Professor Terry Badger, PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN, recently was appointed to the Eleanor Bauwens Endowed Chair of Nursing at the University of Arizona College of Nursing in recognition of her accomplishments as a nationally recognized nurse-scientist and leader in graduate education.

Dr. Badger  also is chair of the College’s Division of Community and System Health Science and an adjunct professor in the UA Department of Psychiatry.

The endowed chair is named in honor of  the late Eleanor Bauwens, PhD, UA professor emerita of nursing, who died in November 2016. Dr. Bauwens graduated with a bachelor’s degree  in nursing in 1966, and a master’s degree and doctorate in anthropology in 1970 and 1974, respectively. She went on to become the first person to hold two associate dean positions at the UA College of Nursing: Baccalaureate and the Extended College. In 2011, the College of Nursing created the Eleanor E. Bauwens Endowed Chair to recognize her exceptional leadership in nursing education from 1974 to 1991. 

“For more than 25 years, Dr. Badger has investigated affective symptoms and quality of life among individuals with cancer and their caregivers. She has an exceptional record of student mentorship and has received numerous awards for her achievements in research, education and service." ~ Ki Moore, PhD, RN, FAAN, UA College of Nursing Interim Dean

“The Eleanor Bauwens Endowed Chair is one of the highest honors bestowed upon a faculty member in acknowledgment of the significant professional accomplishments of Dr. Bowens,” said UA Nursing Interim Dean Ki Moore, PhD, RN, FAAN. “For more than 25 years, Dr. Badger has investigated affective symptoms and quality of life among individuals with cancer and their caregivers. She has an exceptional record of student mentorship and has received numerous awards for her achievements in research, education and service. I am pleased for Dr. Badger, who is so deserving of this honor.”

“I am deeply honored to receive this endowed chair, and since I knew Eleanor Bauwens, it is an extremely meaningful honor,” Dr. Badger said. “She was an amazing nurse leader.”

Dr. Badger’s research focuses on depression, symptom management and quality of life among cancer survivors and their families.

She is conducting research testing theory-based methods to decrease psychological distress associated with cancer and its treatment and improve quality of life and symptom management for cancer survivors and their families during and after cancer treatment. Dr. Badger is interested in developing easily accessible, quality psychosocial oncology services for underserved, multicultural populations. Most recently, she was awarded two, four-year National Cancer Institute grants totaling $5 million to investigate a precision approach to decrease psychological distress and improve symptom management in cancer survivors and their caregivers during and after treatment.

Her research shows the importance of including the informal caregivers in psychosocial care because survivors and their families react to the cancer experience as one emotional system. Caregivers’ well-being can influence survivors’ well-being and recovery. The long-term goal of Dr. Badger’s studies is to change oncology practice, moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach so that all cancer survivors and their families have access to the psychosocial services they need during the cancer journey.

Dr. Badger has more than 20 years’ experience as a PI on various research proposals. She has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Nursing Research and multiple foundations, including the Oncology Nursing Foundation, the V Foundation, the Livestrong Foundation and the American Cancer Society. She cofounded the Symptoms, Health, Innovation and Equity (SHINE) research group at the UA College of Nursing, which is a group of interprofessional investigators dedicated to symptom science research with cancer survivors and caregivers. She has reviewed grant proposals for internal and external grant mechanisms and has served on study sections for NIH. She has been a member of the UA Cancer Center for more than 10 years.