recognize the MASA approved program for 5.0 CME hours.

Registration for the lecture ends Feb. 27, 2004. For more information, contact Holly Warr, 205/348-9876 or e-mail, hwarr@bama.ua.edu.

The Donna Cox Bridger Endowed Lectureship in Nursing and Health Care was established by Joseph C. Bridger to honor the memory of his wife and to promote awareness of current topics in the fields of nursing and health care from an interdisciplinary perspective. Lecture attendance is open to faculty, students, health care professionals and the community.

Donna Cox Bridger had a 36-year career in nursing. She retired as associate chief of Nursing Service for Education of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tuscaloosa in 1997. She played a key leadership role at the VA. One of her greatest assets was her ability to recognize important upcoming trends, tap all available resources, synthesize research information and then organize and coordinate activities and education programs to meet new goals.

In 1997, she was honored with the prestigious Janet S. Awtrey Distinguished Nursing Leader Award by the UA Capstone College of Nursing. In 1996, her outstanding performance was recognized by the Veterans Affairs through a Special Contribution Award, and in 1994 she was the recipient of the Outstanding Nurse Educator Award for the state of Alabama by the Alabama State Nurses’ Association.