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)

Reclaiming life on one's own terms: A grounded theory study of the process of breast cancer survivorship

Sherman, D. W., Rosedale, M., & Haber, J. (2012). Oncology Nursing Forum, 39(3), E258-E268. 10.1188/12.ONF.E258-E268
Abstract
Abstract
Purpose/Objectives: To develop a substantive theory of the process of breast cancer survivorship. Research Approach: Grounded theory. Setting: A LISTSERV announcement posted on the SHARE Web site and purposeful recruitment of women known to be diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. Participants: 15 women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Methodologic Approach: Constant comparative analysis. Main Research Variables: Breast cancer survivorship. Findings: The core variable identified was Reclaiming Life on One's Own Terms. The perceptions and experiences of the participants revealed overall that the diagnosis of breast cancer was a turning point in life and the stimulus for change. That was followed by the recognition of breast cancer as now being a part of life, leading to the necessity of learning to live with breast cancer, and finally, creating a new life after breast cancer. Participants revealed that breast cancer survivorship is a process marked and shaped by time, the perception of support, and coming to terms with the trauma of a cancer diagnosis and the aftermath of treatment. The process of survivorship continues by assuming an active role in self-healing, gaining a new perspective and reconciling paradoxes, creating a new mindset and moving to a new normal, developing a new way of being in the world on one's own terms, and experiencing growth through adversity beyond survivorship. Conclusions: The process of survivorship for women with breast cancer is an evolutionary journey with short- and long-term challenges. Interpretation: This study shows the development of an empirically testable theory of survivorship that describes and predicts women's experiences following breast cancer treatment from the initial phase of recovery and beyond. The theory also informs interventions that not only reduce negative outcomes, but promote ongoing healing, adjustment, and resilience over time.

The effects of symptomatic seroma on lymphedema symptoms following breast cancer treatment

Fu, M. R., Guth, A. A., Cleland, C. M., Lima, E. D. R. P., Kayal, M., Haber, J., Gallup, L., & Axelrod, D. (2011). Lymphology, 44(3), 134-143.
Abstract
Abstract
It has been speculated that symptomatic seroma, or seroma requiring needle aspiration, is one of the risk factors for lymphedema symptoms following breast cancer treatment. These symptoms exert tremendous impact on patients' quality of life and include arm swelling, chest/breast swelling, heaviness, tightness, firmness, pain, numbness, stiffness, or impaired limb mobility. Our aim was to explore if symptomatic seroma affects lymphedema symptoms following breast cancer treatment. Data were collected from 130 patients using a Demographic and Medical Information interview tool, Lymphedema and Breast Cancer Questionnaire, and review of medical record. Arm swelling was verified by Sequential Circumferential Arm Measurements and Bioelectrical Impedance Spectroscopy. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Chi-squared tests, regression, exploratory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling. Thirty-five patients (27%) developed symptomatic seroma. Locations of seroma included axilla, breast, and upper chest. Significantly, more women with seroma experienced more lymphedema symptoms. A well-fit exploratory structural equation model [X2(79)=92.15, p=0.148; CFI=0.97; TLI=0.96] revealed a significant unique effect of seroma on lymphedema symptoms of arm swelling, chest/breast swelling, tenderness, and blistering (β=0.48, p<0.01). Patients who developed symptomatic seroma had 7.78 and 10.64 times the odds of developing arm swelling and chest/breast swelling versus those who did not, respectively (p<0.001). Symptomatic seroma is associated with increased risk of developing lymphedema symptoms following breast cancer treatment. Patients who develop symptomatic seroma should be considered at higher risk for lymphedema symptoms and receive lymphedema risk reduction interventions.

Oral health nursing education and practice program

Dolce, M., Haber, J., & Shelley, D. (2011). Nursing Practice and Research.

The effect of providing information about lymphedema on the cognitive and symptom outcomes of breast cancer survivors

