Faculty Research Focus Areas
Our faculty experts are available to provide context and commentary on a variety of topics. For interviews, additional information or assistance, please contact Nicole Meares.
| Category | Name | Department | Expertise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular Health, Health Disparities, Health Equity, Health Risk Behavior Change, Men's Health, Rural Health |
Abshire, Demetrius | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Cardiometabolic assessment and behavioral clinical trials. |
| Cancer Research | Adams, Swann | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | A systems theory approach to the study of colon and lung cancer health disparities using novel data linkages |
| Health Disparities | Armstrong, Stephanie | Professional Nursing Practice | Women and infant health, Human Trafficking, International Nursing Education |
| Mental Health | Baliko, Beverly | Advanced Professional Nursing Practice & Leadership | Stress, mental health disorders, violence and abuse educational interventions. |
| Health Equity, Health Policy, Pediatric Care |
Barnes, Nakita | Professional Nursing Practice | Sleep Medicine and Pulmonary Medicine |
| Health Policy, Health Care Management | Bartmess, Marissa | Professional Nursing Practice | Health services policy , nurse staffing , developing and retaining the nurse workforce and nurse well-being. |
| Health Equity, Rural Health, Women's Health | Baumstark, Jennifer | Advanced Professional Nursing Practice & Leadership | Midwifery. |
| Health Equity, Pediatric Care, Nursing Education | Chappell, Kate | Professional Nursing Practice | Developing and testing programs to support families of children with specific health care needs. Child abuse prevention, intervention, and recognition. Caregiver vigilance for child sexual abuse. Effect of Adverse Childhood Experiences on families. Experiential learning in nursing education. |
| Infectious Disease, Women's Health, Maternal Health | Custer, Sabra | Professional Nursing Practice | HIV, STI, and Viral Hepatitis prevention and treatment. Interprofessional Education in Infection Prevention: Establishing the South Carolina Regional Infection Prevention Training (SCRIPT) Center. |
| Neonatal Care | Dail, Robin | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Observational trials, RCTs, mixed methods. |
| Chronic Illness, Health Informatics, AI, Women's Health | Donevant, Sara | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Using technology and informatics to address significant issues in health care and improve patient outcomes. |
| Cancer Research, Chronic Illness, Health Disparities, Sleep | Dyer, Amanda | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Complexities of sleep disturbances in survivors of early-stage lung cancer to improve sleep quality, sleep quantity, and overall quality of life among this population to develop symptom management strategies aiming to improve symptom outcomes among early-stage lung cancer survivors. |
| Neonatal Care | Everhart, Kayla | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Medical management of preterm infants as well as the basic physiological processes related to the development of Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) in very premature infants to reduce infant morbidity and mortality. |
| Cancer Research, Health Disparities, Health Equity, Women's Health, Maternal Health |
Felder, Tisha | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Community-engagement, mixed methods (qualitative + quantitative), Black women's health, racial and socioeconomic disparities, health equity, social and structural drivers of health, breastfeeding and breast cancer prevention and survivorship, mentoring and training, workforce diversity. |
| Simulation Education, Transition to Practice | Greenwood, Christina | Professional Nursing Practice | Nursing Education, Simulation, Transition to Practice |
| Women's Health, Sleep | Harris, Eboni | Professional Nursing Practice | Rest and sleep, nursing education. |
| Health Disparities, Health Equity, Health Policy, Nursing Workforce |
Hein, Liam | Advanced Professional Nursing Practice & Leadership | improving LGBTQ health equity through education, advocacy, and health policy. |
| Health Disparities, Health Equity, Disability |
Jamal-Eddine, Sabrina | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Ableism in nursing education and practice. Seeks to disrupt ableism experienced by disabled nursing students/faculty, disabled practicing nurses, and disabled patients through developing, testing, and scaling decolonial pedagogic strategies, community-based interventions, and policy transformations rooted in critical disability studies theory and the lived experiences of multiply marginalized disabled people. Simultaneously theorizes on a political model of disability which explores how systems of oppression—including white supremacy, capitalism, and colonialism—disproportionately manufacture disability, both domestically and transnationally. |
| Cardiovascular Health, Health Disparities, Health Equity | Magwood, Gayenell S. | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Characterizing the influence of COVID-19, Racial Trauma, and Social Networks on CV Health Factors among young Black women in the South |
| Chronic Illness, Data Equity, Geriatric Care, Health Disparities, Health Equity, Health Policy, LGBTQ+ |
May, Jennifer | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Health issues and health care experiences of sexual and gender minorities, particularly older adults. Investigating factors that affect health outcomes and access to care for marginalized populations. Researching the unique challenges faced by SGM individuals living with dementia and their caregivers. Examining patterns of healthcare use among LGBTQ+ populations and advocating for policy changes to improve access and quality of care. |
| Cardiovascular Health, Dietary Behaviors, Health Disparities, Health Equity, Health Risk Behavior Change |
