United States
SCHOLAR DIRECTORY
Tracey Wiese
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Research/Clinical Practice Area:
Dissertation: forensic nursing; psychiatric-mental health
Marcella Wildeman
Biography
I am currently attending the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing at the University of Wyoming working toward earning a doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) degree. I am interested in researching ways to expand the role of nurse practitioners in hospital and primary care settings. My clinical practice area of interest is still undecided as of now, but veterans’ health, rural community healthcare, and emergency healthcare are all possibilities. I have worked as an emergency medical technician, health unit secretary, a certified nursing assistant, and as a registered nurse. I have seen first-hand how coordination of care and teamwork dramatically affects patient care. I have learned to value every member of the healthcare team as we all help to achieve the ultimate goal of providing quality, patient-centered care. I am a board member for the Community Healthcare Foundation which raises money for healthcare needs in Goshen County, Wyoming. We have provided AEDs for schools and equipment for the critical access hospital in Torrington, WY, just to name a few. I received a BSN from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, graduating with honors and induction into the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.
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Research/Clinical Practice Area: Jonas Nurse Leader – Improving relationships between physicians and nurse practitioners
Dissertation: Improving relationships between physicians and nurse practitioners
Torrington WY United States
Amanda Willey, MS, RN, CCHP
Biography
Hello, my name is Amanda Willey from Cambridge, Maryland. I am enrolled in the Doctorate of Education Program, Nursing Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Frostburg State University where I majored in psychology. After working with emotionally disturbed children and with the court system, I decided to return to school for my nursing degree. I obtained my nursing degree from Salisbury University through their second degree program and became the Health Service Administrator/RN for a local correctional facility. Returning to Salisbury University, I earned my Master of Science degree in Clinical Nursing Education where I really discovered my love of teaching. As a current faculty member at Salisbury University, I have been awarded the New Nursing Faculty Fellowship from the Maryland Higher Education Commission. I am an instructor in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing, theory and clinical, as well as Community Health Nursing clinical. I hope to continue to incorporate my love of psychology and education throughout my career. My research areas of interest include cheating among nursing students, secondary PTSD, forensics, and emergency response/preparedness.
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Research/Clinical Practice Area: Jonas Nurse Leader – Education/Inter-professional education
Dissertation: Cheating in Among Nursing Students
Cambridge Maryland United States
Janet Willhaus
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Research/Clinical Practice Area:
Dissertation: simulation in nursing education
United States
Amy Williams
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Research/Clinical Practice Area:
Dissertation: pediatric primary care and pulmonology; childhood obesity; healthcare policy
United States
Edward Williams
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Research/Clinical Practice Area:
Dissertation: psychiatric-mental health; Alzheimer’s dementia
United States
Elizabeth Williams, BSN, RN
Biography
Elizabeth is currently pursuing a PhD in Nursing Science at Case Western Reserve University. At Case Western, she is a NRSA Predoctoral Fellow and Jonas Nurse Leader Scholar. Her research interests include self management and behavior change in the African American community. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. She has worked at Duke University Hospital as a Staff Nurse and Student Preceptor. Elizabeth hopes to develop as a scholar and researcher to impact healthcare as a nurse scientist.
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Research/Clinical Practice Area: Jonas Nurse Leader – Community Health/Public Health/Epidemics
Dissertation: Self management and decision making in African Americans with multiple chronic conditions
Cleveland OH United States
Lindsay Williams
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Research/Clinical Practice Area:
Dissertation: bio-behavioral science; prostate cancer in male veterans; psychiatric-mental health in women veterans
United States
Dr. Loretta Williams
Biography
Dr. Alexia Williams, assistant professor, joined the UTHSC College of Nursing faculty January 1, 2014. She earned her associates degree in nursing from Shelby State Community College in 1994, received her Bachelor’s degree in nursing from Union University in 2010, and her Ph.D. in Nursing Science from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in 2015. Her research interests have focused on health disparities, minority health, and mental health in male caregivers within the context of chronic illness. She has completed both mixed method and qualitative research projects involving burden, depression, and perceived health in male caregivers of persons with end stage renal disease and stroke survivors, respectively. Funding for these projects was received from the UTHSC Dean’s Fellowship, the Sigma Theta Tau Beta Theta Chapter At-large grant, and the UTHSC Dissertation grant. More recently, Dr. Williams has extended her work beyond caregiving in the context of chronic illness to include primary and secondary stroke prevention in minority populations.
Dr. Williams has practiced in numerous facets of the nursing profession throughout her 23-year career, developing expertise in medical-surgical and psychiatric nursing. Her teaching responsibilities include providing both clinical and didactic instruction within the undergraduate program and didactic instruction in the graduate program. Her areas of teaching include Professional Issues and Transition to Professional Nursing, Mental Health, Adult Health, and Healthcare Economics.
Dr. Williams is an advocate for the advancement of the nursing profession as demonstrated in her active involvement in many professional nursing organizations. She served as president-elect (2016-2017) and, subsequently, president (2017-2019) of the Beta Theta Chapter At-large of Sigma Theta Tau International. She is a member of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, the Southern Nurses Research Society, and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. In addition, she serves on several committees within the college of nursing.
