Center for Nursing Research

Keywords: health disparities, intimate partner violence, IPV, African Caribbean women and girls, IPV & HIV risk reduction interventions, IPV and contraceptive use

Bio: Dr. Desiree Bertrand is an assistant professor in the prelicensure department, with a joint appointment in The Graduate School. She graciously served as the department’s interim chair for two years, helping to lead both the BSN and MSN programs. She is actively involved in Sigma Theta Tau International, currently serving as the local chapter’s secretary. She is also a member of the Society of Family Planning and its Research Fund Organization as well as the Nursing Network on Violence Against Women. Bertrand earned her PhD in Nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina and her MSN in Nursing Education from Midwestern State University.

Bertrand is an experienced researcher, having served as the research coordinator for the Caribbean Exploratory Research Center for four years. Her topics of research include intimate partner violence, African Caribbean women and girls, and interventions with those populations. She was recently funded through HRSA for her efforts in Nurse Workforce Diversity at Augusta University. She also served as a principal investigator for a study on contraceptive use among African Caribbean/American women who had experienced intimate partner violence. Her most recent publications can be found in Health Promotion International, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, and Nursing Outlook with a first-author publication featured in Journal of the Black Nurses Association.

In addition to her success as a researcher, Bertrand has been recognized as an educator, earning the 2025 College of Nursing Outstanding Faculty Award. She bolsters her experience through continuous career development, earning her Online Teaching Certification in 2022 and becoming a Faculty Affiliate at the Augusta University Center for Social Science Research Qualitative Research Lab.

Keywords: cancer, infection,  vascular access, Clinical ABCDE interdisciplinary pedagogy, Healthcare and Technology Synergy (HATS) model for clinical research, and lung cancer respiratory symptoms

Bio: Dr. Cynthia Chernecky is a tenured professor in the department of nursing science, with a joint appointment in The Graduate School. She is an active advocate for her fellow faculty, serving as chair of the College of Nursing Faculty Senate Promotion and Tenure Committee. She has also been an active member of the Oncology Nursing Society for over 40 years. She earned her PhD in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University, served as a Visiting Research Post Doctoral Scholar for UCLA, and attended Yale University under the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute Fellowship in Oncology Nursing.

Chernecky’s main research focus has been oncology nursing, though she’s utilized her expertise across multiple topics and specialties. The extent of her impressive work spans 30 authored textbooks, over 200 chapters and journal articles, and more than 400 citations. She pioneered the first book on critical care oncology and invented both the ABCDE Clinical Education Pedagogy and the HATS Research Model. Her most recent first-author journal publications can be found in Case Reports and Reviews, International Journal Nursing Health Care Research, and Nursing & Primary Care. She’s attained an international presence, serving across the globe as a presenter and keynote speaker.

Chernecky’s talents have been recognized multiple times, most notably by the International Nurses Association, where she was honored as a Best Professor in Nursing among Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and was named in Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare. Her work continues to inspire future authors and nurse educators while supporting students to become well-rounded and successful nursing professionals.

Keywords: USA Hispanic farmworker cardiometabolic risks, interprofessional outreach, community training partnerships, African American chronic bacterial vaginitis, substance abuse, and curriculum integration

Bio: Dr. Pam Cromer’s research interests include cardiometabolic risks of Hispanic farmworkers and outcomes of substance abuse training on advanced practice nursing students. With over twenty years as an APRN healthcare provider, interprofessional training is an area Dr. Cromer emphasizes in her faculty practice and work. Dr. Cromer is Project Director for the College of Nursing’s Costa Layman Health Fair & Community Outreach Programs. She is a Co-investigator of the “Cardio-metabolic Risks of Hispanic Farmworkers in Southeastern USA” (CHARM) Study, funded by the Georgia Institute of Public and Preventive Health. This ongoing longitudinal study is the first to study health behaviors and regional/local influences among the local Hispanic farm-workers and evaluate the potential for development of guidelines for individualized interventional strategies. Her collaborations and presentations include regional, national and international presentations and publications. Recognized for her outstanding work with the Costa layman Community Outreach Project(s), she received the prestigious 2016 AANP Nurse Practitioner State Award for Georgia.

Dr. Cromer is a sub-investigator on the Augusta University Interprofessional Substance Abuse Training for the Health Professions (SRISAT), a federally funded training grant to improve substance abuse screenings and interventions in primary care settings. In addition, she was a co-investigator for an African American Chronic Recurrent Bacterial Vaginosis study at the University of South Carolina.