Fu, M. R., Chen, C. M., Haber, J., Guth, A. A., & Axelrod, D. (2010). Annals of Surgical Oncology, 17(7), 1847-1853. 10.1245/s10434-010-0941-3
Abstract
Abstract
Background. Despite recent advances in breast cancer treatment, breast cancer related lymphedema (BCRL) continues to be a significant problem for many survivors. Some BCRL risk factors may be largely unavoidable, such as mastectomy, axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), or radiation therapy. Potentially avoidable risk factors unrelated to breast cancer treatment include minor upper extremity infections, injury or trauma to the arm, overuse of the limb, and air travel. This study investigates how providing information about BCRL affects the cognitive and symptomatic outcome of breast cancer survivors. Methods. Data were collected from 136 breast cancer survivors using a Demographic and Medical Information interview instrument, a Lymphedema Education Status interview instrument, a Knowledge Test for cognitive outcome, and the Lymphedema and Breast Cancer Questionnaire for symptom outcome. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, t tests, chi-square (χ2) tests, and regression. Results. BCRL information was given to 57% of subjects during treatment. The mean number of lymphedema-related symptoms was 3 symptoms. Patients who received information reported significantly fewer symptoms and scored significantly higher in the knowledge test. After controlling for confounding factors, patient education remains an additional predictor of BCRL outcome. Significantly fewer women who received information about BCRL reported swelling, heaviness, impaired shoulder mobility, seroma formation, and breast swelling. Conclusions. Breast cancer survivors who received information about BCRL had significantly reduced symptoms and increased knowledge about BCRL. In clinical practice, breast cancer survivors should be engaged in supportive dialogues so they can be educated about ways to reduce their risk of developing BCRL.

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

LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2010). (7th eds., 1–). Mosby Elsevier.

Differences in physical, emotional, and social adjustment of intimate, family, and nonfamily patient-partner dyads based on a breast cancer intervention study.

Sherman, D. W., Haber, J., Hoskins, C. N., Budin, W. C., Maislin, G., Cater, J., Cartwright-Alcarese, F., McSherry, C. B., Feurbach, R., Kowalski, M. O., & Rosedale, M. (2009). Oncology Nursing Forum, 36(4), E185-197. 10.1188/09.ONF.E185-E197
Abstract
Abstract
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To assess the degree to which postsurgical adjustment in patients with breast cancer and their partners depends on the nature of the patient-partner dyad relationship. DESIGN: Secondary data analysis from a randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Three cancer centers and one suburban community hospital in New York. SAMPLE: 205 patient-partner dyads (112 intimate-partner, 58 family-member, and 35 nonfamily-member dyads). METHODS: Mann-Whitney nonparametric comparisons and chi-square tests were used to assess dyad types on continuous and categorical variables, and a mixed model for repeated measures compared postsurgical adjustment among dyad types. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Type of patient-partner dyads and physical, emotional, and social adjustment. FINDINGS: Patients in intimate-partner dyads were younger, had greater incomes, and discovered the lump by routine mammogram as compared to family- or nonfamily-member dyads. No significant differences were observed in patients' physical or emotional adjustment. Patients with intimate partners had greater difficulty in their social and domestic environments. Partners in intimate-partner dyads had lower scores on psychological well-being, more problems in social and domestic adjustment, and less social support to promote social adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Women with breast cancer experience successful physical and emotional adjustment whether they have intimate-partner, family-member, or nonfamily-member partners. Intimate partners are at greater risk for emotional and social adjustment issues. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: When designing interventions, consideration must be given to the type of patient-partner dyad involved.

Evidence-based practice challenge: Teaching critical appraisal of systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines to graduate students

Krainovich-Miller, B., Haber, J., Yost, J., & Jacobs, S. K. (2009). Journal of Nursing Education, 48(4), 186-195. 10.3928/01484834-20090401-07
Abstract
Abstract
The TREAD

The inextricable nature of mental and physical health: Implications for integrative care

Weiss, S. J., Haber, J., Horowitz, J. A., Stuart, G. W., & Wolfe, B. (2009). Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 15(6), 371-382. 10.1177/1078390309352513
Abstract
Abstract
There is growing evidence that physical health problems are caused and exacerbated by psychological factors. Research indicates that psychological distress leads to physical disease through impairment of the neuroendocrine system and its interface with the body's immune response. However, the current health care delivery system splinters care into "psychiatric" and "physical" health silos. New approaches are needed to assure adequate professional knowledge of behavioral health at basic licensure, to increase the use of advanced practice psychiatric-mental health nurses in primary care settings, to identify and teach behavioral competencies for primary care providers, and to fund the design and evaluation of integrative models of care.

The oral-systemic connection in primary care

Haber, J., Strasser, S., Lloyd, M., Dorsen, C., Knapp, R., Auerhahn, C., Kennedy, R., Alfano, M. C., & Fulmer, T. (2009). Nurse Practitioner, 34(3), 43-48. 10.1097/01.NPR.0000346593.51066.b2

Preliminary steps toward creating an interprofessional international public health program

Shelley, D., Mevi, A., Abu-Rish, E., Haber, J., & Hirsch, S. (2009). Journal of Interprofessional Care, 23(4), 417-419. 10.1080/13561820802561378