Mary Starke Harper

Mary Starke Harper (* 6. September 1919 in Fort Mitchell , Alabama ; † 27. July 2006 in Columbus , Georgia ) was an African American Registered Nurse (Nurse), both in the practical care and in nursing research and health policy worked . She worked for the United States War Veterans Department for many years , conducting clinical research on the geriatric psychiatric population and minority health. In 1972, Harper developed the minority scholarship program at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). She served on four presidential councils on mental health and health reform. Harper has received numerous awards for her work and has published more than 180 publications.

Childhood and youth

Mary Starke Harper was born on September 6, 1919 in Fort Mitchell, Alabama, the oldest of seven children. The family later moved to Phenix City. As a child, Harper enjoyed reading and studying, and raised mice to sell to laboratories and hospitals. Although her parents wanted Harper to settle down as a housewife, she decided to study business administration at the African American Tuskegee Institute . Her father died while Harper was in college, so she switched subjects and began studying nursing. She then became the private carer of George Washington Carver before he died in 1943.

education

Harper attended the Tuskegee Institute and received her nursing diploma in 1941. She was still attending various Bachelor programs in the late 1940s . The University of Alabama rejected Harper's application because of her skin color, so she decided to attend the University of Minnesota instead . At that time, no black woman had graduated from any of their programs there. In 1950, Harper completed her studies there with a bachelor's degree in education, followed by her master's degree in nursing education and educational psychology in 1952 . In 1963, she received her doctorate in medical sociology and clinical psychology from St. Louis University .

Tuskegee Syphilis Study

When Harper was 19 years old and studying nursing at the Tuskegee Institute, she volunteered to work on the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male (Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in African American Men ). As a young nursing student, she did not know the scope of the study, nor did she know that many of her patients were not receiving treatment. In 2003, about 60 years later, Harper recalled, "I was very angry that they made me, a black person, do bad things to black men." Harper also said the study showed their interest in treating minorities had awakened. That experience led her to advocate minority health care for both geriatric and psychiatric patients. She later took on a role as a teacher, teaching minority patients about informed consent and the importance of asking questions about a study before giving consent to participate.

Work in the Veterans Administration Hospitals

Upon receiving her nursing license, Registered Nurse began working for the Tuskegee Veterans Administration Hospital . In total, Harper worked for the United States Department of War Veterans for over 30 years . Every few years she moved and worked on a new hospital under the direction of the Ministry. In total, Harper moved nine times. Harper became the director of nursing at Tuskegee in 1952. During this time as a practical nurse, she worked with patients with chronic debilitating mental illnesses. Harper developed initiatives to include family members in care and to normalize patient stays by wearing street clothes, adjusting diet and changing medication regimes. Harper later worked at veterans hospitals in Michigan , New York , Ohio and Missouri , where she conducted clinical studies and trained medical staff on improvements to the treatment program.

Family life

In 1943, Mary Starke Harper married Willie F. Harper at the age of 24. They had a daughter, Billye Louise Harper, in 1944. When Harper moved because of her job, she always prioritized her family and only moved if her husband found a similar job in the new place of residence and the time of the move coincided with the end of her daughter's school year. Her husband died in 1963, her daughter died in 1969 at the age of 25. Harper's sister later died and she moved to Washington, DC from 1972 to 1998 to care for her sister's children and frail mother.

Gerontopsychiatric Research and Achievements

Harper began her career in clinical research with insights into learning about the elderly population. She has been a member of a number of professional organizations including the American Psychological Association and the Society of Clinical Geropsychology . In 1982 Harper took part in the World Congress on Aging in Vienna, where she presented her research in the field of long-term care for the elderly. Harper noted that elderly patients often had undiagnosed mental disorders . These patients were at risk of inadequate care in institutional elderly care . Harper also noted that over- medication and drug interactions are significant issues for this population . In 2003, it moved its research in the field of overloading of carers Although this group makes around 90 percent of long-term care for the elderly population, recognized Harper that there is no organized system to support these families.

As an African American, Harper pioneered research into health imbalances among ethical minorities and exposed health system failures in this area. Tuskegee University established a chair in geriatric psychiatric nursing on Harper's behalf. The Mary Starke Harper Geriatric Psychiatric Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama was also named after her. There were 126 beds available for geriatric psychiatric patients.

National Institute of Mental Health Minority Fellowship Program

After Harper finished her practice as a practical nurse, she moved to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in 1972. In the following years, she reached a senior position. Together with the NIMH, Harper established research and development centers across the country devoted to improving and researching mental health. In 1972 she directed the National Institute of Mental Health Minority Fellowship Program. Harper said the number one reason she set up the scholarship program was her participation in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Since its inception, the program has supported over 12,000 doctors, scientists, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and other members of the health care profession.

