University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing Associate Professor Jill Demirci and PhD student Myeong-ga Cho and are among the 2026 winners of the Eastern Nursing Research Society (ENRS) awards.
Each year, ENRS—a professional society of registered nurses and research advocates—recognizes exceptional contributions to nursing science. This year’s award recipients will be honored at the ENRS 38th Annual Scientific Sessions in Everett, Massachusetts, on March 27, 2026.
Read on to learn how Demirci’s and Cho’s award-winning research helps families with babies and women experiencing breast cancer.
Jill Demirci
Demirci called it an “honor” to win the ENRS Mid-Career Researcher Award for her studies on human lactation and breastfeeding challenges.
“This recognition reflects the extraordinary mentorship I’ve received from brilliant women throughout my career, the generosity of colleagues and collaborators, and the trust of families who have participated in our research,” she said. “It highlights the importance of rigorous, nursing-driven science focused on human lactation and infant feeding support, a field that profoundly shapes lifelong maternal and infant health.”
Over the course of her 15-year research career, Demirci has played a pivotal role in shaping clinical guidelines, informing national health policy and advancing lactation support models. She has published more than 70 peer-reviewed papers and has received several high-profile nursing honors, including induction into the American Academy of Nursing and an Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses Award of Excellence in Research.
In her research, she has taken a particular interest in the psychological, behavioral and physiological roots of low breast milk supply, as well as interventions to support the uptake, duration and intensity of breastfeeding. She has contributed to multiple trials evaluating direct-to-consumer telelactation services among underserved populations, including Black, Hispanic, rural and Medicaid-insured families.
She is now developing a data-driven platform called Milk Match that would connect mothers with surplus milk to those who don’t have enough or are unable to breastfeed, including adoptive and surrogate families. Ultimately, this would support safer peer-to-peer milk sharing—a pressing need as some families continue to experience limited access to breastfeeding support.
As she looks ahead to future research projects, Demirci said she is driven by one overarching goal: making it easier for families to feed their children.
“My aim has been, and remains, to build systems that truly support families in their infant feeding journeys,” she said.
Myeong-ga Cho
Cho earned the 2026 Dissertation Award, which is conferred by both ENRS and the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science, for her mechanistic research on the cognitive benefits of aerobic exercise in postmenopausal women with breast cancer.
“Winning this award is both an honor and a meaningful affirmation of my research program,” Cho said. “This award reinforces the value of integrating rigorous molecular science with patient-centered behavioral interventions within a social context and strengthens my commitment to advancing translational nursing research.”
In her research, Cho explores biological, behavioral and socioeconomic factors to explain why aerobic exercise helps offset cognitive decline in some women with breast cancer but is less effective in others. To account for these differences, she is evaluating epigenetic changes—molecular modifications to DNA—to identify biological signatures of vulnerability and resilience in study participants. These insights could help health care professionals develop personalized treatment plans and more readily identify women at risk of developing cancer-related cognitive decline.
Cho expects to graduate this summer and hopes to secure a postdoctoral position that will enable her to continue studying cognitive health. Long-term, she would love to develop exercise programs that are tailored to individuals’ unique molecular risk profiles within a social context, ultimately helping to combat cognitive decline with greater precision.
As Cho embarks on her research career, she is excited to see where nursing science is headed—and how she can contribute to its future.
“Beyond research, I am committed to mentoring emerging nurse scientists and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between nursing, epigenomics, neuroscience and exercise physiology,” she said. “I believe nursing science is uniquely positioned to lead translational, patient-centered innovation in this space, and I hope to contribute meaningfully to that future.”