Judith Haber

Faculty

Judith Haber headshot

Judith Haber

APRN-BC FAAN PhD

Professor Emerita

1 212 998 9020

433 FIRST AVENUE
NEW YORK, NY 10010
United States

Dr. Judith Haber, PhD, APRN, FAAN is Professor Emerita at the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing (NYU Meyers). From 1997-2022, she held significant leadership roles as Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, Interim Dean, and Ursula Springer Leadership Professor in Nursing. 

Dr. Haber is the Executive Director of a national nursing oral health initiative, the Oral Health Nursing Education Practice (OHNEP) Program, funded by the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health Advancement, and was the Principal Investigator on the HRSA-funded program, Teaching Oral-Systemic Health (TOSH). Dr. Haber is the lead author of the landmark (2015) AJPH publication, Putting the Mouth Back in the Head:  HEENT to HEENOT. Since 2005, Dr. Haber has been an NYU leader of interprofessional education and practice, with a special focus on oral-systemic health, collaborating with interprofessional partners at NYU College of Dentistry, NYU School of Medicine, and LIU School of Pharmacy. 

As Executive Director of OHNEP, Dr. Haber is a Core Partner of the National Interprofessional Initiative on Oral Health (NIIOH). She was a member of the HRSA Expert Panel that developed the 2014 Interprofessional Oral Health Core Competencies for Primary Care Providers and a member of the Technical Expert Panel that developed the 2015 Qualis Health White Paper, Oral Health: An Essential Component of Primary Care. She also contributed to the National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) 2022 report, Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges. Dr. Haber has been invited to join numerous Advisory Boards, including the Veteran’s Administration (VA) NVHAP National Advisory Board, the Primary Care Collaborative National Steering Committee on Shared Principles, the CIPCOH 100 Million Mouths Advisory Board, the National Medically Necessary Medicare Dental Benefit Consortium, and the National Maternal Child Oral Health Think Tank.  Dr. Haber has consulted, presented and published widely on interprofessional education and practice as well as oral-systemic health issues. 

Dr. Haber is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, the New York Academy of Medicine and a Board Member of the Santa Fe Group. She is the 2011 recipient of the NYU Distinguished Teaching Award, 2014 NYU Meritorious Service Award, the 2015 Sigma Theta Tau International Marie Hippensteel Lingeman Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice, the 2017 DentaQuest Health Equity Hero Award and in 2019, the OHNEP Program received an Edge Runner Award from the American Academy of Nursing.

Dr. Haber also has been an internationally recognized leader in psychiatric nursing for the past 40 years. She was the author of the award-winning, classic textbook, Comprehensive Psychiatric Nursing, published for 8 editions and translated into 5 languages. She was the recipient of the ANA Hildegarde Peplau Award and a two-time awardee of the APNA Psychiatric Nurse of the Year Award. Consistent with the current emphasis on integrating behavioral health in primary care, Dr. Haber has been a longtime advocate of the integration of mental health and physical health and has published widely on this topic. 

She is also a recognized expert in evidence-based practice and co-author of two award winning nursing research texts, Nursing Research: Methods and Critical Appraisal for Evidence-based Practice, now in its 10th edition and translated into 5 languages, and Evidence-Based Practice for Nursing and Healthcare Quality Improvement.

Dr. Haber played a leadership role as Co-Principal Investigator and Principal Investigator on a series of NIH funded studies, including an R15 and RO1 investigating the effect of psychoeducational and counseling interventions on physical, emotional, and social adjustment of women with breast cancer and their partners, as well as Co-Principal Investigator on a qualitative study investigating the experience of survivorship for women with breast cancer. The findings of these studies have been disseminated in high-impact peer-reviewed journals, local and national presentations, and are frequently cited in the literature. This program of research also resulted in an award-winning four-part DVD series, Journey to Recovery: For Women with Breast Cancer and Their Partners and a book, Breast Cancer: Journey to Recovery.

