Facuty Research Activities | UCSF School of Nursing

Faculty Research Activities

All A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Faculty Name, Title, Email	Department	Research Program, Theoretical Focus, Current Projects, Active Grants
Abbey Alkon RN, PhD, PNP, MPH Professor abbey.alkon@nursing.ucsf.edu	Family Health Care Nursing	Research Program: Understanding the interaction between children’s experiences early in life and their psychobiologic responses to stress to predict health in young children; health issues for children in child care; culture. Theoretical Focus: Primary prevention and early predictors of young children’s mental and physical health, including kindergarten readiness. Current Projects: Seven year cohort study of pesticide exposure on children’s autonomic nervous system and health; randomized control studies of nutrition and physical activity in child care; integrated pest management in child care; community-based intervention study to improve mental and physical health of children 0-8 years old in high risk community.
Bradley E. Aouizerat PhD, MAS Professor bradley.aouizerat@nursing.ucsf.edu	Physiological Nursing	Research Program: The genetic dissection of human disorders, primarily in the area of symptoms (i.e. fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, depression) in the setting of chronic disease (i.e. cancer, HIV). The role of inflammation in these processes is of central interest to my laboratory. Other chronic disease models resulting from inflammation (i.e. nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) are also a focus of our investigations. Theoretical Focus: Identification of genomic determinants of complex traits using a combination of whole genome search, molecular genetics, and functional analysis (i.e. gene expression, protein analyses) of candidate genes and the integration of these data to identify emergent properties of biological processes (termed “systems biology”). Current Projects: Symptoms Clusters in Oncology Patients Receiving Chemotherapy (including a genome-wide scan); Genetics of Pain and Lymphedema in Breast Cancer; Genetics of fatigue and energy deficit. Genetics/genomics of symptoms (i.e. pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance) and symptom clusters in chronic HIV infection.
Shoshana Arai RN, PhD, CCRN Assistant Adjunct Professor shoshana.arai@nursing.ucsf.edu	Physiological Nursing	Research Program: Symptom assessment of acutely ill ICU patients; particularly, the mechanically ventilated sedated ICU patient; the ethics of informed consent process and participation of ICU patients in clinical studies. Asian immigrant healthcare research: student community participatory research and alternatives to the biomedical treatment model. Theoretical Focus: Symptom management; epidemiology Current Projects: Project director, Palliation of Thirst in Intensive Care Patients - a randomized interventional study.
Christina Baggott RN, PhD, PNP-BC, CPON Assistant Professor and NINR P30 Faculty Scholar christina.baggott@ucsf.edu	Physiological Nursing	Research Program: Symptom assessment; Symptom management; The use of technology to collect research data; Assessment of genetic factors of symptom severity. Theoretical Focus: Physiological/pathophysiological theories; Child developmental theories; Description and assessment of the experiences of pediatric oncology patients and of their families; Development of clinical interventions to minimize the untoward effects of cancer treatment; UCSF Theory of Symptom Management. Current Projects: Symptoms Clusters in Pediatric Oncology Patients; A Pilot Study of the Feasibility and Acceptability of an Interactive Computerized Symptom Assessment Tool to Assess Disease and Treatment-Related Symptoms Experienced by Children with Cancer; A Pilot Study to Evaluate a Mobile Phone Application to Collect Symptom Data from Adolescent Cancer Patients.
Mary Barger RN, PhD, MPH, CNM, FACNM Assistant Professor (Recalled) mary.barger@nursing.ucsf.edu	Family Health Care Nursing	Research Program: Examine risk factors for maternal morbidity and mortality and develop methods for improved surveillance of maternal morbidity using commonly collected administrative data. Using this data, apply it to improve systems of maternity and women’s health care. Theoretical Focus: Understand maternal morbidity from the lifecourse perspective and contribution of the intrauterine environment to the development of adult disease or conditions. Current Projects: Sleep disorders in pregnancy and investigation if CPAP given to pregnant women with sleep disorders will decrease their risk for preeclampsia and improve perinatal outcomes. Exploring the use of a longitudinally linked birth certificate and hospital discharge dataset to identify ‘near-miss’ maternal mortality. Improved surveillance methods for uterine rupture. The role of race/ethnicity in cesarean rates.
