The award honors members of the association who have made strides in scholarly nursing education, contributing to the knowledge base of women鈥檚 or neonatal health.

Logsdon is an international expert in women鈥檚 mental health. She has worked with nurses in the mother-baby unit at聽聽to improve patient education practices regarding postpartum depression and helped create the knowledge base of the role of nurses in preparing new mothers to recognize symptoms of depression after hospital discharge.

Logsdon鈥檚 research has contributed to understanding and improving health literacy in low income and underserved new mothers.

鈥淎s the use of technology to retrieve health information became prevalent, I collaborated with interdisciplinary and clinical partners to conduct studies on how new mothers prefer to receive health information,鈥� said Logsdon, PhD, WHNP-BC, FAAN.

She led a recent National Institutes of Health-funded study that developed an online intervention that helped persuade an increasing number of teenage mothers across 10 Kentucky counties to seek medical help for depression, highlighting an inexpensive way to increase mental health treatment rates for this vulnerable group.

In addition to her research endeavors, Logsdon has mentored numerous nurses and nursing students at UofL. She is editor of the Journal of Advanced Nursing, serves on the editorial board of Archives of Women鈥檚 Mental Health and is co-chair of the Expert Panel on Maternal and Infant Health of the American Academy of Nursing.

鈥淒r. Logsdon is a dedicated scholar for her scientific work in maternal child health and best practices in teaching mothers and families,鈥� said Marcia J. Hern, EdD, CNS, RN, UofL School of Nursing dean. 鈥淪he is a standout in the innovative use of technology and evidence-based application of health literacy to low income and underserved populations of new mothers.鈥�

The website included videos of adolescent mothers describing their experiences with postpartum depression and treatment, questions and answers, and local and national resources, including referrals for counseling services and suicide and child-abuse prevention hotlines.

Untreated postpartum depression hinders a mother鈥檚 relationship with her child, her functioning at work and school, mothering skills and development. The condition also can harm a baby鈥檚 development and attachment to the mother, said M. Cynthia Logsdon, PhD, WHNP-BC, FAAN, UofL School of Nursing professor and lead researcher of .

Half of the roughly 400,000 adolescents 18 and younger who give birth annually in the United States experience depressive symptoms, but less than 25 percent follow referrals for depression evaluation and treatment, according to the study.

The research, conducted from 2013 to 2016, involved more than 200 teen moms in urban, suburban and rural counties in Kentucky and was funded by a nearly $440,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Study participants on average were 18 years old, primarily African-American, did not have a high school diploma and had given birth in the past year.

For both rural and urban counties, the intervention led to significant changes in attitude, intention to seek depression treatment and actually seeking treatment.

Vogt, a University of Louisville School of Nursing undergraduate research scholar, will present at the conference in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 26.

For about two years, Vogt has worked with her mentor M. Cynthia Logsdon, PhD, WHNP-BC, FAAN, School of Nursing Professor and Associate Chief of Nursing for Research at University of Louisville Hospital, and other researchers on evaluating patients鈥� response to evidence-based guidelines for nurses that promote screening, teaching and referral of women with postpartum depression before being discharged from the hospital after giving birth.

鈥淧reviously, guidelines for nurses educating mothers about postpartum depression in the hospital had been very vague, mainly because postpartum depression symptoms don鈥檛 occur in women until a few weeks after giving birth,鈥� Vogt said. 鈥淚f moms are educated about postpartum depression while they are still in the hospital, they will be better equipped to recognize the symptoms and seek treatment.鈥�

The guidelines have been effective. Vogt interviewed 88 women who had given birth at University of Louisville Hospital, a majority of whom reported positive feelings about nurses educating them on postpartum depression and resources for treatment if they experience symptoms.

Research will be done to determine whether the guidelines lead to increased mental health treatment for women with postpartum depression.

Lauren Lazarus, a 2015 School of Nursing graduate whom Logsdon mentored, also will present her undergraduate nursing scholar project at the Marc茅 Society conference. Lazarus focused on the impact of state legislative efforts on postpartum depression rates in adolescent mothers.

鈥淚 am so pleased for the opportunity to introduce both Krista and Lauren to international scholars that they have referenced in their work,鈥� Logsdon said. 鈥淚 am so proud of their work, and they are excellent ambassadors for UofL.鈥