Publication and presentation roundup — May 2023
The latest scholarly work from the UNC School of Nursing
Carolina Nursing faculty, staff and students are actively sharing their research findings on critical health care topics through publications in academic journals and presentations at national and international conferences.
Take a look at the selection of publications and presentations below to learn more about how Carolina Nursing experts are advancing health for all by addressing the greatest health care challenges of our time.
Please note that the following list was compiled based on information submitted by our researchers and is categorized into presentations and publications.
Have a publication or presentation to share? School of Nursing faculty, students and staff can submit publications and presentations here to be included in the next roundup.
Publications
Lisa Woodley, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE, CHPN; Jamie Crandell, PhD; Beth Cosgrove, PHD, CPNP-PC, RN; and Gabrielle Grant, PhD student and Hillman Scholar, conducted an educational research project analyzing the impact of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of nursing students in two global partner schools and to determine if groups of students were impacted differently. The paper was published on January 11, 2023, in the International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship.
Assistant Professor Tracy Vernon-Platt, DNP, ANP-BC, collaborated with faculty from the UNC School of Pharmacy and other health professional schools to develop, implement, and evaluate a mobile web application for clinical preceptors. Their work was published on May 9, 2023, in The American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education.
Ayomide Okanlawon Bankole, PhD, RN, a postdoctoral trainee at Carolina Nursing, and colleagues including Associate Professor Mark Toles, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Associate Dean Jennifer Leeman, DrPH, MPH, MDiV, have identified gaps and omissions in home health care (HHC) practices that lead to unmet patient and caregiver needs during transitions from HHC to independence at home. The authors’ findings highlight opportunities for improving care practices to prepare older adults and their caregivers for successful transitions from HHC to independence at home. The article was published in the May–June 2023 issue of Geriatric Nursing.
Despite efforts to increase diversity in psychiatric genetics research, it remains highly Eurocentric, with individuals of non-European ancestry continuing to be underrepresented. In a recent study, Rose Mary Xavier, PhD, MS, RN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN, assistant professor and director of the Biobehavioral Lab, and her research team examined the sociodemographic and clinical factors that influence genetic study participation in patients with chronic schizophrenia. The study sheds light on the ongoing lack of diversity in psychiatric genetics research and highlights the importance of considering sociodemographic and clinical factors in efforts to increase diversity in these studies. The article was published on April 12, 2023, in PLOS ONE.
Latesha Harris, PhD Student and Hillman Scholar in Nursing Innovation, is first-author of a scoping review protocol recently published in BMJ Open. The article is an important first step towards defining and measuring police violence, a major pubic health issue, in the health literature. Co-authors of the publication include Health Sciences Librarian, Jamie L Conklin, as well as Cheryl L. Woods-Giscombe, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN, and Yamnia I Cortés, PhD, MPH, FNP-BC, FAHA. The article was published on March 15, 2023, in BMJ Open.
Measuring Financial Toxicity: A Closer Look
Assistant Professor Matthew LeBlanc, PhD, RN, along with colleagues from UNC, Duke, and Washington University in St. Louis, have published a letter to the editor focusing on the current state of financial toxicity measurement strategies in cancer patients and identifies areas that require further validation. The authors emphasize the importance of effective financial toxicity measurement strategies to support patients and health care providers in managing the costs of cancer care. The letter sheds light on an important aspect of cancer care that often goes overlooked, and highlights the need for continued research and validation in this area. The letter was published on March 28, 2023, in Value in Health.
Associate Professor Saif Khairat, PhD, MPH, recently published an article discussing the factors that affect patients and providers’ telemedicine experience in primary care. The article summarizes the facilitators and barriers to a positive user experience in North Carolina, New York, and Florida. This multi-site study was funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) COVID19 Funding Cycle. The article was published on March 20, 2023, in Telemedicine Reports.
