PhD Student Bios

Luke Velickoff, MSN, AGACNP-BC, is a skilled clinician and experienced nurse educator who is dedicated to advancing the nursing profession through research, education, and advocacy. Their unwavering commitment to advancing health equity and social justice informs both their clinical practice and academic work.

Luke earned their Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the West Virginia University School of Nursing in 2019 and their Master of Science in Nursing from the Duke University School of Nursing in 2025. As a board-certified Nurse Practitioner trained in the management of complex and acute medical conditions, Luke’s clinical and scholarly interests center on improving the care of transgender and gender-diverse individuals during episodes of acute illness. Their work emphasizes the development and implementation of nurse-led models of care that prioritize the delivery of safe, accessible, and affirming healthcare services. A native of West Virginia, Luke is particularly interested in addressing the social influences of health that affect gender-diverse patient populations within the unique sociocultural context of living within rural Appalachia.

Luke is actively engaged in health policy and professional advocacy. They served on the Executive Board of the West Virginia Nurses Association (WVNA), where they developed and led the organization’s first Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Committee. This initiative aimed to amplify underrepresented voices, advocate for inclusive legislation at both the local and federal levels, and enhance access to individualized healthcare services throughout their home state.

Luke brings to the PhD in Nursing program a passion for research-driven innovation, a dedication to advancing the nursing profession, and a vision for a more just and equitable healthcare environment.

Aderonke Kareem, BSN, RN is passionate about advocating for health equity and addressing the disparities faced by individuals living with sickle cell disease. She began her journey at Texas Woman’s University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She started her clinical career as a medical-surgical nurse, caring for a diverse patient population including those with sickle cell disease which deepened her understanding of the persistent gaps in pain management. Motivated by this awareness, Aderonke pursued a research internship at Johns Hopkins University, where she contributed to qualitative healthcare research aimed at improving outcomes in underserved populations. This experience sparked a deep passion for research and solidified her interest in exploring interventions for chronic pain among sickle cell populations. Her commitment to this work is rooted in both her lived experience as a carrier of the sickle cell trait and a strong desire to confront the inequities in how pain is assessed and treated in Black communities. Aderonke is now pursuing her PhD in Nursing at Duke University, where her research focuses on chronic pain, sickle cell disease, and health disparities. Through her work, she aims to center the voices of patients, challenge bias in clinical practice, and help reimagine a healthcare system where everyone’s pain is recognized, respected, and treated with compassion and care.

Allison Borek, MPH, BSN, RN is pursuing her doctoral studies at Duke University School of Nursing to advance research that reduces health disparities along the cancer care continuum, from prevention and screening through survivorship, palliative, and end-of-life care. Motivated by years of bedside nursing at Duke University Hospital’s inpatient medical oncology unit, Allison fostered a deep curiosity for research that ultimately leads to improved nurse-led patient care outcomes. This inspired her to start a Goals of Care Champions Committee to improve communication, understanding, and support between patients, families, and their healthcare teams in identifying treatment wishes and care options as patients progress through their disease trajectory. In addition, she has hands-on public health experience at the North Carolina Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program, where she investigated barriers and facilitators of program access and outreach for medically underserved women in the state.

Allison is a member of the Oncology Nursing Society and the American Public Health Association, and she is a recipient of the James B. Duke Fellowship. She earned her Master of Public Health and Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees at MCPHS University in Massachusetts. Allison also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Fine Arts from Union College (NY). Outside of the classroom, she loves traveling, cooking, nature walks, and rooting for her favorite sports teams.

Ashley is a board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner dedicated to transforming care for African American women by integrating physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. With a diverse clinical background including roles in the Veterans Administration, cardiac intensive care, post anesthesia care, and interventional cardiology units, Ashley brings a holistic and culturally grounded perspective to healthcare. She approaches healing as a whole person experience, shaped by culture and community. Her doctoral research will focus on developing nurse led models of care for African American women living with endocrine conditions, such as diabetes.

She aims to explore how faith-based traditions can be woven into chronic illness management to affirm identity, leverage resilience, and support long term health. Ashley’s research seeks to understand whether integrating spiritual practices into care can serve as a protective factor against stress and improve biological outcomes. As a mental health provider, she is passionate about expanding how providers understand and respond to the cultural and spiritual needs of African American women. Her long-term goal is to advance nursing science that uplifts underrepresented voices and leads to more culturally responsive and community centered models of care.

