InnovateHER Meeting 2026

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  Disney Princess Films Representation of Food and Their Effects on Teenage Girls' Eating Norms

  Addison Benninghoff

  Media portrayal obviously have some profound impacts on our society. The problem at hand is that there have been and will continue to be body image and eating habits linked to the media in teenage girls' lives. A mainstream example of this can be seen early on in young girls' lives when they are first exposed to princess films, which have representations of both femininity and the idealized female form. Disney maintains these body ideals whether the heroine is Asian, Scottish, African-American, or Native American. How are these body ideals broadcast through eating habits? What messages about normative eating might be gleaned from these films?

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  Managing Maternal Anemia in Pregnancy: The Role of Iron-Rich Foods and Supplementation

  Carli Dibler

  Anemia during pregnancy is a large public health concern, which often leads to independent risk factors for fetal and maternal outcomes including postpartum hemorrhaging, cesarean sections, blood transfusions during and after the labor process, hysterectomies, preterm birth, and infectious diseases. Six level I-III studies were analyzed using the John Hopkins nursing evidence-based practice model. Findings showed that by using a combined approach of dietary intake and supplementation overall leads to better fetal and maternal outcomes compared to supplementation alone.

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  Healthy Mother-Daughter Relationship Depictions in Television

  Brooklyn Gallant

  This was a qualitative thematic analysis of two television depictions of healthy relationship traits between mothers and daughters. These themes were presented to a focus group of teen girls, who discussed their relationships with their mothers and whether they found these shows to be realistic.

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  From Chew to Throughput: Supporting Faster Recovery

  Lindsay Kephart and Morgan Thiry

  Patients admitted with bowel-related diagnosis groups (DRGs) are experiencing extended lengths of stay. The delay in return of bowel function is a barrier to care progression for patients admitted with a bowel DRG. Evidence supports early implementation and consistent use of chewing gum to improve early GI motility, reducing overall length of stay.

  This pilot aims to standardize gum chewing after surgery for our bowel patient population to promote early bowel function and help reduce hospital length of stay.

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  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Based Psychosocial Interventions to Reduce Anxiety After Social Isolation in Adolescent Females

  Bailey E. Noble

  • COVID-19 social isolation linked with higher anxiety risk in adolescents, especially females
  • Review examined whether CBT-based psychosocial interventions reduce anxiety after pandemic-related loneliness/social isolation
  • Across 6 studies, remote and internet-delivered CBT linked with anxiety improvement
  • Strongest outcomes seen with therapist-assisted CBT
  • Common barriers: privacy, motivation, scheduling, and digital access
  • Nursing relevance: early screening, referral, and support for treatment participation

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  The Correlation Between Age, Perceived Success, and Prospective Time Judgements in Adolescence

  Anna Parker

  The expressions “a watched pot never boils” or “time flies when you’re having fun” are common expressions in day-to-day life, but the phenomenon of time perception is application in aspects all throughout life, including school years. The purpose of this study is to determine what effect, if any, the variables of age and success have on a younger population’s perception of time by examining the correlation between time judgements, feelings of success, and age. My hypotheses include that an increase in age and higher success scores will lead to greater accuracy, and that an increase in age and higher success scores will to underestimation of time.

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  Paving a Path for Equitable and Inclusive Nurse Leadership within Practice Settings: The Innovative Role of a Transcultural Equity & Inclusion Nurse Leader

  Theresa Reichert

  Growing cultural diversity in communities and health care practice environments require nurses and nurse leaders to effectively navigate cultural differences and relationships in practice settings (Teixeira et al, 2023)

  Recognizing this important shift:

  • health care accrediting bodies (such as the Joint Commission)
  • professional practice-based nursing organizations (such as the American Nurses Association), and
  • professional recognition bodies (such as Magnet)

  are incorporating culturally congruent, socially just care within their expectations. The innovative Transcultural Equity & Belonging Nurse role was designed to support nurses and nurse leaders incorporate these expectations within everyday nursing practice.