Academic Programs

PhD - Faculty Research Interests & Representative Publications

Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with research activities of the Graduate faculty in order to determine possible mentors and areas of focus. The following is a list of ongoing and past research funding of faculty eligible to serve on doctoral dissertation committees. Names followed by an asterisk are also eligible to serve as dissertation committee chair. (Please refer to the PhD Student Handbook.)

Faculty Name
*indicates authority to chair dissertation		 Interests
Azzarello, Jo* Cognition during problem solving, diabetes self-management education/ decision-making, development of expertise, mental models, structural knowledge, cognitive tutors, situation awareness, prospective memory
Benefield, Lazelle* Distance care-giving of older adults living at home, distance care-giving needs of persons with Alzheimer's disease, case management of community-based elders, distance caregiving and technology innovation; Reynolds Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence, OUHSC
Buckwalter, Kathleen* Expert in geriatric mental health, providing community-based care for chronically mentally ill older persons, and cognitively impaired older adults, and their caregivers in both institutional and community settings. She is also an editor, mentor, and was the 2010 recipient of the Doris Schwartz Gerontological Nursing Research Award given at that year’s Gerontological Society of American annual conference.
Bowers, Beverly
 Labor support, self-efficacy, and their relationship to postpartum depression; immunization education; continuing education and retention of new SN graduates in inpatient settings; work status of nurses who completed a nurse refresher course
Craft, Melissa Reflection and expressive writing and breast cancer risk reduction and survivorship
Cuaderes, Elena Effects of weight-bearing physical activity on foot health of diabetics, American Indian health, new and emerging therapies for diabetic seismometer poly-neuropathy (DSPN), diabetes, foot ulcers and diabetes, pain of DSPN, nursing process
Dwyer, Kathleen Cancer prevention strategies in minority and underserved populations; cancer survivorship issues, with a particular focus on African American women; cancer supportive care in the clinical setting, community-based participatory research methods; community-based health promotion using faith-based collaborative partners; fall prevention in community dwelling elderly using health ministries as providers; Vitamin D supplementation to treat symptoms in women with breast cancer
Ellerbee, Susan Mother-baby unit care, breastfeeding; Native American breastfeeding practices, mothering experiences of adolescents, cue-based feeding practices with preterm infants.
Eschiti, Valerie* Cancer across the continuum in American Indians of the Southern Plains, including the use of traditional indigenous healing for cancer. Includes focus on the use of navigation for wellness and cancer education, as well as goal-setting; nutrition and cancer; and HPV immunization
Holtzclaw, Barbara* Thermo-regulatory response of vulnerable patients (older adults, dementia, perioperative patients, chronic diseases). Temperature-related sleep disturbances and thermal comfort; Translational Science applications to research: physiologically based interventions
Kupperschmidt, Betty Addressing retention through Carefronting - different ways of confronting; facilitate and expect students to read, critique, and use research to support their administrative/leadership strategies
Leasure, Renee
 Health literacy, symptom management, outcomes, evidence-based practice, ventilator-associated pneumonia of adults cared for at the VA
Loving, Gary
 Technology-mediated education, simulation effectiveness, health care informatics, phenomenology and grounded theory approaches, evaluation research
Marfurt, Stephanie Substance abuse treatment in women; alternative and complementary therapies; breast and cervical cancer detection and prevention; cultural issues related to reproduction cancer detection
Matzo, Marianne*
 Palliative care; sexual health issues in hospice and palliative care; dyspnea management in late stage disease
McCleary-Jones, Voncella

Health literacy, diabetes mellitus, minority health, administration
Pascucci, Mary Ann Gerontology - health promotion needs of the oldest old, health literacy/ adherence
Phipps, Su Ann Non-pregnant women's health and the relationship to prematurity and infant mortality, perinatal risk assessment instrument development; health disparities in women and infant health; diabetes prevention in low income populations, life course perspective
Rogers, Carol* Community-based health promotion and healthy aging, testing the effect of low impact exercise on muscle strength and composition, functional fitness, fatigue, and sleep, mood, promoting independence and quality of life among older adults.
Smith, Patsy Gero - psych, depressive symptoms, recognition among older African Americans
Weatherby, Francene
 Evaluation research - predicting success of first year BSN nursing students, predicting success on NCLEX, follow-up study of the careers of former accelerated BSN graduates, effectiveness of simulators, measures of continued competence for nurses
Wilson, Janet* Prevention of child, adult, and older adult victims of violence; use of community-based interdisciplinary teams and technology to gather data, study problems, design innovative, culturally sensitive, and evidence-based solutions
Wisnieski, Deborah

Female adolescent sexuality, women's health issues, planned pregnancies, preventing STDs in adolescent girls, menopausal issues, cultural influences

 
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