Lynn Glenn, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Nursing Science, is conducting research outside the College of Nursing to reach high-risk patients. Her focus is on diabetes prevention, screening, and early detection. Glenn’s latest project brings diabetes screenings to younger adults who may not regularly seek healthcare.
“It’s common for patients to get lab testing as part of their primary care, but the younger adult population is less likely to engage in regular care. They often don’t seek healthcare unless they are sick,” Glenn said. She explained that this influenced her decision to offer a diabetes screening for high-risk younger adults in a non-traditional clinical setting.
“I wanted to offer preventative services to the higher risk young adult populations that don’t have primary care or are uninsured,” she said. Glenn partnered with the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University because she saw a dental clinic as an ideal non-traditional setting.
Glenn received grant funding from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) for this project. The funding allowed her to purchase hemoglobin A1C blood glucose tests and hire a research assistant for clinical trials paperwork and data entry. The project, titled “An Interprofessional Learning Experience and Approach to Diabetes Risk Screening,” will be presented at the AANP’s Annual Conference in 2027 and involves students from nursing practice, dental medicine, and dental hygiene programs working together.
“We’ve met a few times to speak about the importance of collaborating with other disciplines and the values and ethical situations that healthcare professionals must deal with,” Glenn said. “They’ve been able to see that nurses, dental hygienists and dentists all have the same primary goal. We are all working together in different ways to keep people healthy.” Nurse practitioner students have observed activities at the dental student clinic while also implementing cardiovascular risk screenings as part of their projects.
Glenn has screened 125 patients so far out of her goal of at least 150 before concluding data collection in June. She credited support from faculty including Alan Furness, DMD; Kim Capehart, DDS; Ashley Christman; and Tenishia Smith for making this interdisciplinary partnership possible. Furness said, “Dental health is a vital part of your overall health. This partnership shows how much better patient care can be when different medical fields work as a team.”