Harriet Yayra Adzofu MSc, MHS, BSN, RMN started her nursing career at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital Ghana, where she worked for over six years to improve mental health outcomes for people living with mental disorders. Growing up in rural Ghana with firsthand experience of health inequalities, she was inspired to become a nurse to improve access to services for vulnerable populations in underserved communities. Her experiences with women with postpartum psychosis sparked her interest to pursue a Master of Health Sciences in Reproductive Health at the University of Ibadan Nigeria, where she conducted a baseline study on the prevalence and correlates of antenatal depression among adolescent girls and young women in Ghana. She then earned a joint MSc in Global Mental Health at King’s College London, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.

Yayra has since gained significant research and program management experience with national and international organizations in Africa and Europe, including the Ghana Health Service, African Union Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and Utrecht University Medical Centre. She has also worked with WHO Africa Regional Office (WHO/AFRO) on adolescent health programming and contributed to advocacy efforts to increase investment in youth health. Yayra is also a Youth Leader and Co-Founder of Youth Without Borders Ghana, a youth focused non-profit, where she leads a team of vibrant young people to co-design and implement public health programs on youth mental health and SRHR.

At Duke, Yayra hopes to develop advanced research skills and build a strong network to further her research career. She plans to expand the knowledge around mental health impacts of gender-based violence (GBV) among perinatal women in Africa leading to integrated guideline development. Her goal as a nurse scientist is to scale up evidence-based interventions to improve mental health of young people and perinatal women. She also aspires to lead the development of integrated, culturally relevant trauma-informed models of care for survivors of GBV.

I earned my BSN at Universidad de los Andes’ School of Nursing (Chile), and later obtained a Master's in Aging and Quality of Life from Universidad de Chile. In 2017, while serving as the chief nurse at a senior residence, I was responsible for managing the care of 90 elderly individuals and overseeing the caregiver staff. During this time, I observed that many caregivers were exhausted and exhibited signs of burnout. This experience sparked my passion: caring for the elderly and supporting those who provide their care. Currently, I work as a faculty member at Universidad de los Andes’ School of Nursing (Chile). With six years of teaching experience, my main objective is to instill in students the belief that they can change the world through compassionate care. Collaboratively, I have developed a comprehensive training program for caregivers—a pursuit that truly ignites my enthusiasm. Through my research, I aspire to demonstrate that, with the right knowledge and societal support, caregivers can significantly alleviate their burden.

Daum Jung, RN, BSN, CMSRN, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Boise State University in 2021. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a Research Assistant, focusing on the effects of nursing interventions in preventing postoperative delirium and exploring the use of music therapy for individuals living with dementia. She presented her research at several conferences and published an article in the MEDSURG Nursing Journal. Additionally, she is a member of Sigma Theta Tau and the Oncology Nursing Society. After graduating, Daum worked on Oncology Medical-Surgical Unit in Oklahoma and Ortho-Neuro Unit in Texas. Her experiences with oncology patients deepened her interest in researching cancer prevention through behavioral modifications, such as physical activity and diet. At Duke, she aims to further study cancer prevention and the impact of social determinants of health.

Ijeoma C Uwandu, BSN, RN started her career in nursing in 2009. Since then, she has worked in specialties including long-term care, acute care, home care, wellness, and psychiatry. Most recently, she worked on an acute spinal cord and telemetry unit at the Veterans’ Hospital in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. As part of the Registered Nurse-Transition to Practice (RN-TTP) program offered by the VA Healthcare System, she undertook a research project comparing the effectiveness of antiseptic agents of the urethral meatus in the prevention of Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI). Being born and raised in Nigeria, she has seen firsthand the devastating results of inequitable healthcare leading to health outcomes that were otherwise preventable. Black perinatal mental health is a critical aspect of this, as black women have a significantly higher risk of developing perinatal mood disorders and experiencing maternal-infant mortality. She understands the need for comprehensive patient care, which drove her interest in population health with a focus on health equity and underserved communities. She is specifically focused on black perinatal mental health and the implementation of culturally sensitive and responsive mental health screening tools, recognizing that proper mental health care is crucial during the perinatal period and can significantly improve outcomes for both mothers and babies. Her goal as a nurse scientist is to continue to bridge the gap caused by disparities in patient care across the healthcare continuum, by implementing interventional strategies and culturally sensitive mental health screening tools and addressing the hesitancy to seek mental health care in order to ensure underserved black women in the perinatal space have unrestricted access to equitable mental healthcare.