Participation in health policy

Harper worked for the US Department of Health and Human Services for 28 years . With her knowledge of mental health and aging, she has served as a consultant in all states, most of the US territories, and 21 countries. She also served on the White House Advisory Board in four different administrations: Clinton , Reagan , Bush and Carter . On these roles, she worked with the National Institute of Health (NIH), the National Mental Health Association , drug maker Johnson & Johnson, and the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, among others. During the Carter administration, Harper was the head of the office from 1979 to 1981 of Policy Development and Research (German office for policy development and research) for the White House Conference on Aging (German advisory assembly on age). At the time, Harper was the first woman to hold the post. She continued to serve as director during the Bush and Reagan administrations. When Clinton came into office, Harper was instrumental in developing the Clinton Mental Health and Public Sector Task Force for Health Care Reform ( Mental Health and Public Sector Task Force for Health Care Reform ). In 1995, Harper served as a consultant to the White House Conference on Aging .

research

Harper's research focused on geriatric psychiatric care. She studied she studied depression , delirium , Alzheimer's , suicide and overdoses in the elderly. Harper found that older patients were often given too much medication and were therefore both health and social impaired. She also looked at the elderly population who lived alone and how chronic diseases affected their lifestyle. Within her psychiatric research, Harper focused on mental health, drug abuse , schizophrenia, and prison health care. In addition, she examined the recidivism rate in these population groups. Harper recognized that multiple patient admissions were caused by errors in the health system and treatment plans. A milestone in her research was the involvement of family members in treatment. She also studied minorities in the health system and ethical issues raised for minorities due to inequalities in the population.

Publications

Harper wrote more than 180 articles and five books on her research. Most of it was published between 1972 and 1988. Your records are held in the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania .

Awards and honors

Harper received a number of awards during her career. The Tuskegee Institute recognized Harper as the Best All Around Nurse , Scientifically and Clinically. In 1963 she received the Federal Nursing Service Award from the Association of Military Surgeons. Veterans Affairs has twice awarded Harper the Surgeon General's Medal of Honor for her service to patients. In 1966, Harper was introduced to the Chi Eta Phi Sorority and recognized for her outstanding achievements. The Tuskegee Institute selected Harper for the University's Order of Merit in 1970. In 2001, Harper received the Living Legacy Award in Aging from the American Academy of Nursing . She also received the Mary Mahoney Award for her commitment to minority equality.

End of life

Harper lived in Washington DC until 1998 when she returned to Columbus, Ohio . She died of cancer in July 2006 at the age of 86.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m} Dennis McLellan: Mary S. Harper, 86; Expert on Mental Health, Aging Lamented Role in Tuskegee Syphilis Study Los Angeles Times, August 15, 2006, ISSN 0458-3035, accessed July 21, 2020
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Minority Nurse Magazine: Mental Health Nursing Trailblazer Dr. Mary Starke Harper Passes Away Issue Archive, March 30, 2013 Retrieved July 21, 2020
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t} Matt Schudel: Mary Harper; Leader in Minority Health Washington Post, August 5, 2006, ISSN 0190-8286, accessed July 21, 2020
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} Ellen Berg: Key Figure in NIMH Minority Fellowship Program Retires: Mary Starke Harper Sociologist Extraordinaire in American Sociological Association, February 1995, Issue 23, p. 3
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m} Penn Libraries: Mary Starke Harper papers, 1972-1988 (English), accessed on July 21, 2020
6. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Journal of Psychosocial Nursing: Meet Mary Harper 1993, Volume 31 Issue 8
7. ↑ ^{a b} Debra A. Santo-Novak, Kathy Grissom, Richard E. Powers: Mary Starke Harper "I Love Doing the Impossible" in Journal of Gerontological Nursing of February 1, 2001 Volume 27, Issue 2, pp. 12-14. Doi: 10.3928 / 0098-9134-20010201-09 , PMID: 11915261 , ISSN 0098-9134 (English)
8. ↑ "I was very angry that they had me, a black person, doing something bad to black men."
9. ^ ^{A b} Mary Harper: Panel 3 in Women's Health Issues, 2001, Volume 11, Issue 1, pp. 50-55 doi: 10.1016 / s1049-3867 (00) 00087-6 , pmid: 11166601
10. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} George Niederehe: Mary Starke Harper (1919-2006) in American Psychologist, 2007, Volume 62, Issue 9, p. 1071 doi: 10.1037 / 0003-066x.62.9.1071 (English)
11. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} University of Alabama, Capstone College of Nursing: Dr. Mary Harper. Retrieved July 21, 2020
12. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} AORN Journal: Outstanding nurses honored at ANA Convention in Hawaii of September 1, 1978, Volume 28, Issue 3, pp. 416-417 doi: 10.1016 / s0001-2092 (07) 61633-0 ISSN 1878 -0369 (English)
13. ^ ^{A b c} Nursing Education Perspectives: Faculty NOTES of September 2006, Volume 27, Issue 5, p. 281 ISSN 1536-5026