Her future research interests include clinical applications of proactive participation in Hispanic outreach services and the effects of substance abuse and brief intervention training for APRN students.

Keywords: rural health disparities, diabetes, community-based participatory research, workplace based interventions

Bio: Dr. Lynn Glenn is an assistant professor on tenure track in the nursing science department, with a joint appointment in The Graduate School and in the Institute of Public and Preventive Health. She serves on the Augusta University Faculty Senate and is part of the American Diabetes Association’s Advisory Board. Glenn also is a member of the Georgia Center for Diabetes Translational Research. She earned her PhD in Nursing from the University of Missouri and earned her MSN from the University of Pennsylvania.

Glenn’s main research focus centers on diabetes prevention, specifically for women in rural areas. She serves as principal investigator for a project on diabetes risk screening which is funded by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She also is funded by the Georgia Department of Health as a co-investigator for a comprehensive care pilot study. Her recent first-author peer reviewed publications can be found in the Journal of Primary Care & Community Health and the Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved. She also has two manuscripts pending, one of which will be available in Women’s Health.

Glenn has consistently been recognized for her research abilities, earning awards for her posters and being named the 2021 Augusta University College of Nursing Researcher of the Year. She continues to work with underserved populations by volunteering at numerous community engagement events and mentoring undergraduate students with similar research interests. Glenn’s professional goal continues to be promoting high quality, equitable health care and enhancing health outcomes in underserved, diverse communities through research and practice.

Keywords: educational research, telehealth, pedagogical innovation, educational change, artificial intelligence, instructional core

Bio: Dr. Bill Hamilton holds multiple academic appointments across the College of Nursing, The Graduate School, Medical College of Georgia, and Hull College of Business. In addition to instruction, he serves as the assistant dean for instruction and innovation for the college. He is a long-time member of the Augusta West Rotary Club, having held multiple official positions, and was recently elected to the Georgia Association for Nursing Education’s Executive Board as consumer director. He is an Augusta University alum, earning his Doctor of Education in Educational Innovation. He attained both his Master of Healthcare Administration and his Master of Business Administration from Georgia State University.

Hamilton’s research centers on educational innovation, exploring various pedagogies and instructional advancements to enhance student learning. His current research projects examine both artificial intelligence and mindfulness integration in doctoral nursing education. His recent first-author works were published in Impacting Education: Journal on Transforming Profesisonal Practice and Entrepreneurial Finance.

Hamilton completed the Advisory Board Company Fellowship Program and was honored as a University System of Georgia Chancellor’s Learning Scholar. Hamilton’s continued research and professional efforts are directly influenced by his passion for teaching and supporting student growth and development. Nursing students benefit from his business approach to topics such as healthcare administration, policy, and innovation.

Keywords:  stress, nutrition, lifestyle, methylation, reactive oxygen species, inflammatory mediators, ET-1, NOS3, epigenetics

Bio: Dr. Robin Johns is an associate professor in the prelicensure department with a joint appointment in The Graduate School. She previously served on the board of directors for the Nursing Faculty Practice Group and served as vice chair of the College of Nursing Faculty Senate. She also serves on the research committee for the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses. Johns is an alumna, earning her PhD in Nursing from the Medical College of Georgia. She earned her MSN in Adult Health Nursing from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

Johns’s recent areas of research center on nutrition, stress response, and heart disease. Her most recent grant was funded through the Cardiovascular Discovery Institute Clinical Fellowship Award. Recent first-authored peer reviewed publications are available in the Journal of Food Science and Technology and The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing.

An experienced writer, Johns’s expertise has been recognized by organizations like Sigma Theta Tau who awarded her the Excellence in Published Writing Award. She also is a recipient of the Dean’s Award from the College of Nursing due to her active dedication within the college. Johns’ goal is to translate her current epigenetic findings through interventional studies using nutritional strategies designed to modulate methylation-associated inflammatory pathways to decrease cardiovascular risk.

Keywords: Covid-19, mental health, diabetes, tuberculosis, epidemiology, mathematics

Bio: Dr. Thomas Joshua is an associate professor in the nursing science department with a joint appointment in The Graduate School. He is an active member of the American Public Health Association, currently serving on two of its intersectional council work groups, and he is an alternate member of the Augusta University Institutional Review Board. He earned his PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Georgia and his Master of Science in Epidemiology from the Medical College of Wisconsin. He also holds a Master of Science in Mathematics from the University of Bombay.

