Jason Farley, PhD, MPH, CRNP is an Associate Professor in the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. His research focuses on HIV and epidemiology, prevention and management of associated drug resistant co-infections such as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. For his research project, Dr. Farley will conduct a randomized controlled trial of persons living with HIV who are colonized with MRSA bacteria. His ultimate goal is to inform practice among patients living with HIV.

Maja Djukic, PhD, RN is an Assistant Professor at New York University College of Nursing. Her research interests focus on exploring personal and organizational factors associated with the implementation of evidence-based nurse work environment improvement strategies. As an RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholar, Djukic hopes to make important contributions to the inter-professional field of implementation science.  

How state and local public health systems can be most effective in eliminating health disparities is of keen interest to Betty Bekemeier, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., F.A.A.N. of the University of Washington. Dr. Bekemeier is also actively engaged in translational reserach with the national system of Public Health Practice-based Research Networks.

Dr. Matthew McHugh, Ph.D., J.D., M.P.H., R.N., C.R.N.P., F.A.A.N., is interested in the relationship between policy, nursing systems, and patient outcomes. Through his research, Dr. McHugh hopes to determine if new policies should focus on improving nursing care environments in minority serving hospitals.

Susan Breiteinsten, PhD, RN, FAAN is interested in developing innovative ways to deliver eevidence-based programs targeting young children and families experiencing economic and social hardships. For her research project, Dr. Breitenstein plans to develop and test digital delivery of a parent –training program for low-income, minority parents of young children.

Sarah Szanton, Ph.D., C.R.N.P., F.A.A.N., Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, saw first-hand the psychological stress of living in resource-poor neighborhoods while working as a nurse practitioner at community health sites serving the poor and underserved in Baltimore and Washington, DC. It was there that she found her passion for research -- to discover what was known and what we could do to alter the trajectory of these adults so that they could “age in place” successfully.

Dr. Kostas-Polston's research goals include developing tools for the detection of persistent Human Papillomavirus infection of the oropharynx as well as identifying strategies which may be used to inhibit the oncogenic activity of high-risk HPV genotypes.

Dr. Matthew Gallek’s research focuses on cerebral vasospasm, which is a devastating complication following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, a type of stroke caused when a cerebral aneurysm ruptures and causes bleeding in and around the brain. He is interested in functional outcomes following subarachnoid hemorrhage and ischemic stroke. Dr. Gallek’s long term goal is to identify patients at high risk for developing cerebral vasospasm, in order to facilitate more aggressive treatment.

Jodi Ford, Ph.D., R.N. is an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. Her research focuses on population health, specifically the mechanisms through which contextual disadvantage contributes to health and health disparities among adolescents and young adults in the U.S. and globally. Dr. Ford teaches courses on the social determinants of health and quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.

E. Alison Holman, Ph.D., F.N.P. is Associate Professor at the University of California, Irvine. Her research addresses the relationship between acute responses to psychological trauma and long-term mental and physical health. She is currently focused on using genetics to identify early interventions for at-risk populations that decrease the likelihood of developing trauma-related health problems, especially cardiovascular disorders.

Andrea Landis, PhD, RN, APRN is an Assistant Professor in the University of Washington School of Nursing. Her research addresses the relationship between sleep and obesity in adolescents. She is currently focusing on examining the effects of sleep deprivation on body composition, diet, food cravings, physical/sedentary activity, metabolic and endocrine function, and stress in adolescents.

Cheryl Giscombé, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN is an Associate Professor and Assistant Dean, MSN Division and Programs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing. Her research focuses on how the social and cultural context of African American women’s lives influences stress-related obesity and diabetes risk. Dr. Giscombé previously developed a conceptual framework called Superwoman Schema (SWS), which suggests that obligations to present an image of strength, to suppress emotions, and to prioritize caregiving over self-care may influence health disparities in African American women.

While working as a Nurse Practitioner caring for individuals with dementia, LuAnn Etcher, PhD, GNP observed the negative impact that temporally patterned behaviors can have on the quality of life of those with dementia and their caregivers. As a result of this experience, Dr. Etcher became interested in finding ways to specifically detect and manage circadian based systems associated with Dementia. Dr. Etcher teaches graduate and doctoral level students an Assistant Professor at Yale University School of Nursing.

Jennifer Bellot, Ph.D., R.N., M.H.S.A., is an Associate Professor at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Bellot’s passion for policy and health equity helped shape her RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholars research project, which focuses on the integration of Medicare and Nurse Managed Centers.

Robin Knobel, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN is an Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Professor at University of South Carolina College of Nursing. After completing her undergraduate degree in nursing from the University of Nevada, she practiced as a neonatal nurse for 13 years and then completed an MSN from East Carolina University as a neonatal nurse practitioner. 

Gordon Gillespie, PhD, RN, FAEN is an Associate Professor in the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing where he studies the stressors and stress response of emergency department workers. He plans on using the information from his research project to develop an intervention that promotes the resilience and psychological health of victimized workers. Click here to read more about Dr. Gillespie’s research in workplace violence.

Dr Tsui Sui Kao of the University of Toledo aspires to translate her research with adolescents and their parents to develop strategies to promote positive parent-child interactions, thus bridging the health disparities gap created by socioeconomic inequality and inadequate understanding of diverse adolescents’ behaviors. Read more about Dr. Kao’s research on the family collective efficacy and her role as an academic nursing by clicking here.