SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

Kristin is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Georgia College and State University. She graduated cum laude with her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Georgia College. Upon graduation, Kristin began her nursing career in the emergency department at Gwinnett Medical Center. Kristin saw firsthand the negative consequences of improper nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle. These modifiable risk factors motivated Kristin to continue her education and obtain her Master’s of Science in Nursing with a family nurse practitioner focus. As Kristin continues her education, she plans to take the most current scientific research to develop and implement a nurse practitioner-led wellness program utilizing social media. Kristin has received several scholarships and honors including the Dean’s List, President’s List, Opel S. Carter scholarship, Sara Watson Puckett Foundation Scholarship, Samuel Goodrich Scholarship, and Sigma Theta Tau International Scholarship. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and the American College of Sports Medicine, and she serves on the Honduras Outreach International Medical Subcommittee. Kristin holds certifications as a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, bootcamp instructor, and Body Pump instructor. With her unique fitness background, Kristin’s passion for nutrition and fitness led her to start her own business called STAT (Strength to Achieve Total) Wellness, an endeavor that focuses on helping clients make small and simple changes that will ultimately lead to total body, mind, and spirit transformation.

Maria Cordeiro is a doctoral candidate and Donald W. Reynolds Scholar with the Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at the University of Oklahoma, College of Nursing. Cordeiro earned an ASN from West Georgia College, a BSN from the University of Central Oklahoma, her MS as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at the University of Oklahoma and a post-master’s certificate as an adult/gerontologic Nurse Practitioner from Emory University. Her career focus in the care of older adults has led to leadership roles as Director of Nursing and Quality Manager in long-term care facilities. Cordeiro has also served on the Boards of the Oklahoma Medical Directors Association, the Atlanta chapter of the National Gerontological Nursing Association and the Interdisciplinary Geriatric Interest Group at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. As a board-certified geriatric nurse, she has provided expert witness testimony in Administrative Law court and been a geriatric case manager. Cordeiro served as adjunct faculty in psychiatric/mental health nursing at Oklahoma City University and has given multiple lectures on the care of older adults, particularly those with dementia. In addition to providing primary and psychiatric care as a GNP, Maria has been a clinical preceptor for several NP students and functioned as clinical advisor and resource for new NPs and PAs. Her research centers on cognition and everyday problem-solving in older adults with cognitive impairment. She is currently conducting a study to investigate the impact of low-intensity exercise on cognition in older adults in assisted living.

Amy Costanzo earned her ADN (magna cum laude, 1996) and BSN (magna cum laude, 1997) from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio where she was inducted into the Omichron Chi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. She earned an MSN with a concentration in Nursing Administration from the University of Cincinnati, College of Nursing, in 2010. She earned her Ph.D. in nursing from the University of CIncinnati in 2017. Her dissertation addresses the culture of interprofessional collaborative practice in adult acute-care medical-surgical units.
Amy has progressive leadership experience from bedside nurse to Director of Education and Nursing Research at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and affiliate Assistant Professor at UC CoN. Amy is a Jonas Scholar, a Beryl Institute Scholar and is certified in Professional Development by the ANCC. She was a team member for a 2015 HRSA NEPQR funded project to implement bedside nurse-led interprofessional rounding at UCMC. She is co-author of an online STTI charge nurse leadership course. She is published in peer-reviewed journals and serves as a peer reviewer for the American Journal of Nursing. She has presented at local, national, and international conferences. Her research interests are interprofessional collaboration and bedside nursing leadership.

My name is Mandy Cranney and I began my nursing career in 2003 when I graduated with a BSN from Auburn University. I worked in the med/surg and Endoscopy fields for 10 years. I realized that a more advanced degree was needed if I wanted to move forward. In 2011 I went back to school to pursue a master of science in nursing (MSN). I was very interested in teaching and learning theory so I focused on nursing education. Now, I am currently a faculty member at Columbus State University’s (CSU) School of Nursing in Columbus, Georgia. I just began my second year as faculty with CSU. I teach in the undergraduate, baccalaureate nursing program. I co-teach Fundamentals of Nursing and Health Assessment for Nurses. I find that I truly enjoy teaching and mentoring the nurses of the future. With this in mind, I decided to return to school to pursue a PhD in Nursing so that I could learn more about how to take part in advancing the nursing education field. I have many research interests. To name a few, I am interested in mentoring relationships between faculty and student nurses. I am interested in grandparents raising grandchildren and ways to foster this special relationship. My thesis for the MSN program was the management of medically fragile children in the K-5th grade setting. I am looking forward to the Jonas Nurse Leadership Project opportunity.

I am currently enrolled in University of Colorado, Denver in the PhD Nursing tract. I am interested in finding alternative interventions for our Active Duty service woman suffering with Chronic Pelvic Pain and have been researching mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as an intervention. I have completed MBSR training and am currently leading a feasibility study. I am a full time Family Nurse Practitioner in the USAF in Ohio until July. I will then be in Germany. I mentor nurses that are seeking the nurse Practitioner career path; manage my element of six providers, three nurses, and eleven medical technicians; assure the Family Nurse Practitioners stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force base are current on readiness skills; and have covered as Flight Commander on several occasions. I manage an average of 90 patients a week while keeping up with my mandatory Air Force trainings and requirements. I was awarded the Doris Kemp Smith Grant to use for my feasibility study; I am in week 3 of the 8 week study. I was also recently accepted to the TSNRP grant camp that begins in July. I hope to gain a better understanding on my project working closely with an advisor at this camp.

Lydia Alicia Cristobal has 20 years health care experience in various settings, including 15 years in management in long-term care, medical-surgical, cardio-thoracic surgery, emergency care, home health, and ambulatory care. She is board certified in gerontology and a licensed nursing home administrator. Currently, she is an administrative supervisor in Bayonne Medical Center, a 278-bed acute-care hospital in New Jersey. A veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, she continues to serve in the US Army Reserve as a captain and commands the 311th Military History Detachment at Fort Totten, NY. Her work experience in the Veterans Medical Center at Bronx, NY and at Walter Reed Hospital, DC inspired her to be a change agent and leader that will close the gap in the care of service members and veterans. She holds a BS in Nursing and MS in Nursing Administration from New York University. She is pursuing her doctor of nursing practice degree at Yale University. As a student fellow of the Global Health Justice Partnership, she is looking forward in collaborating with the Yale Law School and Yale School of Public Health fellows for global policy research and projects. Because of her educational background and experience as a nurse leader, public affairs, and military history, Lydia is planning to conduct several research studies that will combine such expertise to recommend and influence stakeholders how to effectively restructure the healthcare system to better serve our population.

Natasha Crooks is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, School of Nursing. Natasha is apart of the Early Entry PhD program and completed her BS in May 2013 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a member of Midwest Nursing Research Society, Multicultural Student Nursing Organization and the Equity and Diversity Committee. Natasha has taken on a leadership position in the Undergraduate Multicultural Student Nursing Organization, which is dedicated to improving the experiences of students and care of culturally diverse population across care settings and disciplines. Natasha is very passionate about working with diverse populations and exploring the student experience. She has conducted a quality improvement project designed to provide feedback to School of Nursing faculty. She interviewed students about their experiences and worked to collect and analyze data for a content analysis. Natasha’s research interests include; sexually transmitted infection prevention in women of color and culturally competent care.