Every year, in the dark of winter, black and gold banners with larger-than-life portraits appear on light posts in downtown Iowa City. As part of the Office of the Vice President for Research’s Dare to Discover campaign, these banners highlight researchers, scholars, and creators from across the University of Iowa.
The 2024 campaign featured 80 students and postdocs, including College of Nursing PhD student Jihye Lee.
Lee successfully defended her dissertation in June and has accepted a postdoctoral position at the University of Los Angeles. Her PhD advisor in the college was Sandra Daack-Hirsch (86BSN, 88MSN, 07PhD).
The following Q & A is excerpted from Lee’s Dare to Discover profile.
Describe your research: My dissertation focuses on children with heart disease. Children with heart disease are at risk for growth failure and development issues due to functional and structural defects of the heart. Problems with physical growth have clinical implications as an indicator of child’s health condition, as well as a predictor of the short and long-term prognosis of disease. The goal of my research is to scientifically evaluate the risk of growth failure in children with heart disease and to establish a theoretical framework for intervention to promote optimal growth by identifying predictive factors.
Why does this research matter? It is expected that a more accurate understanding of the mechanisms of growth failure in congenital heart disease will help achieve optimal growth by identifying high-risk groups, recognizing abnormal growth patterns early, and providing timely interventions.
How has being involved in research made you more successful at the University of Iowa? I have been a graduate research assistant for the Office of Nursing Research and Scholarship since the fall of 2020. I have participated in various research projects of the College of Nursing as a member of the statistical support team. Through this, I co-authored several manuscripts and was able to accumulate specific experience in conducting research. This experience was a great help in developing my dissertation.