McCoy, Carrie | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Hypertension self management through lifestyle behavior change. |
| Cancer Research, Health Disparities Health Equity |
Mitchell, Sheryl | Advanced Professional Nursing Practice & Leadership | Breast cancer survivorship. |
| Public Health | Morrison, Rebecca | Professional Nursing Practice | Vaccines |
| Geriatric Care | Mulkey, Malissa | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Effects of critical illness on cognitive function in older adults, such as delirium, sleep, dementia, and care transitions. |
| Chronic Illness, Disability & Rehabilitation Research, Health Disparities, Health Equity, Health Risk Behavior Change |
Newman, Susan | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Community engagement/community based participatory research, intervention development
and testing, spinal cord injury rehabilitation, spinal cord injury self management peer support, and disability related health disparities. |
| Health Risk Behavior Change, Pediatric Care, Women's Health |
Oudat, Qutaibah | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Examining the developmental, behavioral, nutritional, and contextual processes that contribute to obesity and cardio-metabolic risk across the life course, with particular emphasis on maternal and child health. Investigates how parental feeding practices, early-childhood dietary behaviors, maternal metabolic factors, and related biological processes shape trajectories of nutrition and weight-related health from pregnancy through childhood and adolescence. Using epidemiological, longitudinal, mixed-methods, and evidence-synthesis approaches, together with emerging microbiome-related measures, seeks to identify fundamental mechanisms and modifiable processes underlying the development of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and subsequent cardio-metabolic risk. |
| Cancer Research, Chronic Illness, Health Risk Behavior Change, Women's Health | Pinto, Bernardine | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Motivating patient populations to modify risk behaviors, promotion of physical activity among patient populations (middle aged and older adults), physical activity promotion among cancer survivors, peer mentoring for management of chronic diseases and randomized controlled trials. |
| Cardiovascular Health, Chronic Illness, Health Disparities, Health Equity, Health Policy, Health Care Management, Health Risk Behavior Change, Rural Health, Women's Health |
Ralyea, Tina | Advanced Professional Nursing Practice & Leadership | Resiliency, well-being. |
| Health Equity, Mental Health, Rural Health, Substance Use Disorder Disparities |
Raynor, Phyllis | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Primary mental health and substance use disorder treatment for diverse individuals at risk for mental health conditions and substance use disorders (SUDs) across the lifespan using a patient-centered approach to care delivery and facilitate behavioral change. Maternal health outcomes post-newborn birth through the infant's first year of life to determine environmental and systems level supports needed to improve maternal and fetal outcomes. Leveraging digital self-management interventions to support mental health, self-care, parenting, and long-term recovery from mental health and SUD for parenting people and their children. |
| Chronic Illness, Health Disparities, Health Equity, Health Policy, Pediatric Care, Rural Health, Family Health |
Roberts, Karyn | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Advancing family well-being and health equity for children and young adults with rare,
undiagnosed, and complex chronic conditions. Studies how family management, caregiving
demands, healthcare systems, stigma, and social determinants of health shape outcomes
over time, drawing on clinical, research, and lived caregiving experience. Expertise includes family and community-engaged research using mixed-methods designs. Partners with families and communities to co-develop strengths-based interventions that improve health equity, self-care management and coordination, reduce caregiving burden and stigma, and promote well-being across the life course. |
| Women's Health, Simulation Education | Russin, Kelly | Professional Nursing Practice | Nursing simulation research, including disaster preparedness, use of Simulated Participants (SP's), virtual reality, and workplace violence. Women's health focus, including the use of simulation in the nursing community. |
| Pediatric Care, Health Equity, Nursing Education | Schaller, Stephanie | Professional Nursing Practice | AI, 3D Printing, Nursing Education, Serious Gaming, Qualitative and Quanitative Mixed Methods |
| Cardiovascular Health Health Disparities Health Equity Health Risk Behavior Change Women's Health |
Scott, Jewel | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Identifying opportunities for multilevel interventions to reduce the impact stress and adversity on cardiovascular health and health behaviors, particularly in young adult Black women. Exploring pathways to resilience and well-being, emphasizing the experiences of women of color, the role of social connectedness, and the impact of structural and social determinants of health, in collaboration with community partners. |
| Mental Health, Women's Health, Simulation Education |
Shipman, Misty | Professional Nursing Practice | Simulation , Virtual Reality, Nursing Education, Shared Governance |
| Cardiovascular Health, Health Disparities, Health Equity, Health Care Management, Health Risk Behavior Change, Rural Health |
Slone, Sarah | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Implementation science, clinical trials, mixed methods, and qualitative methods. |
| Chronic Illness, Nephrology, Palliative Care | Suthar, Meera | Advanced Professional Nursing Practice & Leadership | Kidney palliative care; Palliative care in cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic syndrome; Primary palliative care; Palliative care in nursing education. |
