Closely guided by their faculty mentors, PhD in nursing students spend years doing a deep dive into original research topics before presenting their final projects to a committee. The following individuals successfully created, completed, and defended their dissertations:

• Maria McDonald, RN, FNP-BC (PhD `24)
  Consequences of synthetic Oxytocin in the maternal brain
  (mentored by Drs. Jeanne Alhusen, Kathryn Laughon, Jessica Connelly, MD, and Jennifer Payne, MD)
  
  
• Yeonsu Kim, RN (PhD `24)
  Blood pressure variability and its psycho-behavioral corrlates
  (mentored by Drs. Jeongok Logan, Jill Howie-Esquivel, Meghan Mattos, and Eric Davis, MD)
  
  
• Katherine Platz, RN (PhD `24)
  The biobehavioral effects of gentle stretching in patients with heart failure
  (mentored by Drs. Jill Howie-Esquivel, Casey Cavanagh, Linda Park, Maureen Metzger, and Kathryn Laughon)
  
  
• Shinae Seo, RN (PhD `24)
  The relationship between social support, social strain, and sleep quality among older adults with and without cognitive impairment
  (mentored by Drs. Meghan Mattos, Ishan Williams, Shannon Reilly, and Wen You)
  
  
• Sarah Eaton-Rivera, RN (PhD `24)
  An egocentric network analysis of intimate partner violence
  (mentored by Drs. Kathryn Laughon, Katrina Debnam, Steven Johnson, and Shigehiro Oishi)
  
  
• Anna Kutcher, RN (PhD `24)
  Exploring the feasibility and acceptability of acupuncture among patients with advanced cancer pain and their primary caregivers
  (mentored by Drs. Virginia LeBaron, Jill Howie-Esquivel, Regan Royer, MD, and Bethany Bell)
  
  
• Vanessa Amos, RN, CNL (PhD `24)
  Measuring moral distress and moral distress consultation: A tiered investigation
  (mentored by Drs. Beth Epstein, Jeanne Alhusen, Virginia LeBaron, and Kevin Sullivan)

With the guidance of their advisers and clinical mentors, Doctor of Nursing Practice students identify a clinical problem, gather existing research on it, pursue their own avenues of study, and present their findings and the clinical implications. The following DNP students successfully presented and defended their scholarly practice projects:

• Tiffany Bittle, MSN, RN, NNP-BC (DNP `24) - Evaluating racial disparities in a neonatal intensive care unit parental support bundle (mentored by Drs. Barbara Reyna, Melissa Gomes, and Beth Quatrara)
  
  
• Claire Lewis, MSN, RN, ACNP-BC, AOCNP-BC (DNP `24) - Palliative care screening in gynecological oncology: An evidence-based practice pilot (mentored by Drs. Regina DeGennaro and Beth Quatrara)
  
  
• Kristin Long, MSN, RN, CCRN (DNP `24) - A multidisciplinary implementation of a sleep-promoting schedule and its impact on patient sleep quality (mentored by Drs. Beth Hundt, Jeanel Little, Beth Quatrara, and Clareen Wiencek)
  
  
• Capt. Ross Scallan, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC (DNP `24) - A quality improvement project to enhance emergency nurse workplace violence reporting (mentored by Drs. Beth Quatrara and Ha Do Byon)
  
  
• Jamie Myers, MSN, ACNPC-AG, BSN, CCRN, AAS, NRP (DNP `24) - Advance practice provider-led critical care team: A program evaluation (mentored by Drs. Kathryn Reid, Richard Ridge, and Beth Quatrara)
  
  
• Sarah Hogan, MSN, RN, CCRN, CCNS, PMGT-BC, TCRN (DNP `23) - Improving nursing assessment using the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) (mentored by Drs. Regina DeGennaro, Richard Ridge, and Beth Quatrara
  
  
• Rose Livengood (DNP `24) - Implementation of a mindfulness-based intervention to decrease loneliness and depression in the community setting (mentored by Drs. Terri Yost, Regina DeGennaro, and Beth Quatrara)
  
  
• Osiris Grainger (DNP `24) - The implementation of a de-escalation program to reduce the number of violence occurrences to healthcare workers (mentored by Drs. Gina DeGennaro and Beth Quatrara)
  
  
• Allen Magnone (DNP `23) - Implementation of a Broset violence checklist to combat workplace violence events: An evidence-based practice initiative (mentored by Drs. Beth Quatrara and Terri Yost)

CNL Class of 2024 Capstone Presentations

• Rachel Conner-Gorby, Lily Latimer, Ava Sansovich, and Gracie Williams
  Utilizing whiteboards to improve patient satisfaction in communication with labor and delivery nurses
  
  
• Sarah Beasley, Meredith Derucki, Claire Robinson, and Kate Walden
  What's all this racket about quiet at night?
  