Monique Pardo-Montez, BSN, RN, IBCLC is a recipient of the T32 Predoctoral Research Fellowship in the Nurse-LEADS training program. She is a postpartum nurse and lactation consultant at UNC Medical Center, where she works on 5 Women’s – a unit close to her heart as a former patient. She earned her BSN from UNC–Chapel Hill in 2020 and completed a Nurse Residency program at Duke University Hospital on a cardiology unit. Her research focuses on the mother-infant-microbiome triad, exploring how human milk influences the development of the infant microbiome to prevent chronic immune-mediated conditions. Her inspiration comes from her daughter, who overcame her own health challenges after years of navigating fragmented care – an experience that fueled Monique’s passion for advancing research. Proudly Puerto Rican and Cuban, Monique’s identity shapes her commitment to supporting the Latin American community and advocating for health equity. She is dedicated to improving the lives of people who have historically faced systemic barriers, working to create opportunities to optimize their health. Monique chose to pursue a career in nursing to pay forward the kindness she once received by striving to be a force for meaningful change in patient care, scientific innovation, and healthcare policy. She looks forward to continuing her growth in a profession where she contributes to a workforce entrusted with society’s most valuable asset – people.

Kevin Gao MSN, RN-BC is a PhD student at Duke University School of Nursing aiming to study the intersection between social determinants of health and neurological care in hopes of improving stroke care in marginalized communities. He received his BSN at Belmont University School of Nursing and his MSN in nursing education at Duke University School of Nursing. He is a registered nurse with experience in medical surgical nursing, clinical nursing, and neurological step-down nursing. He is a nurse educator with experience working as a clinical instructor and a nursing school faculty at the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing. He values nursing research and collaboration. He values compassion, diversity, and cultural awareness. His goal is to become a nursing scientist to address health disparities and ensure equal care and education is given to all through commitment to research and evidence-based practice to advance the philosophy and the science of nursing.

Kari Bail, MSN, MPH, RN is from western Massachusetts, where she graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a BA in Cultural Anthropology. Her work after college with homeless youth in Boston and at an urban community health center inspired her to pursue a career in nursing, and her first nursing job was at a women’s clinic on the Navajo Nation in Arizona. Kari then earned dual master’s degrees in Nursing and Public Health at Emory University. Her many years of experience working with people in medically underserved communities has spurred her passion for research on social drivers of health, and her recent work as a Nurse Practitioner at a medical detoxification center in Raleigh inspired her to pursue research aimed at improving the lives of people who inject drugs. Kari plans to focus her research on exploring the impact of nurse led models of care on medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and Hepatitis C treatment among people who inject drugs living in rural communities.

Molly Fitzpatrick, BSN, RN was drawn to nursing because of the profession’s unique ability to be present for some of life’s most significant moments. She graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Nursing Honors Program in 2020. There she researched adjuvant therapies in management of breast cancer pain and completed her honors thesis on post vicarious growth in NICU nurses. After graduation, she completed a nurse residency on a COVID/Neuro/Stroke floor at Boston Medical Center. Since then she has worked in the Emergency Department, starting at New York Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center and most recently in Connecticut. She truly loves being an ED nurse but looks forward to returning to academia, and feels privileged to have the opportunity to do so at Duke. Molly chose to pursue a PhD in nursing because she believes nursing research has the potential to reduce health inequity, improve access to care, and improve the physical and mental well-being of our communities. While at DUSON, Molly hopes to focus her research on mental health in the pediatric and adolescent population, particularly in the school setting, and as it relates to social determinants of health.