 

PhD - New York University (1984)
MA - New York University (1967)
BS - Adelphi University (1965)

Mental health
Interprofessionalism
Oral-systemic health

American Academy of Nursing
American Association of Nurse Practitioners
American Nurses Association
Connecticut Nurses Association
Gerontological Society of America
National League for Nursing
New York Academy of Medicine
Santa Fe Group
Sigma Theta Tau-Alpha Omega and Upsilon Chapters

Edge Runner Award, American Academy of Nursing (2019)
Senior Scholar, Santa Fe Group (2018)
Denta Quest Health Equity Hero Awrd (2017)
Distinguished Teaching Award, New York University (2011)
Excellence in Cancer Nursing Research Award, Oncology Nursing Society (2009)
Distinguished Alumni Award, NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing (2008)
Excellence in Research Award, American Psychiatric Nurses Association (2005)
Psychiatric Nurse of the Year Award, American Psychiatric Nurses Association (2005)

Building a culture of collaboration: Interprofessional education and practice

Haber, J. (2014). Journal of the Academy of Distinguished Educators, 2, 12-14.

Interprofessional education between dentistry and nursing: the NYU experience.

Haber, J., Spielman, A. I., Wolff, M., & Shelley, D. (2014). Journal of the California Dental Association, 42(1), 44-51.
Abstract
Abstract
In 2005, New York University Colleges of Dentistry and Nursing formed an organizational partnership to create a unique model of interprofessional education, research, service and practice. This paper describes the first eight years of experience, from the early reaction of the public to the partnership, to examples of success and past and current challenges.

Nursing research: Methods and critical appraisal for evidence-based practice

LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2014). (8th eds., 1–). Mosby Elsevier.

Proactive Approach to Lymphedema Risk Reduction: A Prospective Study

Fu, M. R., Axelrod, D., Guth, A. A., Cartwright, F., Qiu, Z., Goldberg, J. D., Kim, J., Scagliola, J., Kleinman, R., & Haber, J. (2014). Annals of Surgical Oncology, 21(11), 3481-3489. 10.1245/s10434-014-3761-z
Abstract
Abstract
Background: Advances in cancer treatments continue to reduce the incidence of lymphedema. Yet, many breast cancer survivors still face long-term postoperative challenges as a result of developing lymphedema. The purpose of this study was to preliminarily evaluate The Optimal Lymph Flow program, a patient-centered education and behavioral program focusing on self-care strategies to enhance lymphedema risk reduction by promoting lymph flow and optimize body mass index (BMI). Methods: A prospective, longitudinal, quasi-experimental design with repeated-measures was used. The study outcomes included lymph volume changes by infrared perometer, and BMI by a bioimpedance device at pre-surgery baseline, 2–4 weeks after surgery, 6-month and 12-month follow-up. A total of 140 patients were recruited and participated in The Optimal Lymph Flow program; 134 patients completed the study with 4 % attrition rate. Results: Fifty-eight percent of patients had axillary node dissection and 42 % had sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). The majority (97 %) of patients maintained and improved their preoperative limb volume (LV) and BMI at the study endpoint of 12 months following cancer surgery. Cumulatively, two patients with SLNB and two patients with axillary lymph node dissection had measurable lymphedema (>10 % LV change). At the 12-month follow-up, among the four patients with measurable lymphedema, two patients’ LV returned to preoperative level without compression therapy but by maintaining The Optimal Lymph Flow exercises to promote daily lymph flow. Conclusions: This educational and behavioral program is effective in enhancing lymphedema risk reduction. The study provided initial evidence for emerging change in lymphedema care from treatment-focus to proactive risk reduction.

The role of symptom report in detecting and diagnosing breast cancer-related lymphedema

Fu, M., Cleland, C. M., Guth, A. A., Qiu, Z., Haber, J., Cartwright-Alcarese, F., Kleinman, R., Scagliola, J., & Axelrod, D. (2014). European Journal of Clinical & Medical Oncology.