| Health Disparities, Health Equity, Health Risk Behavior Change, Women's Health | Sweeney, Allison | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Health behavior change (physical activity) through social environmental processes, motivation, community-based participatory research, quantitative and qualitative methods, randomized controlled trials. |
| Cancer Research, Cardiovascular Health, Women's Health |
Taylor, Jennifer | Professional Nursing Practice | Peripartum cardiomyopathy, stroke/aphasia, breastfeeding. |
| Health Informatics | Tavakoli, Abbas | Advanced Professional Nursing Practice & Leadership | Health-related statistical analysis and data management. This includes survey design, general linear modeling, categorical analysis, experimental design, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, as well as sample size and power analysis. |
| Health Disparities, Health Equity, Health Policy, Women's Health |
Tucker, Curisa | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Adverse maternal outcomes such as severe maternal morbidity, postpartum readmissions, maternal death, peripartum cardiomyopathy. |
| Chronic Illness, Health Disparities, Health Equity, Health Risk Behavior Change, Mental Health |
Vick, Lori | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Biopsychosocial health needs of persons living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). Her research interventions use motivational interviewing and health behavior change to support improvements in self-management, health-related decisions, and health outcomes in individuals with SCD. |
| Cancer Research, Geriatric Care, Health Informatics, Health Risk Behavior Change, Mental Health | Wang, Kesheng | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Linear and generalized linear mixed models, longitudinal data analysis, survival models, data mining and machine learning/deep learning; statistical methods and big data approaches in omics studies of complex diseases including Alzheimer’s disease and aging, cancer, substance use, mental health, HCV and HIV. |
| Health Equity, Mental Health, Neonatal Care |
Warren, Karen | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Neonatal transport, very preterm infants, maternal mental health after preterm delivery, social and structural drivers of health, autism risk and early identification following preterm birth, and mixed-methods. |
| Brain-Gut Axis, Chronic Illness, Health Disparities, Mental Health, Women's Health |
Weaver-Toedtman, Kristen | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Biopsychosocial influences on the brain-gut connection in individuals with chronic abdominal pain and other chronic conditions. |
| Cancer Research, Geriatric Care, Health Equity |
Wickersham, Karen | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Adherence to and management of side effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), a specific type of oral anti-cancer treatment, to improve quality of life for individuals with advanced cancer who experience disparities in cancer care. Designed and implemented innovative, interdisciplinary research that has included qualitative, quantitative, and translational research methods. Examines the effect of COVID-19 on patients with cancer and health care providers. |
| Cancer Research, Chronic Illness, Health Equity, Health Risk Behavior Change |
Williams, Lovoria | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Community-engaged research, particularly among populations experiencing disproportionate poor health outcomes. Primary research areas include, diabetes prevention and obesity/weight-loss behavioral interventions, cardiovascular risk reduction, lung cancer early detection and cancer control. Body of science emphasizes the development of authentic partnerships with faith based communities and community health workers to implement and disseminate evidence-based interventions in community settings. |
| Cancer Research, Health Risk Behavior Change |
Wirth, Michael | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Circadian biology including, but not limited to, shiftwork, sleep, hormone rhythms
(e.g., melatonin and cortisol), and chrononutrition (e.g., intermittent fasting).
Diet quality with a specific focus on dietary inflammatory potential and the use of
the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII). -Intersection of diet quality and sleep quality on health. -Burnout and stress among early career nurses and nursing students. |
| Health Disparities, Health Equity | Worthy, Karen | Advanced Professional Nursing Practice & Leadership | SC Nursing Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities & Inequities |
| Chronic Illness, Health Care Management, Health Risk Behavior Change, Women's Health | Wright, Pamela J. | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Resistance exercise as therapeutic management for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) across the lifespan, social connectedness, and digital technology for intervention delivery. Use of multiple methods in research design. |
| Cancer Research, Geriatric Care, Health Informatics, Neonatal Care, Rural Health, Women's Health |
Wright, Georgetta | Professional Nursing Practice | Cancer screening in older adults with an emphasis on breast cancer and colorectal cancer. |
| Cancer Research, Health Equity, Infectious Disease, Women's Health, Symptom Management |
Zhao, Jian | Biobehavioral Health & Nursing Science | Intersection of cancer pain and symptom science, behavioral interventions, and digital health. Uses longitudinal, clinical trial, and intensive repeated-measures methods including ecological momentary assessment, to understand symptom trajectories and develop scalable interventions that improve pain management and quality of life for individuals with cancer. |