SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

I am in my first year of PhD Nursing Science program at the University of California, Irvine. My research interest is on the physiological and psychological effects of exergaming among adult patients with heart failure. I have a Master of Science in Nursing, Leadership concentration and a bachelor’s degree in Nursing. Currently, I am the nursing research coordinator of a community hospital. In collaboration with a PhD prepared nurse researcher academic partnership, I lead and coordinate all nursing hospital research studies and have provided guidance to nurses with their research projects. Additionally, I have conducted research myself serving as the primary and co-investigator. I have collaborated with other nurse researchers locally and nationally that resulted in multi-site research studies. My hospital of employment recently received ANCC Magnet designation and I was instrumental in the research component of the Magnet requirement. My clinical background is in Critical Care nursing and I was the critical care educator prior to my current role. I belong to numerous national nursing organizations including the American Association of Critical Care Nursing (AACN) and have been very active in the local AACN chapter that includes holding a position of past president and currently board of director. I also serve as a preceptor and mentor to student nurses pursuing their bachelor’s and master’s degree. I am the recipient of the AACN Appreciation Award for contribution and support to professional organization and the California State University, Fullerton Appreciation Award for contribution to nursing education.

I am a second year PhD student in Nursing Education and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. As a Registered Nurse my professional background is in global health. I have worked/lived in Guatemala, Honduras, India, Nepal, and China, done research in various regions of Africa, and traveled to 127 countries (so far). After completing my Masters of Nursing Education in 2012, I became a full time Assistant Professor of Nursing at Weber State University, where I currently teach undergraduate research and community health courses, as well as lead the WSU Interdisciplinary Global Health and Development Team. Since then, I have joined the executive board for Sigma Theta Tau: NuNu Chapter, become a Certified Nurse Educator, and completed a postgraduate certificate in Global Health from Johns Hopkins University. My areas of interest include sustainable training practices for rural lay health workers in developing countries, and regulations for health-based study abroad groups traveling to developing countries. I am also an active volunteer for many community-based services, including teaching weekly senior citizen’s yoga classes, and providing monthly travel presentations at a local assisted living facility.

Paula Cairns is a first-year MS-PhD student at the University of South Florida. She was admitted into the doctoral program immediately after completing a Master of Science Nursing Education program at USF in 2015. Ms. Cairns’ initial research experience began at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in the area of stem cell transplant research. Since 2011, she has worked as a Nurse Researcher with her mentor Dr. Cindy Munro, Associate Dean of Research and Innovation for USF College of Nursing. Ms. Cairns currently serves as project director for Dr. Munro’s NIH-funded R01, Oral Care Intervention in Mechanically Ventilated Adults. Through Dr. Munro’s mentorship, she has been able to collaborate with other researchers on a variety of research projects, develop expertise in IRB approval to conduct research, participate in scientific publications and grant writing, and attend national scientific meetings. Ms. Cairns enjoys contributing to the future of nursing locally by supporting Tampa General Hospital’s Critical Care Nurse Residency Program, as an evidence-based project lecturer and research mentor, and internationally, as a research manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Advanced Nurses. Academically, Ms. Cairns is an excellent scholar with a 3.9 grade point average, by which she has been awarded membership in both Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society and Golden Key International Honour Society. Ms. Cairns’ research focus is on mechanically ventilated critically ill adults and their families, in particular, prevention of post intensive care syndrome in ICU survivors and their families.

My pursuit of a career in nursing came from a desire to choose a profession that would give me the skills and opportunities to have personal interaction with people and an opportunity to improve lives through healthcare. After graduating from the University of Arkansas with a BSN in 2011, I embarked on an adventure to a developing country for a 2-year mission trip through a faith-based organization. I considered this experience a continuation of my education, as it expanded my worldview and gave me a better understanding of the unmet health needs of underserved and impoverished populations. During this time, I served on a team as a community-health leader and gained an interest in maternal-child health. Alongside local and expatriate women, I developed a program for socioeconomically disadvantaged women on women’s health issues during the childbearing years. The curriculum is still used by local women there. After returning to the US, I pursued a career as a RN in Labor & Delivery serving a diverse and underserved demographic of women. Through this experience, I became interested in how I might impact maternal-child health experiences and outcomes by continuing my education. This led me to pursue a DNP in midwifery with a focus on midwifery practice that can impact underserved and culturally diverse women. I continue to practice as a staff nurse in L&D at a local hospital and look forward to the impact that my education will allow me to have in the field of maternal-child health locally and globally.

Currently, I am enrolled in my second year at Wayne State University in the BSN to PhD program. My area of interest is to identify the psychological risk factors of adolescents and young adults who has a parent with End-Stage Cancer. I received my BSN from Oakland University in 2013 and I have worked at Beaumont Health System in the adult oncology unit for two years and continue to work as a contingent employee while being a full-time student. As for leadership roles, I have mentored many undergraduate nursing students while I was a Nursing Lab Assistant at Oakland University for three years. When I came to Wayne State University in pursuit of my doctorate, I’d volunteer my time by, volunteering with with Honor Nursing Students at Wayne State, to educate and discuss how one can become a bachelors-prepared nurse to a PhD-prepared nurse; as well as, present a short PowerPoint presentation on how to synthesize literature to a class of master students. Becoming a good leader, one needs to continue to educate oneself in order to provide accurate and current information to the public and future nursing students. I have done this by receiving additional training in Youth Mental Health First Aid to be able to assess my population of interest with a educated eye. I would not be here today with out the love and support of my family; as well as, the continuing support from Wayne State and my advisor.

Twenty years in the nursing profession providing nursing care to clients in the acute care and community setting. Experience providing clinical guidance and instruction to nursing students during adult health clinical rotation. Visiting clinical nursing instructor with experience teaching NURS 356 & NURS 360C, foundations and adult health clinical, and didactic teaching experience for NURS347 Health Assessment Across a Lifespan, NURS333 Professional Nursing II: Issues, and NURS 480 Nursing & Healthcare VII: Adult Health and Complex Illness for baccalaureate nursing students with Towson University. PICC trained vascular access nurse with Greater Baltimore Medical Center’s Vascular Access Team. Sigma Theta Tau International, Iota Epsilon Chapter, Community Leader. Publication, Nursing Made Incredibly Easy, July/August 2015 issue, “Vein Preservation in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease”. Master of Science, Nursing: Leadership in Health Care Systems, Graduate Level Academic Certificate in Health Care Education, Graduate with Honors, Regis University, Denver CO, 2008. Bachelor of Science, Nursing, Regis University Denver, CO 2006. Associate of Science, Nursing,Harford Community College Bel Air, MD 1994. Currently pursuing a Phd in nursing with The Catholic University of America with the focused research topic of the autoimmune disorder alopecia areata.

Lisa Carroll is a graduate of the Chester County Hospital School of Nursing and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Immaculata University. Lisa’s nursing practice included medical-surgical and oncology nursing. After receiving her Masters Degree in Nursing from West Chester University, she began her work in nursing education. Presently, she is a member of the nursing faculty at Immaculata University. Lisa is a doctoral candidate at Widener University and her dissertation is entitled ” Student and Faculty Perceptions of Respect and Respectful Learning Environments”.