College of Nursing Faculty Research

Research Areas

College of Nursing faculty members serve the dual mission of disciplinary research and professional teaching.

Robin Arends

Robin Arends, DNP, CNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, CNE, FAAN, FAANP, has experience with quality improvement and implementation science. She has been a part of interprofessional teams that implement and evaluate best practices and explore new health care approaches to improve the health of patient populations and the delivery of health care. 

Interests:

  • Mental health
  • Telehealth
  • Chronic disease management/prevention/health promotion
  • Military health
  • Complementary medicine
  • Advocacy/legislation, advanced practice issues, leadership

Brittany Brennan

Brittany Brennan, Ph.D., RN, CHSE, CNE, has experience with multiple methods of research including quantitative methods, instrument testing, systematic review protocol development and implementation, descriptive qualitative research and quality improvement conducted in the areas of simulation, nursing education and rural health nursing. 

Interests

  • Nursing education
  • Simulation
  • Rural nursing/health

Robin Brown

Robin Brown, Ph.D., RN, CNE, is a quantitative researcher with experience in multiple regression analysis.

Interests

  • Organizational change
  • Stress and coping
  • Rural health
  • Health promotion
  • Nursing education

Dannica Callies

Dannica Callies, DNP, CNP, FNP-C, CNE, has experience in quality improvement projects, including serving as a chair or co-chair for Doctor of Nursing Practice projects and has worked on research teams focused on nursing and health care. 

Interests

  • Preventative health care
  • Nurse practitioner education and clinical practice
  • Rural health care
  • Scholarship of teaching and learning
  • Quality improvement

Nicole Carlson

Nicole Carlson, Ph.D., RN, has experience advanced qualitative (Hermeneutic phenomenology) research, specifically in the long-term care setting.

Interests

  • Gerontology
  • Nursing education
  • Rural nursing and rural health

Karin Emery

Karin Emery, Ph.D., RN, has experience in quantitative research and health care quality improvement. She has served on Ph.D. and DNP student committees.

Interests

  • Administration and leadership
  • Biobehavioral research
  • Quality of life, resilience, stress
  • Diabetes and chronic disease management
  • Student success

Samantha Fischbach

Samantha Fischbach, Ph.D., RN, CHPN, has experience in qualitative research methods, specifically in palliative and hospice care. She has also engaged in simulation-based manuscript development to improve care delivery and prepare nursing professionals for compassionate, evidence-informed practice.

Interests

  • Palliative and End-of-Life Care
  • Oncology
  • Simulation-Base Learning
  • Nursing Education

Theresa Garren-Grubbs

Theresa Garren-Grubbs, DNP, RN, CMSRN, CNL, has experience with qualitative and mixed methods. She has served as a co-chair for DNP committees and as a committee member for Ph.D. students. 

Interests

  • Rural health
  • Social determinants of health
  • Palliative care
  • Advance care planning

Michelle Lichtenberg

Michelle Lichtenberg, Ph.D., RN, focuses on quantitative methods for research projects. She has experience in curriculum development and evaluation.

Interests

  • Clinical judgment development among nursing students
  • Nursing student success
  • Transition to practice/practice readiness

Sarah Mollman

Sarah Mollman, Ph.D., RN, CHPN, CNE, has experience in multiple research methods. Thematic analysis and formative evaluation to develop a clinical intervention entails her qualitative experience. Quantitative methodology experience includes instrument development and evaluation, network/coalition evaluation and intervention testing.

Interests

  • Educational research
  • Palliative and end-of-life care
  • Oncology
  • Rural health and access

Amy Newstrom

Amy Newstrom, DNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, LP-C, QMHP has experience in quality improvement projects and co-chairing DNP projects.

Interests

  • Mental Health
  • Feminist Theory
  • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
  • Nurse Practitioner Clinical Practice
  • Quality Improvement

Lea Niederbaumer

Lea Niederbaumer, DNP, FNP, CNP-BC, has experience in both quantitative and qualitative research methods with a focus on diabetes quality improvement and school and community-based health initiatives.

Interests

  • Women鈥檚 health
  • School health
  • Access to care
  • Quality improvement

Adam Norenberg

Adam Norenberg, DNP, CNP, FNP-C has experience in quality improvement projects and has worked on program implementation projects on nursing and health care policy change and implementation.

Interests

  • Pediatrics
  • Mental Health
  • Pulmonary/Sleep Medicine
  • Gastroenterology and Preventative Screening
  • Hospice/Palliative Services

Christina Plemmons

Christina Plemmons, Ph.D., RN, MEDSURGE-BC, CNE, is a quantitative researcher who enjoys working with research teams and supporting Ph.D. and DNP students in service as a chair, co-chair or member of student committees.

Interests

  • Nursing education
  • Clinical academic partnerships
  • Clinical self-efficacy
  • Clinical teamwork

Danielle Schievelbein

Danielle Schievelbein, Ph.D., RN, has experience in quantitative research methods, qualitative (case study) and mixed methods. She also has experience with quality improvement projects. She has served on DNP and Ph.D. student committees.

Interests

  • Chronic disease management
  • Rural nursing/health
  • Nursing education
  • Simulation
  • Preventative health care

Abby Seydel

Abby Seydel, Ph.D., RN focuses on research related to self-care, health promotion and patient experiences across the lifespan, particularly among individuals and families affected by chronic and inherited conditions. Dr Seydel has experience with qualitative methods (phenomenology) to explore how social and structural factors influence care access, health behaviors and transitions in care.

Interests

  • Self-Care and Health Promotion
  • Chronic and Inherited Conditions
  • Adolescent and Young Adult Health
  • Transitions in Care
  • Newborn Screening

Amy Vahn Dijk

Amy VahnDijk DNP, APRN, FNP-C has experience with quantitative and qualitative research in public health quality improvement projects.

Interests

  • Parasitic Infections Among Agricultural Communities
  • Chronic Illness from Infections
  • Chronic Illness and Autonomic Deregulation
  • Holistic/Functional Medicine
  • Nursing Burnout, Mindfulness

Uzma Zaidi

Uzma Zaidi, Ph.D., FHEA, mainly researches in the areas of Clinical Psychology, Health Psychology, Neuropsychology, Organizational Behavior and Multidisciplinary. She published more than 40 research articles in reputed journals.

Interests

  • Therapeutic Alliance and Psychological Health
  • Drugs and Alcohol Abuse
  • Quality of Life (QoL) and Psychological Wellbeing
  • Problem-Base Learning (PBL), Learning Environment and Self-Efficacy

Alyssa Zweifel

Alyssa Zweifel, Ph.D., RN, CHSE, is an innovative researcher who focuses on quantitative and mixed-methods research to further best practices through interprofessional and simulation-based learning approaches.

Interests

  • Health care simulation
  • Interprofessional education
  • Team-based learning
  • Ortho/neuro clinical research
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