Bridget Dobson, BSN, RN is passionate about eliminating sexual health education disparities, specifically related to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), sexual violence prevention, and promoting inclusivity regarding sexual orientation. Her goal is to research best forms of providing sexual health education that empower people of all communities, orientations, and abilities to make informed decisions about their bodies. She is also interested in taking advantage of opportunities in health policy and global health at Duke. Coming from Louisville, Kentucky, Bridget worked for over 2 years as a trauma surgical intensive care nurse, where she was able to observe the impact that social determinants of health had on patient outcomes. During this time, Bridget was involved in implementing a “Trauma Informed Care” education module on the unit to improve cultural competence amongst nursing staff. She also served as a research assistant for UL Health’s Nursing Education Department, where we she assisted in the data collection and collaborative manuscript for the study: Institution-Wide Moral Distress Among Nurses: Post-COVID-19 Pandemic. Bridget learned lessons in active communication and importance of community engagement when she volunteered with Kentucky Refugee Ministries. There she assisted residents in acclimating to the city through resource and conversational English education. Bridget is inspired to get involved in Durham’s community and discover how her research goals can impact sexual health equity on a larger scale.

Jolie S. Jemmott MSN, RN, PMHNP-BC earned her BSN in 2019 from Hampton University in Hampton, VA and her MSN in 2022 from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in Philadelphia, PA. She has been a nurse for the last 5 years working and has worked in the areas of colorectal and psychiatry. Over the last year, Jolie has worked as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, working specifically in community mental health adult outpatient services. Jolie is passionate about working with those in marginalized and vulnerable populations experiencing mental health challenges. She decided to pursue a career as a nurse scientist to become an expert in the psychological underpinnings of African American substance-abusing men with dual diagnoses and developing the most successful treatment approaches for them and their families. Moreover, she wants to explore strategies to reduce substance use behaviors among African American men. Jolie’s primary goal for doctorate level studies is to become a professor at a research-intensive university and develop a program of research that makes a difference in improving mental health and health equity of substance-abusing populations. Through her research, she hopes to build a research program that continues to advance nursing knowledge, contributes to the health of vulnerable, marginalized underrepresented communities around the globe, and shapes the future of nursing science and healthcare.

Caroline Kee, BSN, RN is interested in adolescent health and improving the treatment of patients with substance use disorders. Caroline graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing in 2023. In partnership with the Rollins School of Public Health and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, Caroline researched barriers to care for patients with substance use disorder at the pharmacy level and ED utilization in patients with substance use disorder. This work led her to complete an honors thesis exploring the compounding influence of race and substance use disorder on ED utilization in the acute care setting. During this time, Caroline also cultivated a passion for adolescent health at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honors Society of Nursing and the Southern Nursing Research Society. While at Duke, Caroline plans to continue research on patients living with substance use disorder and adolescent health while exploring essential changes in the healthcare system surrounding treatment for these populations.

Osborn Owusu Ansah, BSN, RN is a registered nurse from Ghana who has keen research interests in the fields of oncology and palliative care. He graduated from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and has since gained significant nursing experience from working across different healthcare settings in both Ghana and the United Kingdom for the past four years. His passion for oncology and palliative care research stems from the worrying statistics on the high mortality rates associated with cancer in sub-Saharan Africa and the low number of opportunities available for individuals to extensively study on the merits of incorporating palliative care into the healthcare system in Africa. Osborn’s purpose for pursuing doctorate-level studies is to acquire competencies that will help him discover and develop cost-effective interventions that can enhance symptom management and well-being of people with cancer.

Somin Sang, BSN, MSN, is dedicated to enhancing healthcare systems through systems engineering to ensure safety and efficiency. With an academic journey at the College of Nursing, Yonsei University in South Korea, Somin earned her BSN and MSN, laying a solid foundation for her pursuits. Her experience as a surgical nurse at the Seoul Asan Medical Center, coupled with her role as a nurse at the International Healthcare Center of Gangnam Severance Hospital, empowers her with a comprehensive perspective on patient care and global healthcare dynamics. Building on her clinical expertise, Somin's research focus lies at the intersection of patient safety and technology. Through her research, she aims to harness mobile monitoring data and electronic health records, to predict patient safety events and strategically intervene to mitigate patient harm.

