Gwyneth Rhiannon Franck, PhD, RN, MPH
Clinical Associate Professor
Director, Midwest Nursing History Research Center
Department of Population Health Nursing Science
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Contact
Building & Room:
948 NURS
Address:
845 S. Damen Ave., MC 802, Chicago, IL 60612
Office Phone:
Email:
About
Dr. Gwyneth Franck is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois College of Nursing. She is the Director of the Midwest Nursing History Research Center (MNHRC) and an Associate Director of the Global Health Leadership Office (GHLO) in the College of Nursing. Her past historical research investigates the role and significance of military nurses during World War I and II, how they were trained, and how they responded to disasters such as the 1918 flu pandemic, or the bombing during Pearl Harbor. As the Director of the MNHRC, she works to provide relevant programming through a nursing history book club and presentations by renowned nurse historians. Additionally, she is committed to expanding and protecting the historical collections within the MNHRC, engaging and elevating underrepresented narratives within nursing history. As an Associate Director of GHLO, Dr. Franck has developed new study abroad opportunities for nursing students, and mentors other faculty to develop additional offerings for students. She also has a continuing area of research around community disaster preparedness in the West Indies.
Dr. Franck teaches in the BSN and DNP program, focusing on topics including social determinants of health, global health, ethics, and research methods. Her clinical areas of expertise are public health, disaster nursing, rural health disparities, and emergency nursing. She continues to maintain a current practice as an emergency department nurse.
Selected Grants
Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Broadening Narratives: Unearthing and Celebrating Black Nurses in Chicago, Co - PI
University of Illinois Presidential Initiative: Expanding the Impact of the Arts and the Humanities, Remembering Black Life in Color: Care, Memory, Community and COVID-19, Co - PI
Emergency Nurses Association Foundation, 50 Years of Advocacy and Advancement, PI
Illinois State Historical Records and Archives Board, Illinois Training School for Nurses Digitization Project, PI
Pritzker Military Museum Foundation, The Army School of Nursing in World War I and U.S. Base Hospitals of WWI: The Chicago Story, PI
University of Virginia Barbara Brodie Nursing History Fellowship, Service and Training: The Army School of Nursing in World War I, PI
Selected Publications
Milbrath G., and Snyder, A. (2021). The Emergency Nurses Association: 50 years of advocacy and advancement. Journal of Emergency Nursing. (In press). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2020.11.007
Drzewiecki, D., ^Wavering, H., Milbrath, G., Freeman, V., Lin, J. (2020) The association between educational attainment and resilience to natural hazard-induced disasters in the West Indies: St. Kitts & Nevis. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 47(101637). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101637.
Milbrath, G. (2020). The U.S. Army School of Nursing in the 1918 influenza epidemic: Cooperation and collaboration at Camp Grant, Illinois. Health Emergency and Disaster Nursing, 7(1) 32-35. https://doi.org/10.24298/hedn.2019-SP02.
Milbrath, G. (2019). A new approach to preparing nurses for war: The Army School of Nursing. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 24(3). http://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol24No03Man03
Milbrath, G., Snyder, A., Martin, M. (2019). Interdisciplinary disaster preparedness: Study abroad in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Journal of Health Emergency and Disaster Nursing. Advance online publication. http://doi.org/10.24298/hedn.2018-0008
Liehr, P., Sopcheck, J., Milbrath, G. (2016). Remembering Pearl Harbor at 75 years. The American Journal of Nursing, 116(12), 54-57. http://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000508670.41586.11
Milbrath, G. (2016). Grace under fire: The Army nurses of Pearl Harbor, 1941. US Army Medical Department Journal, December 2016: 112-117.
Peterson, N. E., Moss, K. O., Milbrath, G., Von Gaudecker, J. R., Park, E., & Chung, M. (2015). Qualitative analysis of student perceptions of bachelor of science-to-doctor of philosophy in nursing programs. Journal of Nursing Education, 54(10), 542-549. http://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20150916-01
Milbrath, G. & DeGuzman, P. B. (2015). Neighborhood: a conceptual analysis. Public Health Nursing, 32(4), 349-358. http://doi.org/10.1111/phn.12197
Snyder, A. & Milbrath, G. (2013). Description of healthcare needs at an episodic clinic in rural southwest Virginia. Rural and Remote Health, 13(2557), 1-10.
Service to Community
American Association for the History of Nursing
2021 - 2023 Secretary
2018-2020 First Vice President
2018-2020 Chair, Strategic Planning Committee
2017-2018 Member, Membership Task Force
2017 – 2019 Conference Moderator
Notable Honors
2018, 40 Under 40 Emerging Nurse Leaders Award, Illinois Nurses’ Foundation
2015, Spurgeon Neel Award, Army Medical Department Museum Foundation
Education
Doctorate of Philosophy, Nursing
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 2017
Dissertation: The nurses of Pearl Harbor, December 1941
Master of Science in Nursing, Public Health Nursing Leadership
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 2014
Clinical Focus: Disaster Nursing and Emergency Preparedness
Master of Science in Public Health, Health Policy, Law, and Administration
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 2014
Thesis: Selecting an early child development tool in rural Limpopo, South Africa
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 2010
Bachelor of Science, Biomedical Engineering
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 2009
Licensures and Certifications
REGISTERED NURSE LICENSES
Illinois 041.460867
CERTIFICATIONS
Basic Life Support Instructor (BLS)
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
Trauma Nurse Core Course (TNCC)
NATIONAL SPECIALTY CERTIFICATIONS
2012-2024 Certified Emergency Nurse
Selected Presentations
INVITED PRESENTATIONS
Milbrath, G. (2020, November). Fulfilling Nightingale’s Legacy of care [Invited keynote speaker]. 2020 International Society of Nurse Geneticist Congress, Virtual due to COVID-19.
Milbrath, G. (2019, November). Historical trajectory and current panorama of Nursing History teaching in the USA [Invited panel]. International Congress for the History of Nursing Teaching, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
Milbrath, G. (2019, June). St. Kitts and Nevis Community Disaster Resiliency Assessment [Invited speaker]. Nevis Disaster Management Department, Charlestown, Nevis.
Milbrath, G. & Snyder, S. (2019, May). St. Kitts and Nevis Community Disaster Resiliency Assessment [Invited speaker]. National Emergency Management Agency, Basseterre, St. Kitts.