Tondi M. Harrison, PhD, RN, CPNP

Tondi Harrison, PhD, RN, CPNP, is a principal investigator at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. The focus of Dr. Harrison’s research is on developing and testing interventions to moderate the adverse effects of early hospitalization on neonates and young infants. To date, her research has centered on examining the effects of early experience on development of the stress response in infants with congenital heart defects with a particular focus on the influence of maternal-infant interaction on infant autonomic nervous system (ANS) development. Dr. Harrison uses the measure of heart rate variability as an index of ANS function and other physiologic measures of stress response including pulse oximetry, salivary cortisol, salivary alpha amylase, and galvanic skin response.

Gender:

• Female

Languages Spoken:

• English

Research Center:

• Center for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research

Areas of Interest:

• My research interests center on examining the effect of maternal care giving on the development of stress neurobiology in full-term infants hospitalized shortly after birth because of life-threatening, chronic health conditions. I am particularly interested in infants with congenital heart defects. The experiences of being in the intensive care unit, undergoing multiple invasive diagnostic or therapeutic treatments, receiving care from multiple professionals, and being separated from mother may result in permanent changes in infant neurobiology, including autonomic nervous system function. Development of adaptive autonomic responses to stress or challenge is the foundation upon which self-regulation of emotion and behavior is built. Patterns of response of the infant’s autonomic system are theorized to be directly influenced by interactions with the mother. I am interested in developing interventions that will enhance infant autonomic function and the establishment of patterns of maternal care giving supportive of the infant’s emotional, behavioral, and social self-regulation.

Nursing School

• Fairview Hospital School of Nursing
  Date Completed: 06/30/1974

Undergraduate School

• University of Michigan - Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (certificate)
  Date Completed: 06/30/1980

Undergraduate School

• University of Michigan
  Date Completed: 08/31/1988

Graduate School

• Case Western Reserve University
  Date Completed: 06/30/1999

Doctoral

• University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing
  Date Completed: 08/30/2008

2010–present

• Principal Investigator, Center for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH

2008–2010

• Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota School of Nursing

2006–2008

• Research Specialist, Aurora Health Care, Milwaukee, WI

2005–2008

• Research Specialist, Pridham Research Team, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

2001–2003

• Manager of Clinical Innovation and Professional Practice, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin-Fox Valley, Neenah, WI

1996–2000

• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, IHA Livingston Pediatrics, Brighton, MI

1994–1996

• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Mt. Hope Pediatrics, Lansing, Michigan

1986–1994

• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Blue Care Network-Health Central, Lansing, MI

1985–1986

• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Home Health Care of Sparrow, Lansing, MI

1980–1985

• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Kalamazoo Pediatric Assoc., Kalamazoo, MI

1979–1979

• Staff nurse, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

1976–1977

• Staff nurse, University of Minnesota Hospitals, Minneapolis, MN

1975–1976

• Staff nurse, Brackenridge Hospital, Austin, TX

1974–1975

• Staff nurse, University of Minnesota Hospitals, Minneapolis, MN 

• Weber, A, Harrison, TM, Steward, D. 2012. Schore’s regulation theory: Maternal-infant interaction in the NICU as a mechanism for reducing effects of allostatic load on neurodevelopment in premature infants.  Biological Research for Nursing. Vol. 14, no. 4. (October): 375-386.
• Harrison, TM, Brown, R. 2012. Autonomic nervous system function in infants with transposition.  Biological Research for Nursing. Vol. 14, no. 3. (July): 257-268.
• Pridham, K, Harrison, T, Brown, R et al. 2012. Caregiving motivations and developmentally prompted transition for mothers of prematurely born infants.  Advances in Nursing Science. Vol. 35, no. 3. (July): E23-E41.
• Weber A, Harrison TM, Steward D. Schore’s regulation theory: Maternal-infant interaction in the NICU as a mechanism for reducing the effects of allostatic load on neurodevelopment in premature infants. Biological Research for Nursing. (in press).
• Harrison, TM. 2011. Trajectories of parasympathetic nervous system function before, during, and after feeding in infants with transposition of the great arteries.  Nursing Research. Vol. 60, no. 3. (June): S15-S27.
• Harrison TM, Brown R. Autonomic nervous system function in infants with transposition. Biological Research for Nursing. 2011, doi: 10.1177/1099800411407687.
• Harrison TM. Trajectories of parasympathetic nervous system function before, during, and after feeding in infants with transposition of the great arteries. Nursing Research. 2011, 60, S15-S27. PMCID: PMC3139514.
• Pridham, K, Harrison, T, Krolikowski, M, et al. 2010. Internal working models of parenting: Motivations of parents of infants with a congenital heart defect.  Advances in Nursing Science. Vol. 33, no. 4. (October): E1-E16.
• Sawin, K, Gralton, K, Harrison, TM, et al. 2010. Nurse Researchers in Children's Hospitals.  Journal of Pediatric Nursing. Vol. 25, no. 5. (October): 408-417.
• Sawin, K, Gralton, K, Harrison, TM, et al. 2010. Nurse researchers in children’s hospitals.  Journal of Pediatric Nursing. Vol. 25, no. October: 408-417.
• Harrison TM. 2010. Family centered pediatric nursing care: State of the science.  Journal of Pediatric Nursing. Vol. 25, no. 5. (October): 335-343.
• Harrison TM.  Family-centered pediatric nursing care: State of the science.  J Pediatr Nurs. 2010 Oct;25(5):335-43.  PubMed ID: 20816555
• Sawin K, Gralton K, Harrison TM, Malin S, Balchunas MK, Brock L, Cavegn B, et al. Nurse researchers in children’s hospitals. J Pediatr Nurs. 2010 Oct;25(5):408-17.  20816564 PubMed ID: 20816564
• Pridham K, Harrison TM, Krolikowski M, Bathum ME, Ayres L, Winters J. Internal working models of parenting: Motivations of parents of infants with a congenital heart defect. Advances in Nursing Science. 2010, 33, E1-E16. PMCID: PMC21068545.
• Harrison, TM. 2009. Effect of maternal behavior on regulation during feeding in healthy infants and infants with transposition.  Journal of Gynecologic, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nursing. Vol. 38, no. 4. (July): 504-513.
• Harrison, TM.  Effect of maternal behavior on regulation during feeding in healthy infants and infants with transposition.  Journal of Gynecologic, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nursing. 2009, 38, 504-513. PubMed ID: 19614886
• Harrison, TM, Stewart, S, Ball, K, et al. 2007. Clinical focus program: Enhancing the transition of senior nursing students to independent practice.  Journal of Nursing Administration. Vol. 37, no. 6. (June): 311-317.
• Harrison TM, Stewart S, Ball K, Bratt MM. Clinical focus program: Enhancing the transition of senior nursing students to independent practice. Journal of Nursing Administration. 2007, 37(6), 311-317. 
  PubMed ID: 17563525
• Harrison, TM. Behavioral Observation. In Routledge International Handbook of Advanced Quantitative Methods in Nursing Research. Edited by Henly, SJ.