Jill Sergison, MA, CNM, RN is a certified nurse-midwife with nearly 20 years of experience in maternal and family planning care. In addition to her clinical experience, Jill conducted novel contraceptive research at FHI360 to promote availability and sustainability of family planning services worldwide. She was the NC Director of Policy for a reproductive health organization before co-founding Points True North (PTN) Consulting in 2022 and is currently engaged in the implementation of pharmacist-initiated contraception in NC. She has many years of experience working with progressive organizations on a range of critical health, gender, racial and social justice issues and expertise in building coalitions and driving policy change. Notable recent policy achievements include work in the extension of Medicaid for Pregnant Women and 12-month dispensing of contraception through Medicaid. Jill is founder and Executive Director of North Carolina Nurses for Reproductive Rights and co-developed reprohealthnc.org, dedicated to providing reproductive health access information to NC residents. She is tri-chair of NC’s Reproductive Life Planning group, board chair of the C4 arm of Pro-Choice NC, and member of the NC Perinatal Equity Collaborative. She obtained her BS from Wake Forest University and her MA from New York University.

Olivia Short, BSN, RN joins DUSON after three years as a clinical research nurse on neurological and maternal-fetal medicine studies, two of those years with Duke School of Medicine. Her passion for research blossomed during her senior thesis, where she tested the impact of biofeedback videogaming on stress and anxiety in young adults. This experience, alongside her own journey with PTSD, highlighted the importance of considering both internal and external factors in addressing anxiety, especially in low resource environments. Healthcare systems and providers play an enormous role in determining the evolution of long-term health outcomes of anxiety, PTSD, and trauma. Olivia recognized the pressing need to establish networks of trauma-informed care environments, where individuals can safely and actively shape their healthcare experiences and avoid re-traumatization and delayed or inappropriate care. Her research interests center around understanding the healthcare experiences of survivors of interpersonal violence, particularly those dealing with chronic pain and PTSD, and addressing individual and systemic barriers to improved care coordination. With a passion for holistic sexual health, Olivia aims to incorporate education on violence prevention, power dynamics, autonomy, and pleasure within the trauma-informed framework. Outside of her professional endeavors, she enjoys spending quality time with her partner and their cat Nutmeg. She spends as much time as she can doing activities that fill her cup such as cooking, reading fiction, camping, hiking, dancing, and playing piano.

Tamia Walker-Atwater BSN, RN, CNRN, is a recipient of the Duke University Dean's Graduate Fellowship and has a passion for intimate partner violence research. She began her nursing career in 2018 at the University of Virginia Health System in acute care neurology. During her time here, she explored her passion for research through several initiatives with stroke, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury patients, developing models for safer practice across the care continuum. Born from her professional and personal experience, her research interest includes exploring the intersection of neuroscience, nursing education, and intimate partner violence—a field in which she has already co-authored published work. Through her research, she aims to develop models for the healthcare profession that help to explore and define the landscape of neuroscience nursing research.

Patricia G. Buzelli, MSN, BA, AGNP-C is a recipient of Duke University's Dean's Graduate Fellowship and has a research interest in in improving care for Latinx immigrant families living through the loss of a child to cancer, focusing on asset framing and resiliency. Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, Patricia has wielded her lived experiences to guide her academic and clinical pursuits over the last decade. She graduated Suma Cum Laude from the University of Massachusetts Boston with a psychology degree, where she worked as a research assistant in the Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development, was in the first cohort of the Health Equity Scholars Program, and worked on a Brazilian transnational project. Having always wanted to pursue a career in nursing, she then attended Johns Hopkins University for her BSN and MSN-NP where, as a research honors student and Fuld Fellow, she completed a capstone project analyzing racial difference in religious coping and depressive symptoms by extrapolating data from an end-of-life decision-making trial. Patricia has since been immersed in clinical practice as a Nurse Practitioner where she has developed her expertise in hematology oncology and captured the practice challenges that remain in providing equitable care for immigrant populations.

Patricia (Patty) Alonso, MSN, FNP-BC, RN-BC, CNOR(E) is dedicated to finding health care access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for patients at high-risk of HIV transmission globally. Her learning experience at Duke in the ABSN and MSN programs plus work on multiple different specialties at Duke Health has fostered her interest in HIV and global health care. She obtained both her Bachelors of Science in Nursing degree and Masters of Science of Nursing as Family Nurse Practitioner with and HIV concentration at the Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON). Patty looks forward to completing her PhD as well, becoming a triple Duke grad! During her time at Duke, she has worked in-patient, outpatient and as a telehealth triage nurse for COVID and Endocrinology. This has given her a broad view into how nursing works on many levels but has also helped to foster her desire to study HIV by seeing the health disparities in the healthcare system. In addition to her work as a staff nurse at Duke Health, she has been a Clinical Instructor at DUSON for several years. She especially enjoys teaching the beginning nursing students how to complete basic nursing skills and learn the tricks of the trade to becoming a novice nurse. In her spare time, Patty enjoys reading books that are not required by school, baking pastries and being able to spend time with her family.

