Cynthia Flynn Capers
{{Short description|American nursing researcher and educator}}
{{Orphan|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Cynthia Flynn Capers
| image =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|1|3}}
| birth_place = Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| education = Freedmen’s Hospital School of Nursing, University of Maryland, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University
| work_institutions = University of Akron
|field = Nursing education
}}
Cynthia Flynn Capers (born January 3, 1945) is an American nurse, educator, researcher and administrator. She is Dean of the University of Akron's School of Nursing, Chair of the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing,{{cite web |title=Dr. Cynthia Capers |url=https://www.akronroundtable.org/speakers/dr-cynthia-capers/1578 |website=AkronRoundtable |access-date=5 July 2021}} national advisor to the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future,{{cite news |title=Dr. Cynthia Flynn Capers Advising Johnson & Johnson Nursing Campaign |url=https://www.uakron.edu/about_ua/news_media/news_details.dot?newsId=8868&crumbTitle=Dr.+Cynthia+Flynn+Capers+Advising+Johnson+26+Johnson+Nursing+Campaign |access-date=5 July 2021 |work=The University of Akron News |date=March 14, 2002}} and board member of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.{{cite web |last1=Prince |first1=Judith S. |title=A Conversation with Dr. Cynthia Capers, PhD, RN, A Notable Leader in ATHENA Akron Monday |date=August 31, 2020 |url=https://www.athenainternational.org/news/523229/A-Conversation-with-Dr.-Cynthia-Capers-PhD-RN-A-Notable-Leader-in-ATHENA-Akron.htm |website=Athena International |access-date=5 July 2021}}
Early life
Capers was born on January 3, 1945, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She is the daughter of Charles E. Flynn and Lucy Gibbs Flynn (later Bibby).{{cite web |title=Lucy Flynn Bibby, April 6, 2011 |url=https://www.hooperfuneral.com/obituary/Lucy-Bibby |website=Hooper Memorial Home |access-date=5 July 2021}}
Education
Capers began her nursing education at Freedmen's Hospital School of Nursing (now Howard University Hospital), a historically Black hospital and nurses' training school in Washington, D.C.{{cite web|title=About Howard University Hospital|url=http://huhealthcare.com/healthcare/hospital/about-huh|website=www.huhealthcare.com|publisher=Howard University|access-date=24 April 2015}}
She graduated from Freedmen's Hospital with her RN diploma in 1965.{{cite web |title=CYNTHIA FLYNN CAPERS, PhD RN |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a4bf6722aeba5a84464f1d8/t/5a5a271f4192024b3f70671f/1515857696189/Capers+CV+2018++.pdf |website=squarespace |access-date=5 July 2021}}
She enrolled at the University of Maryland and graduated with her bachelor's degree in nursing in 1968. She then attended the University of Pennsylvania in their Child and Adolescent Psychiatry program, graduating with a masters in nursing science degree relating to family and pediatric nursing in 1981.
Capers returned to the University of Pennsylvania, with support from the American Nurses Association (ANA) Minority Fellowship Program (ANAMFP). She received her PhD in nursing in 1986. She was the first Black student to graduate from the School of Nursing’s PhD program. With the ANA’s support, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania from 1989 to 1990, the first Minority person to receive a post-doctoral fellowship there.{{cite web |title=CYNTHIA FLYNN CAPERS |url=https://alacleveland.org/images/articles/Capers_Bio.pdf |website=Cleveland Association of Legal Administrators|date=2015 |access-date=5 July 2021}}
Capers was a selected participant of Harvard University's Institute for Management and Leadership in Education in 2001.
She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.{{cite web |title=Alpha Kappa Alpha's Pioneering Sorors Open Doors |url=http://akapioneers.aka1908.com/index.php/component/mtree/vocations/education-1/first-to-receive-the-doctorate-degree/2031-caper-cynthis-flynn |website=Alpha Kappa Alpha |access-date=5 July 2021}} Her portrait was published in Spring 1997, Vol. 75, No. 1, of The Ivy Leaf, which chronicles the Sorority.{{cite book |editor-last1=Bracey |editor-first1=John H. Jr. |editor-last2=Harley |editor-first2=Sharon | editor-last3=Meier | editor-first3=August |title=A Guide to the Microfilm Edition of The Ivy Leaf 1921-1998, A Chronicle of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (BLACK STUDIES RESEARCH SOURCES Microfilms from Major Archival and Manuscript Collections) |date=2000 |publisher=University Publications of America |url=http://www.lexisnexis.com/documents/academic/upa_cis/1336_TheIvyLeaf.pdf |access-date=5 July 2021}}
Career
While attending the University of Maryland, she worked in pediatrics as a part-time clinical nurse. After attaining her BSN from the University of Maryland, she moved to Philadelphia and began working at Philadelphia General Hospital (PGH) School of Nursing teaching Maternity Nursing.{{cite web |title=Finding Aids & Inventories |url=https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/history/archives-collections/finding-aids-inventories/#Individuals |website=Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing, Penn Nursing |access-date=5 July 2021}}
After completing her MSN and the course work for her PhD at the University of Pennsylvania, she accepted a position as assistant professor at La Salle University. Concurrently, she completed her dissertation, attained her PhD and began her postdoctoral work.