As a Jonas Nursing Leadership Scholar (2012-2014), Dr. Williams co-authored “Serving the Public through Policy and Politics” in Nurses Making Policy from Bedside to Boardroom. She also recently published two manuscripts “Male Caregivers of Persons with End Stage Renal Disease: A Literature Review” an “Male Caregivers of Persons with End Stage Renal Disease: A Qualitative Study in Nephrology Nursing Journal.
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Research/Clinical Practice Area:
Dissertation: critical care; neuro-surgical; psychiatric-mental health; health disparities; family caregivers; men’s health
United States
Rhea Williams
Biography
Rhea Williams is a Certified Nurse Midwife enrolled full time in the PhD program at University of Maryland. Prior to midwifery, she earned a degree in Nutrition and Food Science and focused her career on nutrition, specifically education and intervention for women and children. She now combines midwifery and nutrition intervention in her care process with her patients throughout the lifespan. Rhea is also very active in her professional organization where she has served as the Treasurer for the American College of Nurse Midwives local Maryland Chapter. Her clinical interest include prevention and non-pharmacological management of gestational diabetes. Currently her focus is potentially identifying a risk assessment tool aimed at identifying increased risk of gestational diabetes. While her long-term goal is to design a program of research dedicated to examining the influence of nutrition and the gastrointestinal microbiome on maternal and fetal outcomes where gestational diabetes is identified during pregnancy. It is my hope that this line of study will ultimately lead to identification of an intervention to prevent or minimize the occurrence of gestational diabetes.
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#N/A
Doug Williamson, BSN
Biography
After serving the public as a youth correctional counselor for seven years, working with offenders within general population units, specialized mental health programs, and the sexual behavior treatment program, I determined that I needed a different challenge and was compelled to pursue a career in nursing. I believed in my ability to serve a diverse patient population through empathy, leadership, and the unique perspective I obtained during my experiences working in the criminal justice system. I was accepted into the University of San Francisco nursing program and offered the chance to participate in the Veterans Administration Nursing Academic Partnership (VANAP) between the university and the Veterans Healthcare Administration. My VANAP clinic rotations permitted me to hone my nursing skills in Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 21 and continued to cultivate my passion for promoting social justice and serving the men and women who served our country. I was committed to my classmates and the VANAP program serving as a student representative for our cohort and on the curriculum committee. During my time obtaining my bachelor’s degree in nursing, I was invited to join Sigma Theta Tau, the honors nursing society, and Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honors Society, as well as awarded the Dean’s Medal for promoting professionalism in nursing. Although I achieved many successful honors, my greatest take away was my desire to pursue a Doctorate of Nursing Practice with a focus on psychiatric mental health to better serve our nation’s veterans.
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Research/Clinical Practice Area: Jonas Veterans Healthcare Scholar – Suicide Prevention
Dissertation: As a student accepted into the University of San Francisco nursing program, I was offered the chance to participate in the Veterans Administration Nursing Academic Partnership (VANAP) between the university and the Veterans Healthcare Administration. My VANAP clinic rotations permitted me to hone my nursing skills in the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 21 and continued to cultivate my passion for promoting social justice and serving the men and women who served our country. I was committed to my classmates and the VANAP program serving as a student representative for our cohort and on the curriculum committee. My DNP project focuses on implementing clinical practice recommendations for suicide prevention by establishing continuity of care through shared service responsibility and screening all patients for suicide risk at their first contact within an organization and at each subsequent visit. The care continuum consists of four basic principles; universal screening and risk assessment, safety planning, brief intervention when needed, and follow-up. These basic principles are based on an innovative idea that focuses on a foundational precept which recognizes suicide as unacceptable and with a set organizational goal of zero fatalities from suicide.
Escalon CA United States
Valerie Willis, PNP-BC, CNS-BC
Biography
Valerie Willis, MSN, RN, PNP-BC, CNS-BC PhD Student University of San Diego, Hahn School Nursing and Health Science Jonas Veteran Healthcare Scholar Valerie Willis began her career in nursing with a BSN from California State University Long Beach. She earned a MSN with a dual specialty as a pediatric nurse practitioner and parent-child clinical nurse specialist from Azusa Pacific University. Professional experience includes family centered, culturally congruent neonatal/pediatric nursing and leadership roles in a variety of settings, with emphasis in high risk infant follow-up. She also served as consultant to the United States Marine Corps New Parent Support Program at Camp Pendleton. Biobehavioral research interests include quantitative and qualitative inquiry to explore the emerging science of epigenetics, along with multidisciplinary prevention as intervention strategies to improve care coordination and promote family resilience and optimal infant/child outcomes, particularly in military families experiencing poly-trauma while transitioning to parenthood and reunification post-deployment.
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Research/Clinical Practice Area: Jonas Veteran Healthcare – Care coordination and poly-trauma in relation to: Neonatal intensive care; High risk infant/child neurodevelopmental follow-up; Parent education and support; Military families
Dissertation: Military family perceived stress, attachment, social support, and resilience surrounding birth, NICU admission, and post-discharge.