With his work as a statistician, Joshua has an eclectic grant and publication history. Currently, he is principal investigator for a funded study on Covid, Mental Health, and Soul. He also is co-investigator for five other ongoing grants covering studies on addiction medicine, diabetes, essential oils for chronic pain, and rural nursing. His peer-reviewed publications can be found in the Journal of Doctoral Nursing Practice, Heliyon Journal, Air Medical Journal, and the International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship.

Joshua is an active collaborator with multiple nursing faculty and doctoral students. As an educator, he lends his expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, statistical software, data management, and data analysis in heath care research. He continues to expand his knowledge base, earning professional certifications in QPR Institute Gatekeeper Training and the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale.

Keywords: essential oils, holistic nursing, chronic pain, aromatherapy, pain management, CAM, hospice, palliative care

Bio: Dr. Dawn Langley-Brady is an assistant professor on tenure track in the nursing science department, with a joint appointment in The Graduate School. She also serves as a mentor to many undergraduate students in the STAR Program, Honors Program and with the Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship. Outside the university, she is involved in both international and national organizations, notably the International Association for the Study of Pain and the American Holistic Nurses Association. Langley-Brady is an Augusta University alumna, earning her PhD in Nursing in 2020. She holds an MSN from the University of Pheonix as well as two certificates from the School for Aromatic Studies.

In her research, Langley-Brady explores how natural products impact pain through topical application and inhalation of essential oils. She was most recently funded by Augusta University for the study, Elucidating Biological Pathways of Essential Oils for Analgesia in Chronic Pain. Her recent first-author publications were featured in Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice and Journal of Pain Management Nursing. In August of 2024, Langley-Brady represented herself on the global stage, providing a poster presentation at the International Association for the Study of Pain Global Conference in Amsterdam.

Her abilities as a researcher have been recognized by the university, the Alliance of International Aromatherapists, and the Society of Integrative Oncology, which awarded her the Dr. Barrie Cassileth New Investigator Award. Langley-Brady’s goal is to continue to promote her work through mentorship, publications, and information dissemination. Her reach extends beyond academia, as she’s been interviewed for articles in Oprah Magazine and The Healthy, a reader’s digest brand.

Keywords: neonatology, hematology, ischemic disease, acute kidney injury, premature infants, spectroscopy

Bio: Dr. Teresa Marin is a tenured associate professor in the nursing science department, with a joint appointment in The Graduate School. She is neonatal editor for the Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing and a board member with the Georgia Nursing Leadership Coalition. She earned her PhD in Nursing from Emory University and attained her Master of Science as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner from the State University of New York.

Marin is focused on neonatal research, specifically on factors related to infant kidney health. Notably, she received grant funding from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners to study the contribution of intestinal dysbiosis to acute kidney injury in premature infants. She has served as principal investigator for nine funded studies. Currently, she is working on noninvasive detection of kidney injuries through near-infrared spectroscopy. Marin’s first-author publications are featured in Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America, Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing, and Advances in Neonatal Care.

Marin is a highly accomplished and widely recognized academic, earning an Outstanding PhD Faculty Award from The Graduate School and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Stony Brook School of Nursing. She has three prestigious fellowships with the American Academy of Nursing, American Association of Nurse Practitioners and National Academies of Practice. Marin continues to present her research findings and share her scholarly expertise through presentations, recently discussing near infrared spectroscopy use in the NICU to an international audience in a Medtronic, Inc. webinar. She also utilizes her skills to promote exceptional colleagues, having sponsored 14 national fellowship candidates who were all accepted on the first application submission.

Keywords: mental health, college students, immigrant, social support, coping

Bio: Dr. Karen Massiah is an assistant professor in the prelicensure department. She is an Augusta University alumna, having earned her PhD in Nursing in 2023. Her previous nursing degrees, a BSN and MSN, were earned at Clayton College and State University. Her research interests are informed by her experience working in higher education and various sectors of the nursing profession, including critical care, public health, community health, and home health.

