Tisha Felder, PhD, MSW

Research Focus: Working to eliminate racial and economic disparities in maternal health, breastfeeding, and breast cancer, with a focus on improving outcomes for Black women. I use quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods and community-engaged approaches.

Current Projects and Interests:

1. Breastfeeding Equity South Carolina.
2. Recruiting and retaining pregnant women to evaluate postpartum breastfeeding    outcomes: A prospective feasibility study (“Follow Me” Study) (Principal Investigator).
3. South Carolina Cancer Prevention & Control Research Network (Co-Investigator).
4. Additional Interests: Student mentoring.

Jewel Scott, PhD, RN, FNP-C

Research Focus:  How stress and adversity related to social determinants of health shape cardiovascular health in young women, especially during the transition from adolescence to adulthood, postpartum, and parenting periods. Other research interests include strengthening the healthcare system through respectful care and the implementation of evidence-based practices.

Current Projects and Interests:

1. Project Crystal:  Shining Light on the Health of Black Mothers of Young Children (funded by PPFRC).
2.  Are You Listening: An Exploration of the Healthcare Experiences and Self-Advocacy of Black Birthing Individuals.
3. Ruby Study – Characterizing the Influence of Racial Trauma and Pandemic-related changes in Social Connections on Quality of Life and Cardiovascular Health.
4. Facilitating Health System Implementation of Physical Activity Screening and Referral to Community-Based Programs (Co-Investigator).

Jennifer Baumstark, DNP, APRN, CNM

Research Focus: Supporting certified nurse midwives and advanced practice nurses to expand access to quality health care and improve health outcomes for families across the state.

Current Projects and Interests:

1. Increase public and professional awareness of the positive impact APRNs can bring to our communities.
2. Strengthen collaboration with health care systems and policymakers.
3. Expand the midwifery workforce in South Carolina.

Kayla C. Everhart, PhD, RN

Research Focus:  Reducing the morbidity and mortality of premature infants through clinical research.

Current Projects and Interests: Evaluating a blood warming device for packed red blood cell transfusions to decrease hypothermia in very preterm infants: A randomized controlled trial. Funded by The Gerber Foundation.

Kelly Russin, DNP, RNC-OB, CHSE

Research Focus: The use of simulation in nursing education from undergraduate to licensed and experienced nurses. Other research interests include debriefing after perinatal loss, disaster preparedness, the use of interpreters in simulation, and theory-based simulation.

Current Projects and Interests:

1. Engaging patients with aphasia as Simulated Patients in undergraduate simulation.
2.  The use of AI-powered virtual reality in undergraduate and graduate education.
3. Workplace violence simulation training with RNs.
4. Using simulation to reinforce training for Home Health RNs at DPH.

Curisa Tucker, PhD, RN

Research Focus: How social determinants of health, particularly structural and neighborhood-level factors, shape disparities in maternal outcomes during the perinatal and postpartum periods.

Current Projects and Interests:

1. Maternal Mortality in South Carolina: Presenting state-level findings on maternal mortality to highlight disparities and structural determinants impacting outcomes.
2. Peripartum cardiomyopathy Survivorship Study: Conducting a qualitative study exploring survivors’ experiences with access to care and discrimination in the healthcare system.
3. Heart rate variability study: Developing a prospective study investigating the relationship between heart rate variability and preeclampsia risk.

Karen Warren, PhD, RN

Research Focus: To address the multiple determinants of health to improve the well-being of mothers and eliminate health disparities in maternal and preterm infant outcomes. 

Current Projects and Interests:

1. Exploring the health of Black preterm infants and psychosocial challenges faced by mothers in relationship to multiple determinants of health (Prisma Seed Grant, PI).
2. Neonatal autonomic nervous system dysfunction as a predictor of autism spectrum disorder (NIH/NIMH, Co-I).
3. The Sibling Effect: The emotional impact of having a sibling admitted to the NICU for a prolonged period (Sponsor for Magellan Scholar).