Overview
My research program has focused on patients with prostate cancer or chronic hepatitis C who elect watchful waiting as treatment for their disease. I have developed and tested a psycho-educational intervention that uses cognitive reframing techniques to help prostate cancer patients live with the uncertainty associated with watchful waiting. Specifically, an Uncertainty Management Intervention for Watchful Waiting (UMI-WW) was effective in reducing depression and improving quality of life in older men with prostate cancer. Currently, I am Principal Investigator on a 2-year longitudinal study of men diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer who are watching and monitoring their PSA values and a 3-year longitudinal study of patients with chronic hepatitis C who are watching and monitoring their disease. These studies are funded by the NIH National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). In addition to my research, I am a co-investigator on Dr. Ruth Anderson's study designed to describe management practices in nursing homes and Dr. Eleanor McConnell's translational research team, which has developed and tested an instrument to assess staff readiness to adopt evidence-based practices in long-term care. I am a tenure track Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing and have recently completed a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Education, Training & Certifications
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ·
2002
Ph.D.
Emory University ·
1989
M.N.