Patricia E. Benner RN, PhD, FAAN Professor Emerita patricia.benner@ucsf.edu	Social and Behavioral Sciences	Research Program: Skill acquisition and clinical knowledge development in nursing education and practice. Ethics in nursing education and health care. Current research on undergraduate nursing education focuses on teaching and learning strategies used in nursing education. This project takes up the particular pedagogical demands of learning a practice, and cross-professional comparisons between clergy, engineering, law, medicine, and nursing. Theoretical Focus: Practice based ethics in nursing and ethical decision making in nursing education and practice. Skill acquisition, the nature of clinical knowledge, and ethical expertise in advanced clinical practice. Current Projects: Director of Carnegie Commission for the National Study of Nursing Education; National Council of State Boards of Nursing Project to develop a taxonomy of nursing error and a database on nursing errors reported to the State Boards of Nursing; Clinical knowledge development of nurses in an operational environment, sponsored by the Federal Nursing Research Program.
Yewoubdar Beyene PhD Associate Adjunct Professor (Recalled) yewoubdar.beyene@ucsf.edu	Institute for Health & Aging	Research Program: Aging and the life course, biocultural anthropology, chronic illness, women’s reproductive health and aging, breast cancer, HIV/AIDS, and health of ethnic minorities, menopause and osteoporosis, minority aging, immigrant and refugee health, health care beliefs, and practices in traditional cultures. Theoretical Focus: Medical anthropologist; biocultural anthropologist. Current Projects: Gender, Age, and Ethnicity in Chronic Illness Management.
Barbara J. Burgel RN, PhD, FAAN Professor of Clinical Nursing barbara.burgel@nursing.ucsf.edu	Community Health Systems	Research Program: Health and safety; psychosocial work factors; work-related musculoskeletal disorders; low wage workers (garment workers, janitors, hotel housekeepers, taxi drivers); healthy work environments; mercury in fish and exposure in subsistence anglers; nurse practitioners and workers’ compensation. Theoretical Focus: Psychosocial work factors; community engaged participatory research; advocacy/empowerment; self-care management. Current Projects: UCSF Taxi Driver Health and Safety Program, focusing on health and safety perceptions, self-care activities, psychosocial work factors, low back pain, seat vibration; violence and behavioral health risks (sedentary, smoking).
Virginia (Ginger) L. Carrieri-Kohlman RN, DNSc, FAAN Professor Emerita ginger.carrieri-kohlman@nursing.ucsf.edu	Physiological Nursing	Research Program: Research focuses on the symptom of dyspnea and the affective response, correlates of dyspnea, and treatments to affect dyspnea in acute, chronic, and palliative care settings. Primary focus is on internet based symptom self-management programs, including education and exercise. Theoretical Focus: Physiological/psychological theories, especially behavioral change theory, self-care theoretical focus; desensitization; guided mastery. Methods: Quantitative and qualitative. Designs are descriptive, correlational, and randomized clinical trials. Current Projects: NIH funded study comparing the effect of a new internet dyspnea self-management program to a face to face self-management program in patients with COPD. Primary outcomes are dyspnea with ADL and multivariate outcomes, such as HRQL, and psychosocial outcomes. Writing a grant that will study the effects of a home yoga program for people with COPD.
Janine Cataldo PhD, APRN-BC Assistant Professor janine.cataldo@nursing.ucsf.edu	Physiological Nursing	Research Program: Role of stigma and self-blame in the smoking behaviors of older adults with tobacco addiction and smoking cessation interventions and symptom management for lung cancer patients and older cancer survivors. Theoretical Focus: Gero-psychiatry; psycho-social oncology; geriatric oncology; symptom management in lung cancer patients. Current Projects: Investigation of the relationships among lung cancer stigma, self-blame, anxiety, depression, and symptom severity in lung cancer patients; impact of tobacco industry activity on geriatric science; education interventions for graduate psychiatric nurses to increase tobacco control interventions; clinical trial for a smoking cessation intervention for newly diagnosed lung cancer patients; development of a Lung Cancer Stigma Scale; Symptom Management of Older Persons with Cancer.