Karen Feldt, PhD is to be the inaugural holder of the Premera Endowed Professorship in Cancer Nursing. This professorship will allow Feldt to undertake research on the Washington State Death with Dignity Act and how the role of the nurse will be impacted by this legislation. She will also act as a mentor to junior faculty members and students engaged in scholarship that focuses on end of life care issues.
Dr. Feldt is an associate professor of nursing at Seattle University and the coordinator of the gerontological nurse practitioner degree program. Her research interests include geriatrics, dementia, long-term care, and pain management in cognitively impaired elders. Feldt was recently honored as being among the "100 Most Distinguished Alumni" from the University of Minnesota School of Nursing where she received her PhD in 1996. She has been a professor at SU since 2006.
Premera Blue Cross contributes extensively to the profession of nursing in order to help address the critical shortage of nurses. These contributions as well as the formation of this endowment recognize the valuable services that nurses provide in our communities.