Carolina Nursing Faculty awarded Dean’s Pilot Grant Funding
July 16, 2024
The UNC School of Nursing is excited to announce that twenty of its faculty members have been awarded funding through the Research, Education, and Quality Improvement Pilot Grant.
This grant, which was created by Dean Howard in the spring of 2023, supports innovative research, educational scholarship and quality improvement projects that align with Carolina Nursing’s mission of advancing health for all and one of the following initiatives:
- Initiative 1 funds projects that enhance the competitiveness of research proposals submitted for external funding.
- Initiative 2 funds projects that support educational scholarship and research in alignment with the National League for Nursing Research Priorities in Nursing Education.
Initiative 1 awards were made to:
Dr. Matthew R. LeBlanc, assistant professor, (PI), Dr. Lisa Mansfield, assistant professor, and Dr. Susana Barroso, assistant professor, for “Diagnostic delay among Hispanic/Latino adults with multiple myeloma. A qualitative exploration.”
Dr. Mark Toles, associate professor, (PI) and Dr. Jennifer Leeman, Associate Dean for Research, for “The Role of Dementia Caregiving Specialists in Home- and Community-Based Services.”
Dr. Jessica Williams, associate professor, (Co-PI), Dr. Natalia Villegas, associate professor, (Co-PI) for “Uncovering Structural Barriers to HIV and Substance Use Service Access for People Impacted by Intimate Partner Violence in North Carolina.”
Dr. Jessica Zegre-Hemsey, associate professor, (PI), Dr. Becky Kitzmiller, associate professor, and Dr. Jamie Crandell, associate professor, for “Testing the Feasibility of Patients Hospitalized with Acute Coronary Syndrome to Self-acquire an Electrocardiogram Using Remote Cardiac Monitoring to Inform the Development of a Novel Intervention for Early Disease Detection and Response.”
Initiative 2 awards were made to:
Dr. Bethany Davis, assistant professor, (PI) and Dr. Suja Davis, associate professor, for “Bridge to Success: Enhancing the Pathophysiology and Pharmacology Curriculum for Undergraduate Nursing Students”
Dr. Kandyce Brennan, assistant professor, (PI), Dr. Tracy Vernon-Platt, assistant professor, Dr. Rachel McInerney, assistant professor, for “Health Education and Literacy (HEAL) Initiatives with the Center for Aging”
LaTonia Chalmers, clinical instructor, (PI), Dr. Shielda Rodgers, Professor & Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence, and Dr. Leslie Sharpe, assistant professor, for “Be Well: Prioritizing Our Mental Health and Well-Being Initiative”
Dr. Elizabeth Stone, associate professor, (PI), Dr. Jennifer Alderman, associate professor, LaTonia Chalmers, clinical instructor, and Dr. Sofia Aliaga, for “IPEP Design Thinking Workshop”
Awardees and their teams will carry out these pilot projects from May 1, 2024, through April 30, 2025, after which they will share their discoveries with a wider audience by disseminating findings in academic nursing journals and national conferences. The awardees will also present their project findings to the School of Nursing faculty and staff.
We would like to express our gratitude to the review committees for their invaluable contributions and expertise and congratulate all awardees on this outstanding achievement!