Integrating EBP into doctoral education

Krainovich-Miller, B., & Haber, J. (2013). In R. Levin & H. Feldman (Eds.), Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health: A Resource for Advanced Practice Psychiatric and Primary Care Practitioners in Nursing: Implementing a post-master’s DNP nursing curriculum to prepare clinical EBP leaders: The New York University Experience (2nd eds., 1–, p. xv). Springer. 10.1002/9781118704660

L-Dex ratio in detecting breast cancer-related lymphedema: Reliability, sensitivity, and specificity

Fu, M. R., Cleland, C. M., Guth, A. A., Kayal, M., Haber, J., Cartwright, F., Kleinman, R., Kang, Y., Scagliola, J., & Axelrod, D. (2013). Lymphology, 46(2), 85-96.
Abstract
Abstract
Advances in bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) permit the assessment of lymphedema by directly measuring lymph fluid changes. The objective of the study was to examine the reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of cross-sectional assessment of BIA in detecting lymphedema in a large metropolitan clinical setting. BIA was used to measure lymph fluid changes. Limb volume by sequential circumferential tape measurement was used to validate the presence of lymphedema. Data were collected from 250 women, including healthy female adults, breast cancer survivors with lymphedema, and those at risk for lymphedema. Reliability, sensitivity, specificity and area under the ROC curve were estimated. BIA ratio, as indicated by L-Dex ratio, was highly reliable among healthy women (ICC=0.99; 95% CI = 0.99-0.99), survivors at-risk for lymphedema (ICC=0.99; 95% CI = 0.99-0.99), and all women (ICC=0.85; 95% CI = 0.81-0.87); reliability was acceptable for survivors with lymphedema (ICC=0.69; 95% CI = 0.54 to 0.80). The L-Dex ratio with a diagnostic cutoff of >+7.1 discriminated between at-risk breast cancer survivors and those with lymphedema with 80% sensitivity and 90% specificity (AUC=0.86). BIA ratio was significantly correlated with limb volume by sequential circumferential tape measurement. Cross-sectional assessment of BIA may have a role in clinical practice by adding confidence in detecting lymphedema. It is important to note that using a cutoff of L-Dex ratio >+7.1 still misses 20% of true lymphedema cases, it is important for clinicians to integrate other assessment methods (such as self-report, clinical observation, or perometry) to ensure the accurate detection of lymphedema.

The effects of psychoeducation and telephone counseling on the adjustment of women with early-stage breast cancer

Sherman, D. W., Haber, J., Hoskins, C. N., Budin, W. C., Maislin, G., Shukla, S., Cartwright-Alcarese, F., McSherry, C. B., Feurbach, R., Kowalski, M. O., Rosedale, M., & Roth, A. (2012). Applied Nursing Research, 25(1), 3-16. 10.1016/j.apnr.2009.10.003
Abstract
Abstract
Background: Throughout the illness trajectory, women with breast cancer experience issues that are related to physical, emotional, and social adjustment. Despite a general consensus that state-of-the-art treatment for breast cancer should include educational and counseling interventions to reduce illness or treatment-related symptoms, there are few prospective, theoretically based, phase-specific randomized, controlled trials that have evaluated the effectiveness of such interventions in promoting adjustment. Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the physical, emotional, and social adjustment of women with early-stage breast cancer who received psychoeducation by videotapes, telephone counseling, or psychoeducation plus telephone counseling as interventions that address the specific needs of women during the diagnostic, postsurgery, adjuvant therapy, and ongoing recovery phases of breast cancer. Design: Primary data from a randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting: Three major medical centers and one community hospital in New York City. Methods: A total of 249 patients were randomly assigned to either the control group receiving usual care or to one of the three intervention groups. The interventions were administered at the diagnostic, postsurgery, adjuvant therapy, and ongoing recovery phases. Analyses were based on a mixed model analysis of variance. Main Research Variables and Measurement: Physical adjustment was measured by the side effects incidence and severity subscales of the Breast Cancer Treatment Response Inventory (BCTRI) and the overall health status score of the Self-Rated Health Subscale of the Multilevel Assessment Instrument. Emotional adjustment was measured using the psychological well-being subscale of the Profile of Adaptation to Life Clinical Scale and the side effect distress subscale of BCTRI. Social adjustment was measured by the domestic, vocational, and social environments subscales of the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale. Findings: Patients in all groups showed improvement over time in overall health, psychological well-being, and social adjustment. There were no significant group differences in physical adjustment, as measured by side effect incidence, severity, or overall health. There was poorer emotional adjustment over time in the usual care (control) group as compared to the intervention groups on the measure of side effect distress. For the telephone counseling group, there was a marked decline in psychological well-being from the adjuvant therapy phase through the ongoing recovery phase. There were no significant group differences in the dimensions of social adjustment. Conclusion: The longitudinal design of this study has captured the dynamic process of adjustment to breast cancer, which in some aspects and at various phases has been different for the control and intervention groups. Although patients who received the study interventions improved in adjustment, the overall conclusion regarding physical, emotional, and social adjustment is that usual care, which was the standard of care for women in both the usual care (control) and intervention groups, supported their adjustment to breast cancer, with or without additional interventions. Implications for Nursing: The results are important to evidence-based practice and the determination of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of interventions in improving patient outcomes. There is a need to further examine adjustment issues that continue during the ongoing recovery phase. Key Points: Psychoeducation by videotapes and telephone counseling decreased side effect distress and side effect severity and increased psychological well-being during the adjuvant therapy phase. All patients in the control and intervention groups improved in adjustment. Adjustment issues are still present in the ongoing recovery phase.

