Nurses and Research Propelling―Neonatal Nurses into the Future

Research drives the practice of neonatal nursing. For this reason, The National Association of Neonatal Nursing strives to provide avenues for NANN members to access understand, conduct, and practice research and evidence-based neonatal care. 

Our plans for facilitation research are guided by the NANN Research Agenda and members of the NANN Research Committee.

NANN supports your research efforts and invites you to:

• Ask NANN to distribute research surveys to the membership. Surveys are reviewed and approved by the NANN Research Committee, and Institutional Review Board approvals for each survey filed at NANN's national office.
• Submit your research for publication in Advances in Neonatal Care, NANN's peer-reviewed journal.

NANN Research Agenda

The NANN Research Agenda and Priorities are reviewed every other year and updated based on American Nurses Association (ANA) priorities, National Institute of Health (NIH) priorities, and NANN member feedback.

Research Priorities for 2022-2024

1. Health Equity
2. Care Beyond Tomorrow: Pandemic Lessons and Consequences
3. Family-Centered Care

Research Agenda Items 

1. Influence and support neonatal nursing research.
2. Influence and support policies and procedures related to neonatal nurses, patients, and families. 
3. Influence and support translation of research into clinical practice. 

Examples of expected outcomes over two years:

1. Priority given to NANN Small Grant applications that are consistent with the current priorities 
2. Annual Conference session highlighting presentations related to current priorities 
3. Submission of team projects and papers related to a priority for publication in Advances in Neonatal Care 

NANN Research Institute

NANN’s Research Institute was created to support the neonatal community by providing greater access to and assistance in developing and advancing your knowledge and skills, regardless of your level of education or experience and research training.

The creation of a research agenda, programming and dissemination, mentoring, and grants campaign are all a part of the Research Institute.
The Research Institute is governed by a steering council made up of NANN volunteers who represent the interests of research in neonatal nursing.
NANN gratefully acknowledges the funding provided by Reckitt Mead Johnson and charter members of the Research Institute:

The support of the Research Institute enables NANN to offer the annual Research Summit and research agenda. For more information, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 Check out the NANN Committees page! 

NANN's Recent Research Activities

Nurses conducting research need support. NANN has provided it in many ways through the years—and we look forward to developing programs in the future to further help you advance neonatal care.

Past efforts have included:

The NANN Research Summit

Started in 2005, NANN's Research Summit enables neonatal nurses who are engaged in research or evidence-based practice projects the opportunity to present their work to a small audience of their peers. The summit creates a unique environment for researchers to share ideas, gather feedback, build confidence, and empower one another.

Originally a standalone event, the summit eventually became part of the NANN Annual Conference. Research themes presented in the past few years included acute kidney injury (AKI), neonatal pain, kangaroo care, nurse stress, developmental care, the golden hour, pediatric genetics, and respiratory care.

NANN Research Fellows Scholarship

The Research Fellows Scholarship Program empowered neonatal nurses and research, making it possible for nurses with limited resources to conduct a mentored scholarly project. The 18-month program offered Fellows intensive opportunities, resources, and individual mentorship from the NANN Research Committee to complete their research and submit it for presentation at the NANN Annual Conference and publication in the peer-reviewed Advances in Neonatal Care. The fellowship covered travel, expenses, and meeting registrations, too.