Elena Bregier, MSN-Ed, BSN, is passionate about providing equitable care for pediatric congenital cardiac populations. She has volunteered for over a decade to help provide sustainable surgical access for children with congenital heart disease around the world. Elena is committed to improving equitable, comprehensive care for this vulnerable population. While obtaining her BSN, Elena achieved the Outstanding Student Award at Michigan State University. After a decade of bedside practice, international volunteerism, and travel nursing, Elena obtained her MSN for education and worked as an academic specialist for West Coast University, Los Angeles, to support the persistence and outcomes of accelerated BSN students. Elena remains actively involved as a writer and volunteer mentor in the non-profit organization Be1Support1 to promote the success of new graduate nurses.

Lisa Carnago, FNP-C, MSN, BSN, RN aspires to develop health care innovations addressing chronic pain among patients and opioid prescribing behaviors among providers. Her prior clinical experience as a nurse in multiple settings, ranging from Intensive care, Emergency Department and Cardiac Care Units, and her personal experience of having a family member with a painful autoimmune condition has informed her perspectives on pain management, stigma, and health care navigational pitfalls. In 2016, she obtained her MSN with a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) concentration from James Madison University (JMU), where she was selected for the Virginia Nurse Advocate Health Policy Fellowship. She then began her FNP career as a Rheumatology Nurse Practitioner at Duke Health, which has greatly informed her perspective of the chronic autoimmune condition, chronic pain, and pain management needs, including opioid prescribing. Through her leadership, she has created team-based work flows and processes to improve the uptake of risk mitigation strategies for opioid use and increased the understanding of opioid pain management approaches needed to improve the health and well-being of individuals experiencing chronic pain. She also participates on multiple Duke Health System committees including the safe opioid prescribing and optimal management groups, which are working towards system level improvements in pain management.

Julia Slack, BSN, RN is passionate about reducing the symptom burden for those suffering from cancer. Her interest in oncology symptom science started as a young girl watching her grandmother undergo treatment for breast cancer and the negative impact a high symptom burden had on quality of life. Julia graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Emory University Nell Hodgson School of Nursing in 2022. During her time at Emory, she further cultivated her passion for oncology research through her time spent in the Bai Laboratory investigating the biopsychosocial mechanisms of cancer symptoms. This work led her to complete an honors thesis focused on the relationship between inflammatory biomarkers and fatigue in black women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Julia has presented her work at multiple scientific conferences and published in several leading journals such as Nature Communications and the Journal of Virology. She also is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honors Society of Nursing and the Southern Nursing Research Society. While at Duke, Julia plans to continue researching the physiological and biological pathways that contribute to the symptom experience for those dealing with cancer in order to better inform interventions.

Mirlene Perry, MSN, BSN, RN has been a cardiac nurse for the last 15 years and has worked at Johns Hopkins and Duke Hospitals. She received her BSN at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA and her MSN at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in Baltimore MD. Originally from Haiti, she was a surgical and community health nurse at the Hospital Albert Schweitzer in rural Haiti before relocating to the US. Although she has been committed to providing direct patient care, Mirlene decided to pursue a career as a nurse scientist to address her passion for community-based primary health care in low-and middle-income countries. Mirlene’s purpose for undertaking doctorate-level studies is to acquire competencies that will help her to be an advocate for programs that can improve the health and well-being of mothers and children who are dying from readily preventable and treatable conditions-- still more than 10 million per year (including stillbirths). Her main goal is to translate her nursing knowledge and her global health experience to develop and scale interventions addressing maternal and child health disparities and chronic health conditions using a bottom-up and task-shifting approaches that empower communities to improve their own health.

