SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

Karen Alexander is currently an instructor at Jefferson College of Nursing in Philadelphia, PA. She is a PhD student at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Her clinical experience includes neonatal nursing, pediatric home care, and public health nursing involving family health promotion. She also served on the expert panel of the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing convened to develop competencies related to care coordination in nursing. Her academic experience includes serving on faculty at Jefferson College of Nursing for the past five years. Her intended dissertation will describe the self-efficacy, social support and postnatal depression of mothers experiencing opiate recovery treatment.

Rachel Allen is a PhD student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a Family Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP). After graduating from Thomas Jefferson University with her BSN, she began her nursing career in the Neuroscience ICU at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her experience in the Neuroscience ICU nurtured a respect and intrigue for the brain-behavior connection as well as healthcare ethics, and ultimately led her to complete her MSN at the University of Pennsylvania. Rachel initially worked as a family PMHNP with a diverse group of children and adolescents in a pediatric neurology center and an adolescent residential treatment center. She went on to join the National Health Service Corps and work as a PMHNP in a federally qualified health center that provided treatment for an underserved population. Rachel’s work as a clinical instructor for nursing students in both psychiatric and neurological rotations, reinforced her passion for teaching. This passion for teaching, along with a desire to make a greater impact on the mental health system, the overall healthcare system, patients’ lives, and the next generation of nurses, contributed to pursuing doctoral studies. Rachel’s doctoral research aims to use historiography to examine societal views in the U.S. from the 20th century to the present, toward mental health care for people living with SMI, as well as historical and sociopolitical influences on the history of how our society has chosen to care for its members living with SMI, with a particular focus on the deinstitutionalization movement.  

Sallie Allgood is a Ph.D. student in Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research interests include examining evidence-based interventions to improve health behaviors and identifying which components of these interventions help individuals improve their health and wellness. She is also interested in the role of Community Health Workers (CHW) to deliver these interventions. Ms. Allgood has a B.S. in both Nursing and Biochemistry and a M.S. in Biology. Since enrolling in the Ph.D. program at UNC-CH in 2015, she has worked with her mentor, Dr. Jennifer Leeman, on her CDC-funded study to evaluate implementation and effectiveness of an evidenced-based intervention to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in a rural, predominantly African American community. As a research assistant, Ms. Allgood has helped design the training for the CHWs and is evaluating intervention fidelity. Ms. Allgood has also served on a statewide workgroup that is developing recommendations for training core competencies and certification of North Carolina’s CHW workforce. In addition to being a Jonas Scholar, Ms. Allgood is a Hillman Scholar in Nursing Leadership. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International and American Public Health Association.

Short-term goals include attending the PhD nursing program at University of San Diego and graduate in three years. After graduation, initiate and participate in clinical trials for advancement in cardiology to promote my hospital as the best community heart center in the South Bay. Long-term goals include developing a continuum from inpatient to outpatient pathway for heart failure patients. Increasing communication between inpatient and outpatient settings and our process will decrease 30-day readmission rates from 19.2% this year to the Sharp goal of 16.4% for heart failure populations. These goals directly affect patient outcomes and satisfaction rates. Five and ten year goals include nurse practitioner managed heart failure clinics and developing a rapid rule out program for acute coronary syndrome starting in the emergency room. Both goals will help flow and movement in the emergency room and assist with early diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease processes. As the lead nurse practitioner I have lead the program to improve patient care and communication with physicians. During this time been awarded the guardian angel award which is a prestigious award by a patient or family that acknowledges a difference I have made in their care.

Paul Ambrefe has worked in adult intensive care as a staff nurse both in neurological and post-surgical settings. He currently works in a retail healthcare clinic in Nashville as a Family Nurse Practitioner and as a full-time faculty member with Belmont University School of Nursing along with adjunct work with Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. He is currently enrolled as a Ph.D. student at Vanderbilt University in the clinical research track with research emphasis in obesity factors and management strategies in school-age and adolescent populations. His interest in childhood obesity began in his master’s preparation as a Family Nurse Practitioner through Middle Tennessee State University, and continued as he worked in the pediatric setting at a private pediatric primary care clinic. He is looking forward to his work in this area while in a faculty role.

PRESENTATIONS Francine Gomberg Research Day, Poster presentation, Lee Memorial Health Systems, 2012. Implemented the PUPS team, (Pressure Ulcer Prevention Surveillance) in the ICU. Practice was changed in the ICU per EBP research, data collected for one year. Community Involvement Sigma Theta TauAACNChamberlain College of Nursing Honor Society Quality Council Co-chair Gulf Coast Community ICU Committee for Continued Patient Safety and Progress GCMCNon Academic- Professional University of Miami 1991-1998-Surgical Transplant ICU staff/charge nurseÿ Attended an International Transplant seminar, Washington D.C. Naples Community Hospital 1998-2000 staff nurse ICU Gulf Coast Medical Center 2000-2015 Staff Nurse/charge nurse ICU Interim Director ICUStaff nurse/charge nurse/preceptor ICU Goals- Ensure that I embrace and teach; Nursing research worldwide is committed to rigorous scientific inquiry that provides a significant body of knowledge to advance nursing practice, shape health policy, and impact the health of people in all countries.The Application of technologies that support safe patient care, and the importance of critical thinking to nursing practice. issues.

After graduating from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in 2005 with a Masters in Nursing Science, Alison has practiced as an Adult Nurse Practitioner in a variety of settings. The majority of her work experience has involved treating patients with painful conditions. She currently works with a specialist seeing complicated patients with fibromyalgia and rheumatological conditions. She also serves as an expert witness on over-prescribing cases for the State of Tennessee. Due to her personal interests and studies, as well as her current patient population, she has chosen to pursue a PhD at Vanderbilt University studying brain imaging in dementia and Alzheimer’s. After completing the PhD, she plans to pursue post-doctoral work and establish an independent lab to exam pain and brain processing in adult populations utilizing experimental pain assessment techniques and brain imaging methods to help guide improved nursing assessment and management techniques in people with dementia who have difficulty communicating.