Carole A. Gassert, RN, PhD, FACMI, FAAN

Contact Information:

• Mailing Address:
• University of Utah
• College of Nursing
• 10 South 2000 East
• Salt Lake City, UT 84112-5880
• Phone: (801)585-5680
• FAX: (801) 587-9838
• E-mail: carole.gassert@nurs.utah.edu

Background:

Carole A. Gassert joined the University of Utah College of Nursing in October 2002. She was Associate Dean for Academic Affairs until 2005 when she moved to the position of Associate Dean for Information and Technology, a position that has allowed her to focus on numerous informatics projects implemented in the College of Nursing. Her focus has been on facilitating teaching with technology, advising the simulation learning center, and implementing the Cerner Academic Education Solution system (UCARE AES). Dr. Gassert directed the nursing informatics program from 2002 to 2007. She is a long-standing advocate for nursing informatics (NI), working to establish NI as specialty within nursing and developing the first NI graduate program in the world at the University of Maryland. She spent six years in the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the Federal Government where she served as an Informatics Nurse Consultant to the Bureau of Health Professions and the Division of Nursing and Senior Distance Learning Advisor for HRSA before coming to the University of Utah. Dr. Gassert is an informatics expert in NI curriculum, NI competencies, telehealth and informatics policy.

Research:

• Developer Clinical Faculty Associate Model, Department of Labor grant 2005-2008.
• Received funding for traineeships for graduate students, 2003-2006
• Project Officer for nurse staffing and patient outcomes in hospitals study, HRSA contract.
• Co-director of project to identify levels of nursing informatics competencies.
• Co-author of 3-year training grant for doctoral preparation in nursing informatics funded by Division of Nursing.
• Developer of a model for defining requirements for information systems for nursing.
• Developer of nursing informatics education standards of practice and competencies.
• Recipient of technology grants from Index Technology Corporation (computer-aided software engineering tool); TDS Corporation (computer-based training system); IBM Corporation (Subnotebook computers for studying older patients use of mobile computing technology).
• Reviewer for informatics grants and papers nationally and internationally.

Professional Activities:

• Co-chair, American Medical Informatics Association Representative
• Executive Sponsors Committee
• Steering Committee
• Governing Directors
• Representative to AMIA NI workgroup

• Workforce Commission on Using Technology in Nursing, 2002-present

• Nursing Informatics Workgroup, 1990-present
• Training Requirements Task Force: A Project to Develop Clinical Informatics as a Medical Specialty, 2008
• Representative to International Medical Informatics Association Nursing Informatics Specialist Interest Group, January 1996- January 2000
• Representative to Nursing Organizations Liaison Forum, 1999-2001
• Working Group Steering Committee, 1997-2001
• Coordinated Working Group Chair-elect Orientation, May 1998
• Judge for AMIA/Partnership '98 Consumer Products, May 1998
• Program Planning Committee for AMIA Congress, Spring 1999
• Scientific Program Committee for AMIA Symposium, Fall 1999

• Working Group1, Medical Informatics Education, AMIA Representative, 1990-1997
• Nursing Informatics Special Interest Group, AMIA Representative, 1996-2000
• Scientific Program Committee, Nursing Informatics '03 International Congress, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2000-2003
• Honorary Member International Medical Informatics Association, Nursing Informatics Special Interest Group, 2003-present
• Medical Informatics Europe 2008, Nursing Informatics Pre-Conference Planning Committee, 2007-2008

• ANA, Council on Computer Applications in Nursing, 1989-1994
• Editor, Council Newsletter, Input and Output, 1989-1993
• Executive Committee, June 1992-April 1994
• ANA Council on Nursing Systems and Administration, 1994-1996
• Executive Committee, April 1994-April 1996
• ANA Representative to WEDI (Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange), May 1993-February 1995.
• ANA Planning Committee for Invitational Vendor Meeting, April 1993-April 1996
• ANA Task Force on Measurement Criteria for Standards for Nursing Informatics, April 1994-January 1995.
• ANA Invitational Meeting to develop competencies for nurses using telehealth technology, March 1998.
• ANA Work Group to revise the Nursing Informatics Scope of Practice and Standards, March 2000-June 2001.
• ANCC, Alternate to Test Development Committee for Nursing Informatics, 1994-1997.