  
• Seth Bagley, Julia Gatens, and Hayden Van Hout
  Patient education: The importance of CHG bathing
  
  
• Bridget Bodley, Jacob Dean, Lee Ann Solo, and Luke Tokman
  Reducing heparin administration errors via standardization of nursing handoff
  
  
• Dianna Hays, Kaitlyn Leonard, Kate MacAllister, and Britt Schoeb
  Standardizing nurse shift handover in the ED to improve nurse communication and patient safety
  
  
• Patience Kilel and Emily Kucklick
  Bedside handoff to reduce patient falls
  
  
• Moneeb Iqbal, Robert Kortz, Sarah Post, and Brandon Till
  CHG bathing adherence in the UVA MICU
  
  
• Briana Jacobs, Mellanee Gilkerson, Devi Shome, and Kaity Sorrell
  Kangaroo care in the UVA Neonatal ICU
  
  
• Heidi Dawley, Taylore Hardisty, Cat Mischou, and Jamie Werner
  For trauma ICU patients, what interventions reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) related to cervical collar use?
  
  
• Tyler Bailey, Grace Yang, and Rahmatullah Zahid
  Standardizing orthostatis management
  
  
• Megan Lee, Annika Morrison, Kennedy Radix, and Carla Woodard
  Building bridges: Enhancing interprofessional communication for patient-centered care

BSN students who complete Distinguished Majors Projects - work that is over and above what is required to graduate and outside the traditional BSN curriculum - spend the final year of their nursing program investigating a topic of their choice under the guidance of a faculty mentor. The following students, some of whom will publish their findings in academic journals, proposed, tested, and presented their findings to the School community, and graduate as our 2024 Distinguished Majors:

• Kate Kim (mentor Kathryn Reid)
  Surgical smoke hazards awareness of healthcare professionals and occupational health
  
  
• Andrew Nguyen (mentor Sarah Craig)
  RNs' perceived barriers to central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) prevention bundle adherence in the critical care setting
  
  
• Morgan Allen (mentor Melissa Gomes)
  Sexual health disparities among Black youth and young adults
  
  
• Catherine Beiter (mentor Emma Mitchell)
  STI education and the role of the school nurse: A descriptive study of public school nurses in Virginia
  
  
• Molly Yeo (mentor Emma Mitchell)
  Analyzing state-based legislative initiatives on HPV vaccination and understanding the role of the school nurse in the mandate-implemented state of Virginia
  
  
• Molly Gannon (mentor Marion Kyner)
  The use of psychogenic medications in the care of dementia patients in the emergency department
  
  
• Laney Peters (mentor Barbara Reyna)
  Providing developmentally supportive positions in the NICU
  
  
• Donna Nkurunziza (mentor Ishan Williams)
  Accuracy in the EHR: Assessing the quality of data collection on patients' social determinants of health in the clinical setting
  
  
• Sam Dioneda (mentor Beth Epstein)
  The moral distress experience in minority nurses in the post-COVID-19 era
  
  
• Connor Brumbaugh (mentor Ashley Apple)
  Barriers to cervical screening in transmasculine individuals
  
  
• Leah Boone (mentor Christine Connelly)
  Vitiligo amongst (Black) individuals with cancer
  
  
• Genevieve Herbert (mentor Meghan Mattos)
  Understanding the needs of care partners of homebound persons with dementia
  
  
• Kana Roarty (mentor Kathryn Laughon)
  The efficacy of medical marijuana on treating weigh-loss related symptoms in the adult oncology population
  
  
• Cate Rooney (mentor Bethany Coyne)
  HPV vaccination in organ transplant recipients