Rare Copy Number Variation in Schizophrenia and Implications for Treatment
Thirty percent of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia do not respond to antipsychotic treatments. In this study, Rose Mary Xavier, PhD, MS, RN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN, and colleagues focused on highly treatment-resistant schizophrenia patients, examining the prevalence of rare copy number variations (CNVs) in 509 individuals. They discovered a significantly high prevalence of CNVs (9.2%) in this severe sample and identified a potentially relevant genomic region (15q11.2-13.1 on chromosome 15) associated with treatment resistance. These findings shed light on the genetic factors that contribute to treatment resistance in schizophrenia. Published on March 18, 2023, this study was the focus of an editorial in Schizophrenia Bulletin and was also featured in Psychiatric Times.
Amanda Savarese, MSN, AGNP-C ’22, along with Associate Professor JoAn Stanek, DNP, RN, MSN, ANP, CHPN, recently published an article highlighting the positive impact of palliative care on patients with heart failure (HF), improving their quality of life and physical functionality. The study emphasizes the important role of primary care nurse practitioners (NPs) in screening for palliative care needs and implementing early disease management initiatives. By expanding the knowledge and resources available to primary care NPs, community access to palliative care services can be enhanced, ensuring comprehensive care throughout the course of HF management. The article was published on May 26, 2023, in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners.
Strategies to Address COVID-19 Vaccine and Pregnancy Myths
Heather Berkowitz, MSN ’21, recently published a paper focused on identifying and refuting misinformation related to COVID-19 vaccination, pregnancy, and fertility. The study highlights seven themes of misinformation, including false claims about infertility and miscarriage risks, and suggests strategies such as improving information regulation on social media platforms, implementing health misinformation policies and providing credible explanations and resources to combat the spread of misinformation. The paper was published on March 21, 2023, in the American Journal of Maternal & Child Nursing.
Presentations
Interprofessional Education and Practice to Improve Health Equity
Associate Professor Jean Davison, DNP, RN, FNP-C, delivered a presentation titled “Interprofessional Education and Practice to Improve Health Equity” at the 11th Annual International Conference on Health and Medical Sciences held in Athens, Greece, on May 1, 2023. In addition, she participated as a panel speaker in a round-table discussion on the “Post-Pandemic World: Learning from Country Experiences.” Her topic specifically addressed health inequality among minorities in the United States observed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
State of Prolonged Grief Disorder: Opportunities and Implications for Academic Communities
Vinisha Dsouza, Carolina Nursing PhD student, attended the 6th Biennial National Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities Summit at Wilmington and won the award for scalability for the poster competition held on the 20th and 21st. Her poster consists of the systematic review and findings as a part of the first chapter literature review for Vinisha’s dissertation proposal and was co-authored by Brandy Reardon and Cheryl L. Woods-Giscombe, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN. Twelve state attendees were present and participated in the Summit.
Un Cambio de Vida: Experiences and Social Determinants of Menopause Among Latinas
Assistant Professor Yamnia I Cortés, PhD, MPH, FNP-BC, FAHA, was honored as an invited panelist at the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) Vivian W. Pinn Symposium. The symposium, titled “Menopause and Optimizing Midlife Health of Women,” focused on various aspects of menopause and its impact on women’s health. Dr. Cortés shared her presentation, “Un Cambio de Vida: Experiences and Social Determinants of Menopause Among Latinas,” shedding light on the unique challenges faced by Latinas during this life stage. The event drew an impressive turnout of over 1,400 registrants, with 600 individuals actively engaging in the symposium.
Trans*-affirming Care for New Reproductive Health Nurses
Rhonda Lanning, DNP, CNM, LCCE, IBCLC, RN, and Beth Mann, ABSN ’22, received the Best Poster by Faculty or Staff Award at the 2023 Women’s Health Poster Presentation & Awards Program. The full presentation, including the poster authored by Beth and Dr. Lanning, is available here on the UNC Center for Women’s Health Research website.