SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

I attended George Mason University for undergraduate studies in both Nursing and Psychology. I am attending George Washington University in order to achieve my Master’s degree and Doctorate in Nursing, with a specialty in family practice. My experience in Nursing includes working with individuals suffering from neurological conditions, specifically stroke, brain tumors, spinal cord surgeries, Alzheimer’s/dementia, and drug withdrawal, among other conditions. While my background rests in the hospital setting, my passion is for preventative healthcare in the community setting. I performed research as an undergraduate, providing motivational interviewing to elderly patients, in order to encourage self-efficacy in management of chronic conditions. I was awarded funding for this research through the George Mason Undergraduate Research Scholars Program and received the Sigma Theta Tau Kitty Parker Smith Leadership Award for my work. My current interests lie in assisting caregivers in planning for long-term management of Alzheimer’s and dementia, particularly as the population of elderly increases in the U.S. I am interested in providing education to community members related to management of chronic conditions (obesity, diabetes, hypertension) and the prevention of related complications (stroke). I currently work as a staff nurse, participating in roles as charge nurse and preceptor on a neurological unit. I serve the community by teaching D.C. Emergency Medical Services about recognizing stroke in the community. I am an avid supporter of Nursing Research and serve as leader the Nursing Evidence-Based Practice and Research Council at my hospital.

Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR, FAAN, is past president of the American Nurses Association and currently holds the inaugural Endowed Perioperative Nursing Chair, Lucy Jo Atkinson Scholar in Perioperative Nursing at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. As a nurse, author, and lecturer, Ms. Patton has presented extensively. She has testified before Congress and met with major policymakers, including Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton, when she lobbied on health care issues. Selected twice by the State Department Ms. Patton served on the U.S. delegation to the World Health Assembly in Geneva. In 2015, Ms. Patton partnered with the American Nurses Foundation to create an endowed Washington-based policy fellowship program focused on maximizing nurses’ placement at the highest policymaking tables and fostering nurses’ policy activism. Her newly published textbook, Nurses Making Policy: From Bedside to Boardroom, is donating one-hundred percent of its editors’ royalties to support the fund. Ms. Patton has received numerous recognitions, including the 2016 Honorary Membership National Student Nurses Association; 2014 American Nurses Association Distinguished Member Award; the 2013 Sigma Theta Tau International Founder Award for Excellence in Fostering Professional Standards; Named as one of the “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare magazine in 2009 and 2010, and was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing in 2010. Ms. Patton holds a BSN degree from Kent State University and an MSN degree from Case Western Reserve University, where she is currently pursuing her DNP degree.

Dr. Peets received her PhD in the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her decision to pursue a PhD in nursing comes from a desire to translate research into nursing practice, improving the health outcomes in female veterans. In addition to her primary care clinical educator role, Dr. Peets serves as the VA’s Women Health Practice Based Research co-site lead for the Salisbury VHA. Her doctoral research focused on the healthcare needs of Post-9/11 female veterans. Her dissertation highlighted the experiences of chronic low back pain in the Post-9/11 women veterans. Dr. Peets completed her MSN with a specialization in nursing education at Winston Salem State University, and her BSN at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.