Other Informatics Activities:

• Health Science Center Information Technology Steering Committee, 2008
• Health Sciences Education Building, Administrative Committee, 2004-2006
• Telehealth Steering Committee, 2004-2008
• Utah Telehealth Network, 2006-2008
• Information Technology Council, College of Nursing Representative, 2005-present; Co-chair Distance Learning Subcommittee, 2007-2008
• Information Technology Services Core Steering Committee, 2002-2006
• Member, Regional Advisory Board, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Midcontinental Region, 2003-2005.
• Member of the National Joint Work Group on Telemedicine.
• Internal consultant on informatics to Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Professions, and Health Resources and Services Administration.
• Directed project to identify a national informatics agenda for nurse education and practice.
• Developed and implemented graduate masters and doctoral programs in nursing informatics.
• Developed annual summer institute in nursing informatics." Coordinated student poster session at Nursing Informatics '94, international conference in San Antonio, Texas.
• Served on planning committee for software demonstration theater, American Nurses Association Convention, San Antonio, Texas 1994.
• Collaborated with University of Maryland School of Nursing faculty of Department of Education, Administration and Health Policy and Continuing Education to plan and conduct Computer Information Systems workshop on January 17, 1991.
• Coordinated preparation of booth highlighting Nursing Informatics at the University of Maryland at Baltimore Informatics Symposium and Computer Fair, Baltimore, Maryland, November 7, 1990.
• Reviewed Nursing Informatics textbook, 1990
• Implemented bedside information system in cardiac surgical intensive care unit.

Selected Publications:

• Gassert, C.A. (2008). Technology and informatics competencies. In B. Weiner (Ed.). Nursing Clinics: Technology Use in Nursing Education.
• DuLong, D. & Gassert, C. A. (2008). Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform: TIGER Phase 2: Achieving the vision., Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 26(1), 56-61.
• Gassert, C.A. & Burrows, S.G. (2008). Moving Right Along After Open Heart Surgery (7th ed). Atlanta: Pritchett & Hull Association, Inc.
• Gassert, C.A. & Burrows, S.G. (2007). Going for heart surgery: What you need to know (7th ed.). Atlanta: Pritchett & Hull Associates, Inc.
• Gassert, C.A. (2006). Nursing informatics and health care policy. In V. Saba & K. McCormick (Eds.) Essentials of Nursing Informatics (4th ed). (pp183-197). New York: McGraw Hill.
• Ornes, L. & Gassert, C. A. (2007). Research Briefs: Computer competencies in a BSN program. Journal of Nursing Education, 46(2), pp. 75-78.
• Gassert, C.A. & Sward, K.A. (2007). Phase I implementation of an academic medical record for integrating information management competencies into a nursing curriculum. In K.A. Kuhn, J.R. Warren, & T.-Y. Leong (Eds). MedInfo 2007 (pp.1392-1395. The Netherlands: IOS Press.
• Gassert, C.A. (2006). Impact of technology and simulated learning on nursing shortages. Nursing Outlook,54(3), pp. 166-167.
• Gassert, C.A., Peay, W.J., & Mitchell, J. (2006). A model of interprofessional informatics education. In H. Park, P. Murray, & C. Delaney (Eds). Proceedings 9th International Congress in Nursing Informatics.(Consumer-Centered Computer Supported Care for Healthy People 2006), pp 149-152.
• Gassert, C.A. & Bolton, L.B. (2005). American Academy of Nursing/American Organization of Nurse Executives Workforce Commission technology-enhanced nursing practice project. Nursing Outlook, 53(3), p 165.
• Gassert, C.A., Curran, C., Goodwin, L., Grobe, S.J., & Staggers, N. (2003). Innovative Models of Informatics Education for Nurses. In H.Marin, E.P. Marques, E. Hovenga, W. Goossen (Eds.), Proceedings 8th International Congress in Nursing Informatics. Brazil: Rio de Janeiro.
• Staggers, N., Gassert, C.A., & Curran, C. (2002). A Delphi study to determine informatics competencies for nurses at four levels of practice. Nursing Research, 51(6), 383-390.
• Staggers, N., Gassert, C.A., Curran, C. (2001). Informatics Competencies for Nurses at Four Levels of Practice. Journal of Nursing Education.
• Gassert, C.A. (2001). Nursing Informatics and Policy. In K. McCormick and V. Saba (Eds.), Essentials of Computers for Nurses: Informatics for the New Millennium, (pp. 141-154). New York: McGraw Hill.
• Staggers, N., Gassert, C.A. & Skiba, D. (2000). AMIA Spring Congress 1999: Findings from the Health Professionals' Track. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. 7(6), 550-558.
• Gassert, C.A. (2000). Telehealth and nursing. In B. Carty (Ed.), Nursing Informatics: Education for Practice, (pp. 232-251). New York: Springer.
• Staggers, N. & Gassert, C.A. (2000). Nursing informatics competencies. In B. Carty (Ed.), Nursing Informatics: Education for Practice, (pp. 17-34). New York: Springer.
• Gassert, C.A. (2000). Academic preparation for nursing informatics. In M.J. Ball, K.J. Hannah, S. Newbold, & J. Douglas (Eds.), Nursing Informatics: Where Caring and Technology Meet, (pp. 15-32). (3rd ed.). New York: Springer-Verlag.
• Gassert, C.A. & Salmon, M. (1998). Setting a national informatics agenda for nursing education and practice to prepare nurses to develop and use information technology. In B. Cesnik, A.T. McCray, & J.R. Scherrer (Eds.), MedInfo '98: 9th World Congress on Medical Informatics, (pp. 748-751). Amsterdam: IOS Press.

