SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

Meghan Murray has worked at Columbia University since 2010, most recently as the Surveillance Officer for the “Keep it Clean for Kids (KICK) Project,” a four-year study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to improve hand hygiene and infection prevention practices in three pediatric long-term care facilities in the New York metropolitan area. Ms. Murray recently received her RN after graduating from Columbia University’s School of Nursing where she will be continuing for her PhD in the fall of 2016.

I am an advanced practice registered nurse, graduating in 1981 with my Bachelors and in 1994 with my Masters from Syracuse University. I have a Post Masters from Russell Sage College. I am Board Certified as an Adult Nurse Practitioner. My nursing career has been very fulfilling for me. I am presently working as an Associate Professor at Russell Sage College. I practice as an ANP at Capital Care Internal Medicine Practice and Ellis Hospital. I spoke in 2014 at the Nurse Practitioner Association Conference on PTSD in the Military as well as grand rounds at Ellis Hospital. I co-authored a chapter in a book on Palliative Care Medicine published in 2016. I joined the Army Reserves in 1991 and did four medical missions to Central America. I transferred to the 109th Air National Guard in 2001 which has the Polar Mission; I provided medical support for their missions, Operation Deep Freeze, and Raven Dew. I deployed to New York City on 911 and Qatar in 2004 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The most significant deployment for me and the reason for my interest in PTSD was my deployment to Camp Bastion, Afghanistan in 2012. My experience providing medical support of our military made me aware of the need to better understand the significance of all of their injuries. I have an interest in what makes these men and women so resilient. It is my hope that my education and training will further that understanding.

Nursing is a calling and develops after a strong desire to lead people toward well-being. Over the past five years, I have been privileged to assist moms and babies during the most empowering event of their lives: childbirth. As a lifelong learner, I felt compelled to become a researcher, close the clinical research gap that persists, and translate literature into clinical practice changes. My unique academic experiences have provided me with a diverse background with which to pursue my doctoral education. I chose to enhance my undergraduate biology studies with psychology, leading to a focused biobehavioral discipline. Later, I focused on maternal-child nursing receiving a MSN specializing in nurse-midwifery. Working with high poverty rates and women with poor health awareness, I developed an interest in identifying chemical risk factors adversely affecting pregnant women and children. A building body of literature is exposing environmental toxicants to be harmful in pregnancy perturbing the gut microbiome. Emerging data states environmental toxicants are possibly linked to neurological delays in the developing fetus. I plan to expand this literature by investigating the how exogenous toxicants perturb the normalcy of a pregnant microbiome potentiating poor mental health outcomes. While at Emory, I have been building foundational research skills in data collection, management, analysis, and dissemination. Specifically, I am privileged to work with a large birth cohort living in urban Atlanta and with vulnerable occupational groups across Florida. Working with multidisciplinary teams has given me the experience and skills I need to be a successful research scientist.

Kristen is currently pursuing a PhD in nursing through the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Her research interest is in public health, specifically vaccinations and communicable diseases. Her dissertation will focus on using implementation science to optimize maternal Tdap and influenza vaccination programs in obstetrical and family practice. Specifically, she is exploring organizational and health system barriers to maternal vaccinations within practices. The ultimate goal of her research is to improve maternal vaccination rates and decrease infant morbidity and mortality from influenza and pertussis in the United States. Kristen received her BSN in 2005 from Grand View University, followed by an MPH in 2012 from Des Moines University, and an MSN with nurse educator specialization in 2015 from Graceland University. Upon graduation from Graceland, she received the Higdon Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice, Scholarship, Clinical, and Leadership. She is board certified in both infection prevention and control (CIC) and nursing education (CNE). Kristen spent the first part of her nursing career working in public health and infection prevention and control. Since 2012, Kristen has been working in academia, first as a clinical instructor, and now as a full-time assistant professor of nursing. She teaches community health for both the undergraduate BSN program and RN to BSN program at Grand View University. She is also part-time faculty for Des Moines University and Graceland University, teaching online in their MPH and MSN programs, respectively. Kristen looks forward to continuing her scientific research career after her doctoral preparation is complete.