KU Med Center nurse gets $1 million grant

An assistant professor at the Kansas University School of Nursing has been awarded a $1.1 million grant for research on teen mothers and breast-feeding.

Karen Wambach received the grant from the National Institute for Nursing Research to continue a project started last year, when she received a $17,959 bridging grant from the KU Medical Center to interview teen mothers about their breast-feeding experiences.

In the interviews, Wambach found mothers who chose to breast-feed usually did so for their infants’ health. But the main benefit they reported was the closeness they felt with their infants.

She now will conduct a clinical trial with 279 pregnant adolescents to test the effects of a comprehensive prenatal, in-hospital and postpartum education program. Her goal is to increase the initiation and duration of breast-feeding among disadvantaged teen mothers.

Golf camp information available at picnic

The Native American Junior Golf Assn. will have its annual “Tee It Up” picnic from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. today at Shelter House No. 5 at Lake Shawnee near Topeka.

The picnic is open to all parents and children, ages 7 to 17, who are interested in taking part in a summer golf camp.

The camp, which begins June 3, is designed to teach young people the game of golf and its etiquette. For more information, call (785) 248-3138.