Awards/Honors:

• Walker Ames Guest Scholar, University of Washington, 2008
• Administrator's Award for Excellence in Informatics, HRSA, 2001
• Fellow, American College of Medical Informatics, 2000
• Fellow, American Academy of Nursing, 2000
• Administrator's Citation for Outstanding Group Performance on Diversity Work Group, HRSA, 1999
• Administrator's Special Citation for Work in Informatics, HRSA, 1998
• Certificate of Recognition for Nursing Informatics, National League for Nursing, 1996
• Special Scholar, HealthQuest /HBO Nursing Scholars Program, 1991
• Phi Kappa Phi (National Honor Society), 1988
• Outstanding Clinical Preceptor, Georgia State University, 1976
• Sigma Theta Tau (International Nursing Honor Society), 1971
• Lychnos Society (University of Virginia Honor Society), 1963

Selected Invited Speaker/Presentation:

2/08 Walker Ames Lecture, "Informatics, Nursing, and Health Policy," University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.

9/07 Panel: "TIGER Initiative and the Alliance for Nursing Informatics," Electronic Health Record Workgroup, American Health Information Community, Office of the National Coordinator of Information Technology

8/07 Panel: "Using a Master List of Nursing Informatics Competencies in Education, Practice, and Research Settings," MedInfo 2007, Brisbane, Australia.

8/07 "Phase I implementation of an academic medical record for integrating information management competencies into a nursing curriculum." MedInfo 2007, Brisbane Australia.

10/06 Cerner Health Conference, "Educating for the Future: Embedding Clinical Systems Inside the Classroom," Orlando, Florida.

6/06 "A model of interprofessional informatics education." Nursing Informatics 2006, Seoul, Korea.

10/05 "AAN Project: Technology & the Future Nursing Workforce," Nursing Administration Research Conference, Tucson, Arizona.

4/05 "University of Utah Experience: Innovative Response," AACN Graduate Recruitment Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah

4/05 "Innovative Partnership Models," AACN Graduate Recruitment Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah.

12/04 "Simulated Learning to Help Prepare the Nursing Workforce," LIFT Forum, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.

4/04 "Clinical Faculty Associate Model," Western Institute of Nursing, Marriott Hotel, Portland, Oregon

2/04 Broadcast lecture: "Determining Nursing Informatics Competencies," and "Setting a National Agenda in Nursing Informatics," Nursing Informatics Research Methods, a collaborative with University of Utah, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Orobro, Sweden.

6/03 Panel Member: "Innovations Models for Teaching Informatics to Nurses," 8th International Congress in Nursing Informatics, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

4/03 "National Trends in Masters Education," University of Utah College of Nursing Faculty Retreat, Marriott Park Hotel, Salt Lake City, UT

4/03 "Professional Practice/Trends and Issues," Clinical Informatics Overview Seminar, Sheraton City Center, Salt Lake City, UT

12/02 Lecture: "Patient Care Systems," Medical Informatics Students, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT

11/02 Lecture: "Nursing Informatics," Medical Informatics Students, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT

4/02 "Telehealth in Oncology Nursing," Oncology Nursing Society Annual Meeting, Washington, DC

4/02 "Impact of Technology on the Faculty Shortage," National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice, Washington, DC

4/02 "Informatics Competencies: An Essential Component of Evidence-Based Practice," AONE Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL

9/00 "Telehealth Opportunities," Nurse Managed Centers Grantee Meeting, Washington, DC

8/00 Panel Member: "Wald-Trek: From Concept to Initiative," Informatics and Distance Learning Conference, New Orleans, LA

3/00 Panel Member: "Differentiating and Validating NI Competencies in the United States, "Nursing Informatics 2000, Auckland, NZ

2/00 "Telehealth: A Challenge to the Regulation of Multistate Practice," Division of Nursing, Washington, DC

11/99 Panel Member: "Report of the 1999 Annual Spring Congress-Health Informatics Education, "American Medical Informatics Association Fall Symposium, Washington, DC

11/99 Panel Member: "Informatics Competencies and Curricula for Registered Nurses, "American Medical Informatics Association Fall Symposium, Washington, DC

11/99 Paper Presentation: "Baccalaureate Education Using Distance Learning Methodologies for Rural RNs," National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice, Washington, DC

11/99 Paper Presentation: "Wald-Trek: A Distance Learning Initiative for the Public Health Nursing Workforce," National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice, Washington, DC