Faculty Sketch
Thomas H. Cook, PhD, RN, FNP
Assistant Professor of Nursing
tom.cook@vanderbilt.edu
Current Research Interests
Dr. Tom Cook, Assistant Professor, received his BSN from Loyola University and an MSN in Cardiovascular Nursing from St. Louis University. He is also a family nurse practitioner. His doctoral preparation was completed at Vanderbilt University where he studied health policy development and program evaluation. His research interests address his graduate program foci. Those interests include the prevention of cardiovascular disease through the use of nutrition and physical education programs in school-aged children.
Dr. Cook was the Principal Investigator on a KO1 award that used an ecological approach to view the child in context of school and family. The purpose of the study was to pilot test the feasibility of conducting a population-based intervention program directed toward improving cardiovascular health promoting behaviors (nutrition and physical activity) of elementary school children.
Dr. Cook was the Principal Investigator for the "Live It! Go for the Red, White and Blue" instructional program designed to provide nutritional and exercise instruction to students in the Nashville Davidson County middle school grades. This program is a joint effort between the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing.
Dr. Cook's research also explored health care outcomes and the context in which these outcomes occur. Dr. Cook's dissertation explored the effects of inpatient case management on patient and provider satisfaction, quality of care, length of stay and cost of care. He has used research synthesis methods to identify what is already known about the effectiveness of inpatient case management and the context of those results.
Grants
Jan 2004-Present |
Principal Investigator |
May 2001-Apr 2005 |
Principal Investigator |
Jul 1998-Jun1999 |
Principal Investigator |
Jul 1995-Jun 1996 |
Principal Investigator |
Dec 1993 |
Co-Principal Investigator (w/F.K. Bushnell) |
| January 2004-Present | Principal Investigator Live It: Go for the Red, White and Blue Funded by Dell Computer, Inc. |
| May 2001-April 2005 | Principal Investigator Energy Balance in Children 1 K01 NR 00140-01 Funded by NIH/NINR |
| July 1998-June 1999 | Principal Investigator Establishing Psychometric Properties of a Client Satisfaction Instrument Funded By Vanderbilt University Research Council. |
| July 1995-June 1996 | Principal Investigator Health Promotion Lifestyle Practices of TennCare Patients in a Nurse Practitioner Managed Primary Care Center Funded by Vanderbilt University Research Council. |
| December 1993 | Co-Principal Investigator, (F.K. Bushnell) Health Promotion Lifestyle Instrument Search Funded by Sigma Theta Tau (IOTA Chapter). |
Representative Publications
Beuscher L & Cook TH. (2012 In press). Moments: Student insights of a new Doctor of Nursing Practice Program. American Journal for Nurse Practitioners.
Cook, TH & Frey B. (2004). School-based exercise intervention increases free living exercise behaviors in children. Circulation. 110(17): 665-666 3081 Supp S.
Cook T H, Gilmer MJ & Bess CG. (2003). Beginning students' definitions of nursing: An inductive framework of professional identity. Journal of Nursing Education. 42(7): 311-317.
Bushnell FK, Cook TH, Wells N & Johnson R. (2000). The meaning of health to the low-income patients in a primary care center. Journal for the Poor and Underserved. 11(3): 267-275.
Cook TH, Nies MA & Hepworth JT. (2000). Race differences in the relationships between dietary nutrients and overweight in women. Health Care for Women International. 21(1): 41-51.
Nies, MA, Vollman M & Cook T. (1999). African American women’s experiences with physical activity in their daily lives. Public Health Nursing. 16(1): 23-31.
Book Chapters
Cook T. (2009). Historical factors: Community health nursing in context. In Nies M. & McEwen J (Eds.), Community health nursing (5th ed.). Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders & Co.
Cook T. (2007). Nutrition standards for foods in schools: Leading the way toward healthier youth. In Stallings V & Yaktine A, (Eds.). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Abstracts and Proceedings
Cook TH. (2004). Increasing healthy heart knowledge in children. In National Congress on the State of the Science in Nursing Research - Working Toward a Healthier Nation (p. 452), Washington, D.C.
Cook TH. (2004). School-based exercise intervention increases free living exercise behaviors in children. In: Circulation, Journal of the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2004, New Orleans, LA. Professional Research
Professional Organizations
1996-Present |
Member, Southern Nursing Research Society |
2000-Present |
Member, American Heart Association, Campaign for a Healthy and Responsible Tennessee (CHART) |
2000-2002 |
Chair, Nominating Committee, Southern Nursing Research Society |
2001-Present |
Member, Advisory Committee, American Heart Association, Advocacy |
2002-Present |
Member, Healthy Nashville Leadership Council |
2003-2006 |
Member, North American Association for the Study of Obesity |
2004-Present |
Board Member, Tennessee on the Move |
2005-2007 |
Member, Committee on Nutrition Standards for Schools, Institute of Medicine |
2007-Present |
Governor's Advisory Council on Child Nutrition and Wellness |
Professional Research
2001-2005 Reviewer, Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
2002-2004 Reviewer, Journal of Nursing Education
2007-Present Reviewer, The Journal of Pediatric Nursing