Massiah’s research focuses on understanding and identifying the psychosocial factors (ethnicity, transition time span, social support) affecting college students, minorities, immigrants, and vulnerable populations. Most recently, she studied mental health outcomes among Latino immigrant college students. The theorical framework for her research was based on transition theory, which she adapted to focus on specific areas related to improving mental health outcomes.

Massiah’s future research will expand on her efforts to improve mental health disparities. She aims to explore biopsychosocial, neurobiological, and genetic markers affecting mental health outcomes among various vulnerable populations.

Keywords: sickle cell, Medicaid, healthcare policy, emergency department

Bio: Dr. Blake McGee is an associate professor in the College of Nursing, with a joint appointment in The Graduate School, and he serves as chair of the prelicensure department. He is a member of multiple professional organizations, such as the Georgia Nurses Association, Southern Nursing Research Society, and the American Nurses Association. He previously served on two different councils for the American Heart Association. McGee earned his PhD in Nursing from Emory University and a Master of Public Health from Columbia University where he focused on Population and Family Health, including Forced Migration and Health.

McGee’s research focus is eclectic, spanning sickle cell disease to Medicaid expansion. The consistent thread running through his publications is his passion for healthcare policy and how it affects patient outcomes. McGee recently was awarded an NIH R03 on the role of expanded Medicaid in maternal health in the late postpartum period. He also is conducting research on Medicaid expansion alternatives as part of his Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators. McGee is one of the only academic researchers in the nation who is funded specifically to study the Georgia Pathways to Coverage Program. His most recent publications on sickle cell disease and Medicaid expansion can be found in Blood Advances, Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, AJPM Focus, and Journal of Nursing Regulation.

McGee continues to expand his professional expertise, studying as a fellow at the Social Determinants of Health Summer Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. McGee also received a unit commendation from the U.S. Public Health Service for “providing innovative science communication about antimicrobial resistance” as part of the cast of The Mold That Changed the World. Looking forward, McGee will be identifying the successes, opportunities, and consequences of the Georgia Pathways. He anticipates his findings will be highly relevant to predicting the impact of recent changes to Medicaid.

Keywords: mental health, substance use, adverse childhood experiences, parental involvement in child mental health services

Bio: Dr. Caroline McKinnon is an associate professor in the Doctor of Nursing Practice department, with a joint appointment in The Graduate School. She serves as the concentration coordinator for the psych mental health nurse practitioner program and the elected college faculty senate chair. McKinnon is a member of multiple national organizations and has served in multiple leadership positions for the International Society of Psychiatric Nurses. She is an Augusta University alumna, earning her PhD in Nursing in 2013. She also has an MSN for family NP and adult PMH CNS nursing from the University of Virginia.

McKinnon focuses on behavioral health in nursing education and the health workforce. She is currently funded as a co-investigator through HRSA to study behavioral health integration for nursing education practice, quality, and retention in an interprofessional collaborative practice program. She recently authored a chapter on substance use and abuse in Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health: A Resource for Advanced Practice psychiatric and Primary Care Nurse Practitioners. The textbook was awarded 2nd place in the ANA Book of the Year Awards in the category of child nursing. Her first-author publications can be found in the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and the Journal of Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing.

McKinnon has been recognized for the impact of her work and expertise, having received the Excellence in Service award from the college and being a nominee for the Augusta University Good Neighbor Award. She continues to seek professional development opportunities, becoming certified as a QPR Gatekeeper Instructor for suicide prevention and attaining her certificate in Access, Success, and Belonging.

Keywords: smoking, social determinants of health, low-income, rural health, female smokers, diabetes

Bio: Dr. Star Mitchell is a professor in the prelicensure department, with a joint appointment in The Graduate School, and she serves as associate dean of academic affairs. She has extensive experience in leadership, having served in admin roles at both Texas A&M and Texas State Universities. She is an active member in Sigma Theta Tau International and has previously served as both president and governance chair for the Chi Psi Chapter. She earned her PhD in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her MSN from East Carolina University.

Mitchell’s research has focused on smoking in rural low-income women. Her peer-reviewed work can be found in the Archives for Psychiatric Nursing and Public Health Nursing. She also has recently presented on type 2 diabetic screening referrals for children. She has been funded by HRSA as a co-investigator for Texas A&M College of Nursing Mobile Care Access through Rural Engagement and Education. This project aimed to increase access to care while providing experiential clinical experiences for BSN and MSN-FNP students while recruiting a diverse workforce pipeline.

