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Scholar Profile
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University of Virginia
Jill H. Esquivel, Ph.D., R.N., A.C.N.P.-B.C. is working to develop a culturally appropriate intervention to improve self-care and knowledge of Heart Failure in Hispanic patients. She believes this intervention, created specifically for Hispanics, will reduce the risk of re-hospitalization in Heart Failure patients.
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University of Missouri
While working as a research nurse on a federally funded study on intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy, Tina Bloom, Ph.D., R.N., M.P.H. was dumbstruck by the fact that she and her colleagues in a high-risk perinatal unit had been so ill-equipped to recognize and respond to IPV in pregnant women, one of the most common and serious threats to maternal child health. Transformed by this experience and encouraged by mentors to seek a career in nursing research, Dr. Bloom embarked on a journey to improve access for underserved pregnant to culturally appropriate resources to support IPV victims. Read more about this University of Missouri Associate Professor.
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Johns Hopkins University
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.
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Duquesne University School of Nursing
As a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Public/Community Health, Alison M. Colbert, Associate Professor at Duquesne University, aims to improve the health of recently-incarcerated women. Her RWJF-sponsored research will focus on developing a case management intervention targeting this population.
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New York University
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.
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University of Utah
Andrea Wallace, Ph.D., R.N. is an Associate Professor at the University of Utah College of Nursing. Her research interest is in finding means of improving outcomes for those living with chronic illness, particularly for vulnerable patient populations. Her current focus is on examining how interventions aiming to improve diabetes self-management support can be feasibly implemented during routine primary care service delivery.
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University of Washington School of Nursing
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.
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The Ohio State University
Timothy Landers, PhD, RN, CNP, FAAN is an Associate Professor in the Ohio State University College of Nursing. His research focuses on the epidemiology and prevention of antibiotic-resistant infections. For his RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholar research project, Dr. Landers is investigating the five most common bacteria causing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) to see if improving hand hygiene reduces these bacteria.
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University of Pennsylvania
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.
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West Virginia University
Laurie Theeke, Ph.D., R.N. will use mixed methods to better understand the phenomenon of loneliness, and to evaluate the efficacy of new interventions on loneliness, its associated psychoneuroimmunological stress response, and quality of life in chronically ill, older, adults.
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Rush University
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.
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Montana State University, School of Nursing
Laura Larsson, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N. is interested in environmental health and is currently researching renters as a vulnerable population. Dr. Larsson serves on the Gallatin City County Board of Health. In that role she is working to improve local air quality and promote a prevention agenda to enhance the quality and quantity of years of rural Montanans.
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Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
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.
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Duke University
Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, Ph.D., R.N., M.P.H., C.P.H., F.A.A.N. is developing a culturally specific Teen Dating Violence prevention intervention, which consists of strategies directed towards the student, their parents, and the school. Ultimately, she hopes that this project will be implemented in high schools throughout the world. Click here for more information on Dr. Gonzalez Guarda’s research on violence prevention.
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Uniformed Services University
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.
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Adelphi University
Dr. Elizabeth Cohn, PhD, RN, FAAN is director of the Center for Health Innovation at Adelphi University, and an adjunct professor at the Columbia University School of Nursing. She is deeply committed to advancing health equity for underserved, low-income urban communities. Her work focuses on increasing representation of minorities in genetic and genomic research. Dr. Cohn is also Associate Chair of Research for the Hip Hop Public Education Center and has a federally funded academic-community partnership with the Abyssinian Baptist Church of Harlem.
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University of North Carolina Wilmington
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.
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University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing
Shannon N. Zenk, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., F.A.A.N. is Professor of Health Systems Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing. The foci of Dr. Zenk’s research are understanding social determinants of obesity and identifying environmental and policy approaches to reduce obesity. Of particular interest are contributions of the built and social environment to racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in obesity.
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Ohio State University
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.
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New Mexico State University
Alexa Doig, Ph.D., R.N., hopes to develop a human factors training intervention for nurses to acquire the cognitive skills necessary for managing work interruptions. Dr. Doig is Enriquez Endowed Chair and Director of the New Mexico State University School of Nursing in Las Cruces.
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University of California
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.
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Calvin College
Adejoke Ayoola, PhD, RN is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nursing at Calvin College. The goal of her RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholar research project is to find effective ways to educate low-income women at risk of unplanned pregnancy about reproductive changes related to their menstrual cycle.
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University of Washington
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.
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University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Anna Beeber, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N. is an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing. Her research focuses on improving the quality of care for older adults residing in long-term care settings. Dr. Beeber currently teaches clinical care of older adults to MSN students.
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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.
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University of California, Los Angeles
Dr. Nalo Hamilton, Ph.D., R.N., W.H.N.P./A.N.P.-B.C., is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Nursing. Dr. Hamilton is interested in the development of breast cancer and its impact on women of diverse ethnic backgrounds. She hopes that the discovery of unique biomarkers for breast cancer development and progression may improve patient screening and treatment outcomes.
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Yale University School of Nursing
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.
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University of California, Davis
Elena Siegel, Ph.D., R.N., has a background in business and finance and is applying this knowledge to her research in care systems management and gerontology. She hopes that her research will maximize organizational and workforce capacity to deliver high quality, cost-effective long-term care for older Americans. Dr. Siegel is an Associate Professor and founding faculty member at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis.
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Thomas Jefferson University
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.
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University of New Mexico
Emily Haozous, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N. is an Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico College of Nursing. Dr. Haozous studies the relationship between digital storytelling, medical mistrust, and patient intent to receive cancer screening among American Indian/Alaskan Native people. She hopes this research will help to improve cancer outcomes in the AI/AN communities.
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University of South Carolina
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.
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West Virginia UniversityTaura Barr, PhD, RN is an Assistant Professor in the West Virginia University School of Nursing and Prevention Research Center. Her program of research is centered on the use of genomic methodologies to identify biomarkers of cardiovascular disease, understand their relationship with post-stroke inflammation and immunity, and define the contributing environmental factors related to health disparity in underserved populations.
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University of Cincinnati
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.
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Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
Terrah L. Foster Akard, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N. would like to decrease suffering and enhance life for children undergoing palliative care. Her current research involves developing a legacy-making intervention which will be used to test the effects on suffering in children with cancer who have a poor prognosis and their parent caregivers.
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University of Toledo
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.
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University of Michigan, School of Nursing
Maria Katapodi, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N. came to United States as a Fulbright Scholar to pursue graduate studies in nursing. Her research integrates oncology genomics, decision-making, and family communication. She aspires to use her program of research and her expertise in meta-analysis, to facilitate the translation of genomics into evidence-based nursing practice.
Ask the Academic Nursing Leader
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“Our profession went through a period where it was important to accentuate nursing research because we were collectively trying to demonstrate to others and ourselves the unique contributions nurse scientists could make in finding “answers” to important healthcare questions....
Latest from the Program
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- May 30, 2017 In the news
- March 20, 2017 Research
Recent Research Publications and Funding
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Andrea Wallace, Ph.D., R.N., University of Utah
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Jennifer Mallow, Ph.D., F.N.P.-B.C., West Virginia University