Nurses and Research―Propelling Neonatal Nurses into the Future

Research drives the practice of neonatal nursing. For this reason, the National Association of Neonatal Nursing strives to provide avenues for NANN members to access understand, conduct, and practice research and evidence-based neonatal care. 

Our plans to facilitate research are guided by NANN’s strategic initiatives and members of the NANN Research Committee.

NANN supports your research efforts and invites you to:

• Complete a Research Survey Distribution Request to share your research survey and/or research project with NANN’s membership. If your request is approved by the Research Committee, your survey will be posted to our exclusive membership community, shared in our quarterly e-newsletter, and an option to share via NANN’s social media. The request process is FREE for members, and $155 for nonmembers.
• Submit your research for publication in Advances in Neonatal Care, NANN’s peer-reviewed journal.

NANN Research Committee

NANN’s Research Committee was created to support the neonatal community by providing greater access to and assistance in developing and advancing your knowledge and skills, regardless of your level of education or experience and research training.

The creation of a research agenda, programming and dissemination, mentoring, and grants campaign are all part of the Research Committee’s responsibilities. 

The Research Committee is governed by NANN volunteers who represent the interests of research in neonatal nursing.

 Check out the NANN Committees page to learn who the Research Committee members are. 

NANN’s Recent Research Activities

Nurses conducting research need support. NANN has provided it in many ways over the years—and we look forward to developing future programs to further help you advance neonatal care.

From Curiosity to Discovery: Research Foundations

This series of four video presentations provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of nursing research with a focus on neonatal and NICU practice. Designed to make research accessible and relevant, this product guides learners from bedside clinical questions to the generation, design, and dissemination of meaningful research. Participants explore how research differs from evidence‑based practice, quality improvement, and process improvement, and learn when each approach is most appropriate.

Check out this FREE RESOURCE on NANN’s iLearn now!

Research Survey Distribution Request

To support the many research endeavors of our members, NANN has established the Research Survey Distribution Request Application, available to both member and non-member researchers to distribute their research surveys to NANN members. 

Application documents are reviewed by the NANN Research Committee, which ensures the project is high-quality and relevant to our membership, and approves or declines applications. 

Once approved, the approved survey(s) are eligible to be posted on the My NANN community by the applicant, shared by NANN on the quarterly NANN E-News, and an optional post to NANN’s social media account(s).

Ready to submit a request? Head over to iLearn to submit today!

The NANN Research Summit

Started in 2005, NANN’s Research Summit enables neonatal nurses who are engaged in research or evidence-based practice projects the opportunity to present their work to a small audience of their peers. The summit creates a unique environment for researchers to share ideas, gather feedback, build confidence, and empower one another.

Originally a standalone event, the summit eventually became part of the NANN Annual Conference. Research themes presented in the past few years included acute kidney injury (AKI), neonatal pain, kangaroo care, nurse stress, developmental care, the golden hour, pediatric genetics, and respiratory care.

NANN’s Research Summit was last held in 2024. The Research Committee is working to integrate the Summit further into the Annual Conference programming. 

NANN Small Grants Mentee/Mentor Program

The Small Grants Mentee/Mentor Program supported nurses who want to engage in research by providing both a mentor and funding to develop their research skills and enable them to initiate a research project, evidence-based practice (EBP) project, or quality improvement (QI) project. Nurses who hadn’t written research or proposals could learn from their mentor’s experiences, and nurses who hadn’t been able to obtain funding for research would get the funds needed to support their work from NANN.

NANN’s last Small Grants was awarded in 2022. The NANN Research Committee is actively working to bring this opportunity back to our community. 

NANN Research Fellows Scholarship

The Research Fellows Scholarship Program empowered neonatal nurses and research, making it possible for nurses with limited resources to conduct a mentored scholarly project. The 18-month program offered Fellows intensive opportunities, resources, and individual mentorship from the NANN Research Committee to complete their research and submit it for presentation at the NANN Annual Conference and publication in the peer-reviewed Advances in Neonatal Care. The fellowship covered travel, expenses, and meeting registrations, too.

The NANN Research Fellows Scholarship was last active in 2022.