Capers has worked primarily in nursing education, including at Thomas Jefferson University.{{cite book |last1=Parker |first1=Marilyn E. |title=Patterns of Nursing Theories in Practice |date=1993 |publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning |isbn=9780887376009 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XnU8voi8DAIC&pg=PA304}}
In 1997, Capers joined the University of Akron, and was appointed Dean of the University of Akron's College of Nursing in 2002{{Cite web|title=Professional Appointments - Higher Education|url=https://diverseeducation.com/article/1908/|access-date=January 17, 2002|language=en|website=Diverse Issues in Higher Education|date=16 January 2002 }} and served in that position until 2012. While at Akron she helped to establish the College of Nursing's Center for Gerontological Health Nursing and Advocacy.
Research
{{BLP sources section|date=July 2021}}
For her PhD dissertation, Capers’ research addressed views about psychiatric behaviors and mental health. Her dissertation, titled “Perceptions of problematic behavior as held by lay black adults and registered nurses” (1986),{{cite journal |last1=Capers |first1=Cynthia Flynn |title=Nurses' and Lay African Americans' Views about Behavior |journal=Western Journal of Nursing Research |date=February 1991 |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=123–135 |doi=10.1177/019394599101300109 |pmid=1998253 |s2cid=28827512 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/019394599101300109 |access-date=5 July 2021}} addressed how the label of “mental illness” can change across education and race, and how educational attainment and access to healthcare influence a social group's definition of mental illness.
For her postdoctoral research, Capers evaluated the family dynamics of those with adolescent mothers giving birth to premature infants. This work attempts to determine the identifies of adolescent mothers' primary emotional and physical caregivers, and their characteristic challenges and needs to enable health care providers to more effectively support these families.
In addition, Capers has published articles on topics such as obesity, adolescent health, psychiatric nursing, and teaching diversity.
Publications
Capers’ published works include:
- {{cite journal |last1=Capers |first1=Cynthia Flynn |last2=Baughman |first2=Kristin |last3=Logue |first3=Everett |title=Behaviors and Characteristics of African American and European American Females That Impact Weight Management: Characteristics That Impact Weight Management |journal=Journal of Nursing Scholarship |date=June 2011 |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=133–144 |doi=10.1111/j.1547-5069.2011.01393.x |pmid=21605317 }}
- {{cite journal |last1=Stanley |first1=Joan M. |last2=Capers |first2=Cynthia Flynn |last3=Berlin |first3=Linda E. |title=Changing the Face of Nursing Faculty: Minority Faculty Recruitment and Retention |journal=Journal of Professional Nursing |date=September 2007 |volume=23 |issue=5 |pages=253–261 |doi=10.1016/j.profnurs.2007.07.005 |pmid=17903783 }}
- {{cite journal |last1=Logue |first1=Everett |last2=Sutton |first2=Karen |last3=Jarjoura |first3=David |last4=Smucker |first4=William |last5=Baughman |first5=Kristin |last6=Capers |first6=Cynthia |title=Transtheoretical Model-Chronic Disease Care for Obesity in Primary Care: A Randomized Trial |journal=Obesity Research |date=May 2005 |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=917–927 |doi=10.1038/oby.2005.106|pmid=15919846 |doi-access=free }}
- {{cite journal |last1=Logue |first1=Everett E. |last2=Jarjoura |first2=David G. |last3=Sutton |first3=Karen S. |last4=Smucker |first4=William D. |last5=Baughman |first5=Kristin R. |last6=Capers |first6=Cynthia F. |title=Longitudinal Relationship between Elapsed Time in the Action Stages of Change and Weight Loss |journal=Obesity Research |date=September 2004 |volume=12 |issue=9 |pages=1499–1508 |doi=10.1038/oby.2004.187|pmid=15483215 |doi-access=free }}
- {{cite journal |last1=Baughman |first1=Kristin |last2=Logue |first2=Everett |last3=Sutton |first3=Karen |last4=Capers |first4=Cynthia |last5=Jarjoura |first5=David |last6=Smucker |first6=William |title=Biopsychosocial characteristics of overweight and obese primary care patients: do psychosocial and behavior factors mediate sociodemographic effects? |journal=Preventive Medicine |date=August 2003 |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=129–137 |doi=10.1016/s0091-7435(03)00095-1|pmid=12855212 }}
- {{cite journal |last1=Sutton |first1=Karen |last2=Logue |first2=Everett |last3=Jarjoura |first3=David |last4=Baughman |first4=Kristin |last5=Smucker |first5=William |last6=Capers |first6=Cynthia |title=Assessing Dietary and Exercise Stage of Change to Optimize Weight Loss Interventions |journal=Obesity Research |date=May 2003 |volume=11 |issue=5 |pages=641–652 |doi=10.1038/oby.2003.92|pmid=12740454 |doi-access=free }}
- {{cite journal |last1=Capers |first1=Cynthia Flynn |last2=Wessman |first2=Joan |title=Re-look at Service as an Innovation for Nursing |journal=Holistic Nursing Practice |date=January 2000 |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=1–12 |doi=10.1097/00004650-200001000-00004|pmid=12119965 }}
Awards
- 1995 Distinguished Nurse Award from the Pennsylvania Nurses Association
- 1995 Resolution from the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing for Outstanding Contributions
- 1997 Award for Outstanding Achievement, Leadership and Service from the Medical Society of Eastern Pennsylvania
- 2006 ATHENA Award for community service and active role in aiding women attain professional excellence and leadership
References
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Category:American nursing administrators
Category:American university and college faculty deans
Category:Women deans (academic)
Category:University of Maryland, Baltimore alumni
Category:Howard University alumni
Category:University of Pennsylvania alumni
Category:La Salle University faculty
Category:Thomas Jefferson University faculty
Category:University of Akron faculty
Category:People from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Category:American women nurses