Menifee CA United States
Christina Wilson, MS, RN, WHNP-BC
Biography
I am a doctoral student enrolled in the PhD program at Virginia Commonwealth University, which has a biobehavioral research focus. The focus of my research is body image in women with gynecologic cancer. I recieved my bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Virginia and my master’s degree in nursing, with a concentration as a women’s health nurse pracititioner from Virginia Commonwealth University. I previously worked as a nurse at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, on the inpatient oncology unit, a part of Massey Cancer Center. Currently, I volunteer as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at a clinic that provides healthcare to the uninsured in and around the Richmond, VA area. I serve on the local board of the Oncology Nursing Society, as Historian, and on the local board of the Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners, as Public Relations Chair.
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Research/Clinical Practice Area: Jonas Nurse Leader – Cancer
Dissertation: Body Image and Gynecologic Cancer
Crewe VA United States
Michele Wilson
Biography
I recently graduated from the PhD Nursing program at UTMB Graduate school of Biomedical Sciences. My educational background includes a BSN from UTMB in 1983, a BA in Sociology from UT Austin in 1985, and a MSN focusing on Nursing Education and Community Health from Texas Tech Health Science Center in 2012. I am a clinical instructor in the UTMB School of Nursing Masters Program. Courses taught include Public Health Principles in Advanced Practice Nursing and Public Policy. I am part-time nursing faculty for the RN to BSN program at Sul Ross State University, and also have taught in the BSN program at Texas State University. I am a member of Sigma Theta Tau; the National League for Nurses and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing in affiliation with Texas State University; and the National Association of School Nurses. My professional nursing experiences include hospital, home health, research, school, and camp nursing, and nursing education. My research interests include children’s health and nursing education. My dissertation study examined the perspectives of school nurses working with children experiencing homelessness. I anticipate study findings will influence changes in nursing education, school nursing practice, improve care of vulnerable homeless children, and identify needs for health, education, and social policy reform.
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Research/Clinical Practice Area: Jonas Scholar – Environmental Health
Dissertation: An Exploration of School Nurses’ Perspectives in Caring for Homeless Children. The study purpose was to explore the experiences of school nurses working with homeless, elementary school-aged children. Naturalistic Inquiry determined school nurses’ perceived ability to meet these children’s needs. Purposive sampling recruitment of potential participants was accomplished from members of the National Association of School Nurses. Snowball sampling supplemented the recruitment. Eligibility criteria were nurses with a minimum of one school year prior experience and current employment as school nurses providing direct care to elementary, school-aged children. Data was collected through demographic forms and semi-structured interviews. Participant enrollment, data collection, and data analysis continued until data saturation was achieved. Interview data was analyzed through Lincoln and Guba’s processes. Study findings identified school nurses’ encounters with the health and social service needs of homeless, elementary school-aged children, explored their perceived ability to provide these children with appropriate care, and discovered additional insights into school nurses’ practice related to issues with the provision of nursing care to homeless, elementary school-aged children. Findings are to provide a foundation for further research into this important but understudied aspect of school nurse practice.
Austin TX United States
Sharowynn Wilson
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Research/Clinical Practice Area:
Dissertation: N/A
United States
Kjerstie Wiltzen
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Research/Clinical Practice Area:
Dissertation: gerontology; health disparities; incontinence
United States
Christina Winkelman, BSN, RN, CMSRN
Biography
I am a BSN graduate of Saginaw Valley State University in 2013. I enrolled in the DNP program at Grand Valley State University after working for one year as a RN on an inpatient oncology unit at a local health system. Presently, I work at an outpatient bone marrow transplant unit. I have always enjoyed working with oncology patients and plan to pursue this career path after graduation. My future scholarly activity involves increasing medication adherence of oncology patients through text message reminders.
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Research/Clinical Practice Area: Jonas Nurse Leader – Cancer
Dissertation: Text Messaging to Increase Medication Adherence in Oncology
Grand Rapids MI United States
Megan Winkler, CPNP-PC, RNC-NIC
Biography
Megan Winkler graduated in 2006 with a BSN from Indiana University. After practicing in the Neonatal Intensive Care setting in Indiana and Virginia, she returned to school and received her MSN from the University of Virginia, graduating from the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program (’10). Following, Megan became the lead pediatric nursing faculty at Lynchburg College as an Assistant Professor of Nursing and also maintained an active committee membership in her local chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. Megan’s research interests involve health inequalities among women and adolescent girls, and her current work focuses on obesity among African American women and adolecent girls.
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Research/Clinical Practice Area: Jonas Veteran Healthcare – Health Inequalities among Women and Adolescent Girls
Dissertation: Mother-Daughter Relationship Influences on Dietary Practices of African American Adolescent Girls
Winterville NC United States
Rachel Wion
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Research/Clinical Practice Area:
Dissertation: gerontology; HIV/AIDS and comorbidities
United States