Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Pennsylvania received a $2.01M Project Grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) under the Nursing Research program (CFDA 93.361), awarded January 29, 2026, with completion targeted for December 31, 2029. This research initiative evaluates multi-level interventions designed to prevent and mitigate nurse burnout across hospital-based settings through a longitudinal, repeated cross-sectional study spanning approximately 535 hospitals across California, Florida, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The study leverages data collected at four time points (2006, 2016, 2024, and 2026) encompassing thousands of nurses to assess the causal relationships between modifiable organizational factors, state-level policy interventions, and nurse outcomes including burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intent to leave employment.

The research employs hierarchical statistical models with time-varying covariates and difference-in-difference analytical approaches with propensity score weighting to examine how organizational factors such as staffing levels, work environment, and care delivery models influence nurse burnout trajectories. The study incorporates contemporaneous American Hospital Association structural data and accounts for significant intervening influences including California's nurse staffing policy, the 2008 financial recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from this investigation will generate evidence-based insights regarding organizational and policy-level strategies to effectively reduce burnout among the estimated half of hospital-based nurses currently experiencing burnout, with implications for healthcare workforce retention and patient care quality.