“I always say the best thing about my job is when participants are sitting in the chair to get blood drawn, and they can’t get away from me—it’s ‘20 questions’ to find out who they are and what’s going on in their life,” nurse consultant Doreen Rolshoven said, chuckling. “By the time they leave the room, I know a lot about them.”

After 31 years of working at the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Rolshoven has touched many lives, from study participants to student workers.

Rolshoven assists with human studies at the Center. While she enjoys all her duties, it’s the interaction with participants that brings her the greatest joy.

“They really do become friends of yours, and it’s interesting to watch how they change from when they first start participating in studies,” Rolshoven shared. “We have had people almost faint when we would do a finger stick to see if they qualified for a study, to, signing up for studies where they have an in-dwelling catheter in their arm! They become more comfortable with the staff and feel invested in the studies. They learn to trust us.”  

Many of the study participants are students at the University of North Dakota. “Some of them call me their study mom,” Rolshoven said with a smile. Rolshoven’s kind nature shines in her interaction with coworkers as well; the student workers have dubbed her their “work mom” and on occasion have addressed cards to her accordingly.

“It’s nice when employees feel the same way as your study participants do. I so enjoy being with them, and I want them to know how important they are to be part of our team.  We couldn’t do our research without them,” Rolshoven noted.

Before working at the Center, Rolshoven worked in a high-pressure environment as a nurse on a cardiac surgical floor.  While Rolshoven excelled in that position, she is thankful to be furthering health through her work at the Center.

“Many participants are interested in new things that are taking place,” Rolshoven said. “They’re reading more about health and are wanting to change their lifestyles. I think that’s a large part of why they participate in our studies.”

Rolshoven says being genuinely interested in people is essential for working at the Center. Learning about people not only makes her job more enjoyable but also helps study participants feel appreciated.

“You do have to be people orientated,” Rolshoven said. “If you’re going to be actively involved in a study, you have to be interested in your participants. They have to know that you care about them and that you’re really interested in them as a person, not just a study participant, and that you truly value their participation.”

It is evident that Rolshoven exemplifies this in her work and brings a great deal of humanity to the Center.