Essential psychiatric, mental health and substance use competencies for the registered nurse

Kane, C., Brackley, M., Clement, J., D’Antonio, P., Haber, J., Hamera, E., Harmon, R., LeCuyer, E., Naegle, M. A., Newton, M., Pearson, G., Poster, E., Shattell, M., Sirota, T., & Talley, S. (2012). Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 26(2), 80-110. 10.1016/j.apnu.2011.12.010
Abstract
Abstract
The original concept for this document was conceived at the meeting of the Psychiatric Mental Health Expert Panel during the Academy of Nursing 33rd Annual Meeting and Conference, Integrating Physical and Mental Health Care, held in Miami, Florida, November 9-11, 2006. Judith Haber and June Horowitz co-chaired the Expert Panel meeting at the time discussion took place regarding the need for a document centralizing recognized competencies and curricula associated with psychiatric mental health nursing practice. The Expert Panel also recognized the need for a document that identified psychiatric mental health competencies for generalist nursing practice. Catherine Kane and Margaret Brackley agreed to Co-Chair a taskforce to write these competencies. They were joined by Madeline Naegle, Sandra Talley, Marian Newton, Jeanne Clement, Patricia D'Antonio, and Elizabeth Poster. This initial group was charged with using "a model similar to the Hartford Foundation model for building capacity in geriatric nursing to develop PMH/Behavioral Health Competencies for non-PMH RNs and APRNs." Other contributing members of the Taskforce were Edna Hamera, Elizabeth LeCuyer, Mona Shattell, Geri Pearson, Rebecca Harmon and Theodora Sirota. The Taskforce convened by teleconference on April 13, 2007, and met monthly by teleconference through Fall 2008. A full draft of the document was completed and sent for editing to Geraldine Pearson and Beth Vaughn Cole. On March 24, 2009, the Taskforce convened by teleconference and agreed to distribute the draft to the membership of the International Society of Psychiatric Nursing (ISPN), the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA), and the International Nurses Society on Addictions. The draft was displayed on the websites of ISPN and APNA through 2009. Comments, suggestions, edits and revisions were welcomed and the feedback was incorporated into this document. The appendices to this document include materials that informed the content of these Essentials and websites for resources.

Evaluation of the clinical hour requirement and attainment of core clinical competencies by nurse practitioner students

Hallas, D., Biesecker, B., Brennan, M., Newland, J. A., & Haber, J. (2012). Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 24(9), 544-553. 10.1111/j.1745-7599.2012.00730.x
Abstract
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the national practice of fulfilling 500 clinical hours as a requirement for graduation from nurse practitioner (NP) programs at the master's level and to compare this standard to a comprehensive approach of evaluating attainment of clinical competencies. Data sources: The National Organization of NP Faculties (NONPF) and specialty accreditation bodies publications were used for references to clinical hour and core competency requirements for graduation from NP programs. Data from one university from student documentation on a commercial electronic tracking system were also analyzed. Conclusions: Data analysis revealed that the 500 clinical hours correlated to populations, skills performed, required levels of decision making, and expected diagnoses. However, assurance that these clinical hour requirements translated to exposure to all core competencies for entry into practice could not be established. Implications for practice: A more comprehensive approach to the evaluation of student core competencies by implementing one or more performance-based assessments, such as case-based evaluations, simulations, or objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), as a strategic part of NP evaluation prior to graduation is proposed. This change is viewed as critical to the continued success of NP programs as master's level education transitions to direct BS to DNP educational preparation for advanced nursing practice.