Tondi Kneeland
![Tondi Kneeland Portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/portrait/public/2021-11/HARRISON_Tondi.jpg?h=4b61ad73&itok=l33Jo4JD)
My research interests center on examining the effect of maternal caregiving on the development of stress neurobiology in full-term infants hospitalized shortly after birth because of life-threatening, chronic health conditions. I am particularly interested in infants with congenital heart disease. The experiences of being in the intensive care unit, undergoing multiple invasive diagnostic or therapeutic treatments, receiving care from multiple professionals, and being separated from mother may result in permanent changes in infant neurobiology, including autonomic nervous system function. Development of adaptive autonomic responses to stress or challenge is the foundation upon which self-regulation of emotion and behavior is built. Patterns of response of the infant’s autonomic system are directly influenced by interactions with the mother. I am interested in developing interventions that will enhance infant autonomic function and the establishment of patterns of maternal caregiving supportive of the infant’s emotional, behavioral, and social self-regulation.
News
The new LPN to BSN program at the College of Nursing was designed for LPNs to obtain their BSN. Three current students, James Williams, Toni Hall and Colleen M. Barrett, shared with us about their experiences in the program.
As wounded victims came pouring into the civilian hospital in Kharkov after the Ukraine war began in February 2022, Artem Riga initially was the only surgeon on duty. Some colleagues were fleeing the country and others were delayed because of the intense shelling. Doctors had to ration food and medical supplies, performing surgery in body armor, with sandbags on the windowsills of the operating room. A sudden attack significantly damaged his hospital and left patients covered in broken glass and other debris. Amid this chaos, Riga had to teach patients to care for their own wounds.