Mitchell has been recognized for her excellence as a faculty member, earning the Faculty Excellence Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2020 from Texas State University. Today, she implements her leadership experience to help promote student and faculty success.

Keywords: public health, immunizations, parental hesitancy

Bio: Dr. Seth Lee is an assistant professor and associate dean for the College of Nursing Athens Campus. Lee is recognized for his leadership in nursing education and community health initiatives, serving as an FNP at the Hall County Health Department. He earned his PhD in Nursing from Augusta University after earning his BSN and MSN from Georgia Southern University and University of North Georgia respectively.

Lee is an accomplished nursing professional with extensive experience in clinical practice, education, and research. This experience directly influences his research, which focuses on public health. His doctoral dissertation covers parental hesitancy and HPV immunization.

Lee’s past academic appointments at Georgia State University situated him as an integral part of their leadership team. He was instrumental in the program’s curriculum development and graduate student mentorship. Lee’s continued work promises to enhance student experiences and elevate the College of Nursing.

Keywords: obesity, gestational diabetes, pediatric blood pressures

Bio: Dr. Montana Robertson is an assistant professor in the prelicensure department and serves as the BSN assistant program director. She is active within the university, serving as faculty adviser for the Student Nurses Association, a committee member for BSN Admissions, and CON Faculty Senate vice chair. She is an alumna of Augusta University where she earned her PhD in Nursing in 2022.

Robertson’s areas of research include obesity, gestational diabetes, and pediatric blood pressures. Her recent publication focuses on how maternal obesity and gestational diabetes can affect gut microbiomes in full-term infants. This first-author work can be found in the Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing.

Robertson continues her contributions to nursing science by educating future nurses on nursing research. Her passion for pediatric nursing from her fifteen years as a PICU nurse and director of an outpatient center for medically fragile children continues through her coursework as she teaches maternal child nursing and family health.

Keywords: resarch, maternal health, holistic nursing, nurse education, collaborative healthcare

Bio: Dr. Julie Zadinsky is a professor in the College of Nursing, with a joint appointment in The Graduate School. She serves as interim chair of the department of Nursing Science, as well as director of both the Center for Nursing Research and the PhD in Nursing Program. Beyond academia, she retired from the U.S. Army Nurse Corps after 30 years of service. Zadinsky earned her PhD in Nursing from the Medical College of Georgia, her MSN in Maternal Child Nursing from the University of California at San Francisco, and her Master’s in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. She completed a post-doctoral medical research fellowship at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

Zadinsky has had DoD funding for research on readiness training and skill acquisition and development of a post-operative care unit staffing system in the U.S. Army Medical Department. At Augusta University, she led the PhD program development portion of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing grant and a University System of Georgia PhD program modernization grant. She also co-led a PCORI grant on the role of APRNs in access to care for rural patients and has been involved in funded studies on other topics. Zadinsky’s recent peer-reviewed publications are featured in AORN Journal; CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing; and Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Zadinsky received the College of Nursing 2025 Outstanding Scholar of the Year Award. She mentors multiple PhD nursing students on their research, and she chairs a Community Research Advisory Board (CAB). She also chairs the Georgia Nursing Workforce Center Advisory Board and is editor of the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) newsletter, Connections in Holistic Nursing Research.

Keywords:  trauma, inflammaging, chronic stress, Trauma Interdisciplinary Group for Research

Bio: Dr. Elizabeth NeSmith is professor and Dean of the Augusta University College of Nursing, with a joint appointment in The Graduate School. She has been with the college for over 30 years, starting her career as an instructor and previously serving as department chair. She is an active member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and previously served on the AACN Research Leadership Network. She is considered a “Triple-Jag” having earned her PhD in Nursing, MSN, and BSN from Augusta University.

NeSmith is a co-founder of the Trauma Interdisciplinary Group for Research (TIGR). Her preferred research focus is on trauma-related topics, specifically stress and inflammaging. She is an accomplished researcher, achieving nearly $1M in research support as a principal investigator through the NIH and the University System of Georgia. Her first-author publications can be found in the Journal of Trauma Nursing, with her recent collaborative effort appearing in Nursing for Women’s Health.

As a researcher, NeSmith has been recognized for her excellence by the Easter Association for the Surgery of Trauma as a Top 5 Paper and by the National Society of Trauma Nurses as an Oral Abstract Winner. In 2024, she was inducted into the National Academies of Practice as a Distinguished Fellow. Currently, NeSmith is focused on leading the College of Nursing. She strives to cultivate a supportive and positive environment for faculty, staff and students, working with the University System of Georgia to combat the nursing shortage across the state.

