SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

Maria Gahry earned her Bachelors of Science in Nursing in 2009 from Wayne State University (WSU) in Detroit, MI and is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at WSU. For 5 years, Maria worked in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, MI. She currently is a Registered Nurse working for the Critical Care Float Pool in the Oakwood Health System. Maria is a member of the American Holistic Nurses Association, the Michigan Council of Nurse Practitioners, the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau – Lambda Chapter, the Weston A. Price Foundation and the International Society for Complementary Medicine Research. Maria is specializing in Adult Primary Care and is obtaining a graduate certificate in Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Through her research and time spent shadowing integrative practitioners, Maria has developed a passion for researching and studying thyroid disease, which she considers an often-overlooked health problem that influences the development of many other health problems including heart disease, dyslipidemia, infertility, depression and dementia. Through an evaluation of the current practice regarding thyroid disease screening and treatment at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit, MI, Maria intends to help educate clinicians about the common and overlooked connections between thyroid disease and other health problems. Maria’s aim is to help improve health outcomes for veterans through the utilization of an integrative and holistic approach to screening and treatment of thyroid disease.

I have a comprehensive advanced practice nursing career which includes my role as the surgical CNS in the critical care, progressive care and acute medical-surgical units for many years. Currently, I am one of the Nurse Practitioners for the Departments of General Surgery and Vascular at the VA Long Beach Healthcare Systems managing all aspects of outpatient surgery. I am Assistant Clinical faculty at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) school of nursing and mentor many of their acute care nurse practitioner students. I am also a clinical representative team evaluator for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) ensuring all levels of education meet accreditation standards. I have been with the VA Long Beach Healthcare Systems for nineteen years and have successfully implemented many evidence-based practice changes throughout the organization. I am the past chair of the nursing policies and procedures and the operative and invasive committees. Currently, I am the chair of the Nurse Professional Standards Board (NPSB), a member of the interdisciplinary committee for advanced wound care and a member of the surgical care improvement program (SCIP). I am the recipient of the 2009 and the 2013 VA Secretary’s award for excellence in advanced practice nursing. I am currently attending the Southern California State University Doctor of Nursing Practice Consortium School of Nursing. I have many clinical practice interests, in particular vascular wounds. I am board certified in advanced wound care and have presented many posters and abstracts on this topic for numerous organizations

As a family nurse practitioner in primary care, my clinical experiences have ranged from adults with chronic heart failure to woman who must weigh the benefits to risks for genetic testing for beast cancer. I also supervise summer sessions for a boys’ sports camp. All of these experiential settings have added to the advanced practice professional that I am today and to which I continue to evolve. However, I know I must continue my formal studies and the research doctorate in my next aspiration. The impetus for pursuing my doctoral studies has stemmed from a personal epiphany that recognized the importance of research to clinical practice. Most often the impact of nursing care is difficult to measure and therefore undervalued except when the financial impact is calculated. Nursing research can and should provide the health care arena tangible tools to evaluate nursing practice, and therefore ensures nurses are providing effective care based on evidence derived from research rather than habit. Through my doctoral studies I will complement the knowledge and skills I received during my studies to prepare for the advanced practice role of Family Nurse Practitioner at Rutgers. I realize that these however are only the foundation for the doctoral work necessary for promoting the use of research in clinical practice and to advance the science of nursing. My professional goal is the improvement of patient care and outcomes. I believe I can best accomplish this by continuing with my education, becoming a nurse researcher.

Shena Gazaway, RN has a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia, 2005. She entered Brenau University a second time to complete her Masters of Science in Nursing degree, 2009. She is currently a Nursing Instructor at the Athens Campus of Georgia Regents University. Ms. Gazaway has worked as a registered nurse in the General Medicine Unit at St. Mary’s Medical Center and then went on to work as a Public Health Nurse and Supervisor in Georgia’s Northeast Health District, 2005-2009. She is currently enrolled in the PhD in Nursing program at Georgia Regents University in Augusta, Georgia. Ms. Gazaway is a member of the Georgia Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, and Sigma Theta Tau International. Her research interests include seeking methods to support the transition of newly licensed registered nurses from educational program to clinical practice. Ms. Gazaway has a special interest in exploring how various mentoring programs support work transition six months after graduation. This topic is being explored for Ms. Gazaway’s Dissertation Project.