Faculty and student accomplishments
Recent updates from the College of Nursing faculty and students.
Associate Professor Robert Lucero, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, received a two-year $1 million grant from the Agency for Health Research and Quality for a project titled “Shareable, Interoperable Clinical decision Support for Older Adults: Advancing Fall assessment and Prevention Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Findings into Diverse Primary Care Practices (ASPIRE).”Lucero and his colleague Patricia Dykes, RN, PhD, MA, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, will co-lead this community and primary care-based project that draws on the strengths of UF Health Archer Family Health Care as an AllianceChicago member. Co-investigators within the College of Nursing include Denise Schentrup, APRN, DNP, FAANP, associate dean for clinical affairs, and Ragnhildur Bjarnadottir, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor.
Keesha Roach, PhD, RN
Research Assistant Professor Keesha Roach, PhD, RN, received a National Institutes of Health K01 grant through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The title of the grant is “Contributions of biopsychosocial factors in sickle cell disease pain” and aims to understand the biological and psychological mechanisms that contribute to the significant pain and stress experienced by individuals with sickle cell disease.
Sandra Citty, PhD, RN, APRN-BC
Sandra Citty, PhD, RN, APRN-BC, a clinical associate professor, was elected by the UF Faculty Senate to serve on the University General Education Committee for a three-year commitment.
Ellen Terry, PhD, an assistant professor, was competitively selected to receive support from the NIH Loan Repayment Program, designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers.
Staja Booker, PhD, RN, an assistant professor, was elected to the board of directors for the U.S. Association for the Study of Pain, or USASP. In her role, which will last for three years, Booker will represent the vested interests of early career pain scientists, including, but not limited to, junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and others beginning their career in pain.
Associate Professor Miriam Ezenwa, PhD, MSN, BSN, RN, FAAN, is a multiple principal investigator on a five-year grant from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. The grant includes Diana Wilkie, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Prairieview Trust – Earl and Margo Powers Endowed Professor, and several colleagues from the University of Illinois – Chicago. The title of the project is “Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trial of Guided Relaxation and Acupuncture for Chronic Sickle Cell Disease Pain.”
Karen Aul, PhD, MSN, BSN
Karen Aul, PhD, MSN, BSN, a clinical assistant professor, passed the exam to be credentialed as a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator, or CHSE. The CHSE credential is a distinction intended for individuals who perform health care simulation in the educator role.
Versie Johnson-Mallard, PhD, ARNP, FAAN, associate dean for student affairs, was appointed to the Board on Gulf Education and Engagement of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. In this role, which will last four years, she will provide strategic guidance to the program, support the development of the next generation of environmentally and scientifically literate citizens and engage diverse future generations to address the scientific, social and environmental challenges associated in the Gulf of Mexico.
Eleven College of Nursing faculty members passed the Certified Nurse Educator, or CNE, exam this summer (from top left in photos above): Anne Dillard, Lisa Bagnall, Sallie Shipman, Lisa Ferguson, Shavondra Huggins, Toni Lindsey, Michael Maymi, Brooke Russo, Charlene Krueger, Sally Bethart, and Jennifer Vendt. The CNE certification is through the National League of Nursing and allows nursing faculty to demonstrate their expertise in nursing education as a specialty area of practice. Now 46 % of College of Nursing clinical faculty hold the CNE certification.
Student Accomplishments
The College of Nursing’s NCLEX-RN pass rate was 100% for all graduates who tested before June 30 of this year.
DNP student Shayna Rabess was a finalist in the 2020 Florida Blue Innovation Challenge. Her DNP project, “Implementation of a Transitional Care Model (TCM) in the Heart Failure Population,” was chosen out of dozens of applicants. This year’s challenge focused on projects from undergraduate, graduate and doctorate students that aimed to reduce annual hospital readmissions. Rabess pitched her idea during the final round of the competition at the GuideWell Innovation Center in Orlando’s Lake Nona Medical City.
PhD student Marina Magalhães was notified that she was selected as a 2020-2021 Maternal and Child Health Student Fellow with the American Public Health Association. Through this program, she will receive training and mentorship to become a future leader in her field. Magalhães’ research focus is on neonatal global health inequities.
