SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

Kiiyonna received her Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion Disease Prevention in 2006 from the University of Southern California (USC). While at USC, she ultimately made the decision to further her education and become a Registered. Subsequently, Kiiyonna received her Masters Degree in Nursing from University of California, Los Angeles graduating Magna Cum Laude. Upon graduating from University of California, Los Angeles, Kiiyonna began employment at Veterans Health Administration (VA) in Critical Care. During her employment at the VA, Kiiyonna was elected, by her colleagues, to participate in the Shared Governance committee; in addition, she served as Diabetic Resource Nurse for the unit, was a member on the Para-suicide Committee, and served as a preceptor for nursing students. In 2011 Kiiyonna added Educator to her resume. She became a Faculty member at West Coast University in North Hollywood where is currently Lead Faculty for Public Health. Kiiyonna also works part time at the newly opened Martin Luther King Community Hospital as Nursing Supervisor. Kiiyonna currently holds a membership with the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society and Clinical Nurse Leader Association. Kiiyonna enjoys mentoring adolescent girls at her place of worship, Christ Faith Mission Center. In addition, her interests include spending time with her Partner, Mike Jones, four children, and traveling to the Carribean. Kiiyonna’s ultimate goal is to obtain her Doctorate of Philosophy in Nursing.

Meagan White MSN RNC-MNN is a PhD candidate at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where her doctoral studies concentrate in nursing education. She is a leader, educator, project manager, and registered nurse with experience caring for maternal/child and adult acute care patients. During her doctoral studies at IUP, Meagan has been awarded scholarships for academic excellence, presented at international conferences on original research in faculty leadership, and published in peer-reviewed journals on topics relating to teaching and learning in nursing. After recent nomination by her IUP faculty, Meagan was awarded the prestigious honor of NLN-Jonas Scholar in the 2017-2018 cohort.

She has over four years’ experience as a baccalaureate nursing faculty member where she led the development of classroom and clinical courses, actively served on the curriculum committee during major program revisions, advised student nurse groups, and contributed to the Veterans Success Council. Meagan currently lives in Washington DC where she works as a senior program analyst leading hospital organizations through designation processes for the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Meagan aims to finish her dissertation study titled “Factors Influencing Information Literacy Self-Efficacy of Prelicensure Baccalaureate Nursing Students” in the summer of 2018. She is passionate about information literacy competencies as they encompass essential nursing skills in locating, evaluating, and effectively using information and research evidence. Meagan plans to continue to pursue a career in nursing education, publish findings from her dissertation study, and conduct studies that help to build the science of nursing education research.

Shelley leads the Linda B. and Robert B. Wiggins Wellness and Integrative Health Center at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI), a Comprehensive Cancer Center that offers over thirty-six integrative program services for patients, their caregivers, and staff members, including acupuncture, artistic expression, dance, exercise (twenty-four different group fitness classes), expressive writing, massage, mindfulness interventions, music therapy, and nutritional counseling. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Shelley has over nineteen years of clinical and professional experience working with individuals and family members affected by cancer (six years with hospice, leading to her certification in contemplative end-of-life care from Naropa University). Prior to overseeing the Wellness and Integrative Health Center, she led psychosocial, spiritual, and practical support services at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital and Clinics. Shelley is a co-investigator on several projects related to mind-body factors in cancer survivorship, including a pilot randomized control trial of a mindfulness-based intervention for weight reduction of female cancer patients; a survey of positive psychological processes in cancer survivorship; and an evaluation of a mind-body skills program. For her dissertation, Shelley plans to work with Dr. Kathi Mooney, Distinguished Professor in the College of Nursing at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and an investigator and co-leader of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, on conducting a randomized clinical trial evaluating a therapeutic music intervention within a cancer population that will include biomarkers to determine the mechanism of intervention impact on anxiety, depression, and fatigue.

Sharon White-Lewis MSN, RN Ms. White-Lewis is Director of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Professor at Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Webster University and is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. She is conducting funded research on equine-assisted therapy for arthritic adults and older adults. Ms. White-Lewis has presented locally, nationally and internationally on a variety of topics including leadership, laparoscopic surgery, robotics, simulation, innovative educational techniques, and equine-assisted therapy. She developed a ground-breaking surgical procedure: Laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy and taught this procedure to physicians and nurses from 14 countries and throughout the United States. Ms. White-Lewis was given the Rising Star of Research Award from Sigma Theta Tau International for her Systematic Review on Equine Therapy Intervention studies. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau and Midwest Nursing Research Society.