Keywords: civility, incivility, operating room, workplace incivility, nursing learning environments

Bio: Dr. Louisa Dasher Martin is an assistant professor in the Doctor of Nursing Practice department, with a joint appointment in The Graduate School, and she serves as assistant director for the nursing anesthesia program. She has held leadership roles in both state and national organizations, serving as treasurer for the Georgia Association of Nurse Anesthetists and wellness committee member for the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Martin is a two-time alumna, earning both her PhD and BSN from Augusta University College of Nursing. She also holds a Master of Science in Nursing Anesthesia from Northeastern University.

Martin’s research has focused on workplace incivility, incivility in nursing learning environments, and wellness among healthcare providers. She recently spoke at Northeastern University’s Mental Health Awareness event on substance use disorder in healthcare, a topic that she is passionate about addressing and destigmatizing. Martin’s professional work has been highlighted in the AORN Journal, Journal of Nursing Management, Nurse Educator, and the International Student Journal of Nurse Anesthesia.

As a student, Martin received multiple scholarships to support her education and earned the 2021 Dare to Share Writing Aard from the Nurse Educator Journal. She continues to expand her knowledge base and was recently accepted into the Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Nurse Anesthesia Educator Program. This is a year-long fellowship that will allow her to sit for the CNE exam at the program’s completion.

Keywords: trauma, traumatic injury, intensive care, communication in family meetings, immobility response

Bio: Dr. Jake Higgins is an associate professor in the prelicensure department, with a joint appointment in The Graduate School. He serves as the department’s assistant chair and director for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Higgins is an active member of the Society of Trauma Nurses where he has participated in several research committees and recently served as a delegate for the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. He attended the University of Kentucky where he earned his PhD in Nursing Science and his MBA in Healthcare Leadership.

Past experiences in surgery and trauma intensive care units have inspired Higgins’ passion for research on patient outcomes after traumatic injuries. He is currently funded for his research on communication quality during family meetings in the ICU and actively serves as the faculty sponsor Principal Investigator for research on quality of life after traumatic injury.

Higgins has several first-author peer-reviewed publications that have been featured in the American Journal of Nursing, Journal of Trauma Nursing, Biological Research for Nursing, Neuroscience Research, and Critical Care Nurse. Along with multiple national and international presentations, Higgins was a 2023 Fellow of the Bluegrass Higher Education Consortium, Academic Leadership Academy. Higgins’ goal for his continued work is to contribute to improving long-term outcomes of trauma and critical care patients.

Keywords: mental health, mental illness, stigma, chronic sorrow, mental trauma, schizophrenia

Bio: Dr. Connie Olwit is an assistant professor in the prelicensure department, with a joint appointment in The Graduate School. She earned her PhD in Public Health from Georgia State University where she participated in the Second Century Initiative Doctoral Fellowship and served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. She has a Masters in Public Mental Health and in Mental Health Nursing from the University of Cape Town and Muhimbili University of Health respectively.

Olwit’s research focuses on mental illness, in particular the stigma patients face among nursing staff. Her first author publications exploring post-conflict trauma can be found in the African Journal of Traumatic Stress. Her recent co-authored works are available in Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences Reports, Child Abuse & Neglect, and Frontiers in Digital Health.

A winner of the Best Upcoming Young Researcher Award from Makerere University, Olwit continues to hone her skills, seeking professional development opportunities. She currently mentors prelicensure students and brings her research expertise to courses such as mental health nursing and population health.

Keywords: maternal outcomes, group prenatal education, lifestyle medicine, international service-learning

Bio: Dr. Colleen Walters previous research focus was on international service-learning and student outcomes of critical reflection and transformative learning.

She utilized findings from her study on critical reflection of students in study abroad programs to develop high impact international study abroad experiences to Mexico, Haiti, and Cuba.

Dr. Walters has created an evidence-based group prenatal education and support program for pregnancy resource centers. She also is on the Department of Family Medicine research team, which focuses on improving health outcomes through lifestyle medicine.

She is a trained facilitator for the Comprehensive Health Improvement Program (CHIP) in which she facilitates group telehealth visits on lifestyle modification to manage obesity and chronic conditions.