Donghwan Lee, BSN, RN graduated in 2018 with a BSN from Gyeongsang National University and worked as a registered nurse in the PACU of the Seoul Asan Medical Center. For four years working as a PACU nurse, he had participated in more than 1000 cases of surgeries. He noticed that patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) have a higher risk of complications and poorer prognosis after surgery, and were more likely to have higher hospitalization costs. During the COVID-19 pandemic period, he also witnessed how cardiovascular disease negatively affected patients’ outcomes and quality of life. Health disparities severely affect health outcomes of CVD patients, especially those who are marginalized in other ways in society, such as limited access to education or health resources. He is passionate about developing mHealth technologies that are easy to use for the elderly and other medically high-risk individuals through health literacy measurements that are specific for CVD patients and can later be applied to a wider variety of people. Through his research, he aims to develop interventions that can resolve personal, technical, and contextual related factors to break down the barriers to the application of mHealth for these populations.

Margaret Fletcher, BSN, RN graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2013 with an Honors Bachelor of Science in Nursing. During her time in school, she completed an honors thesis on nursing perspectives related to parental presence during invasive procedures in pediatric patients. She has since worked in various settings, with patients of all ages and across multiple levels of acuity, but was most inspired by her patients in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. The advances in this relatively new field are remarkable, however the neurologic sequelae for these patients can be profound and have a significant ongoing impact on quality of life. Margaret chose to pursue a PhD in nursing in hopes of improving long term quality of life for children following intensive care admission, congenital heart disease, and other experiences which place them at a higher risk of neurodevelopmental ramifications.

Dingyue (Demy) Wang, BSN, RN is originally from Kunming, China. She moved to Atlanta in 2017 and completed her BSN at Emory University. Demy loves bedside nursing, but as she explored various research opportunities, she found her passion in nursing research, a field that delves into the science of human health and health-related behaviors. Demy’s experience working with gerontological patients has provided her with invaluable insight and guided the decision to concentrate on caregivers, who have a pivotal role in patient care but are increasingly susceptible to experiencing caregiver stress, often resulting in becoming the “second patient.” Her current research is centered around understanding how caregivers perceive and cope with stress (caregiving stress appraisal) and how the stress appraisal process impacts their cognitive well-being. Looking ahead, Demy’s research objectives include the development of interventions aimed at fostering effective stress management, promoting healthy cognitive function, and enhancing the quality of life for caregivers. The overarching goal is to improve patient and family outcomes while advancing health equity through the creation of innovative educational models, training programs, and support systems designed to equip caregivers with both technical and adaptive skills essential for effective home care.

Christian “Ian” Noval, MCR, BSN, RN, CCRN is from the Cordilleras in the Philippines. He completed his bachelor’s degree in nursing from the Far Eastern University (Cum Laude) in 2006 and has since practiced as a registered nurse. His nursing experience extends from working across different healthcare settings to include: the Philippines, the United Arab of Emirates, the United Kingdom, and most recently in the United States. This experience across different healthcare systems has helped him to better understand how belief and culture affects patient care. As a registered nurse, he has worked as an infection prevention nurse, a case manager, a mentor and preceptor for nursing students and entry-level nurses, and recently as the Lead Research Nurse for a COVID-19 drug trial at the University of Texas Health-Houston. Christian’s research interest started when he was working in the NHS (United Kingdom) and contributed to clinical trials from the University of Edinburgh and the Ohio State University where he completed his master’s in clinical research (MCR). Christian is a certified critical care nurse (CCRN) and a member of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (STTI), and the Texas Emergency Medicine Research Center (TEMRC). As he joins Duke University School of Nursing PhD in Nursing program, his research focus is on palliative care in a critical care environment. He believes that patients in a high acuity environment should be able to decide the path of their care and should receive competent and compassionate care from their healthcare providers, wherever they fall within the health-illness continuum.

Sarah Janek, BSN, RN, ACRN has an interest in research focused on sexual health disparities related to race and sexuality within the LGBTQ+ community. Sarah’s past research focused on HIV prevention for black and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men using technological integration with at-home testing. She was introduced to this field as an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan School of Nursing Honors Program. Sarah studied qualitative research methods and how cultural competence intertwines with research study recruitment. After graduating in 2020, she began clinical work as an RN at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago on an orthopedic/trauma unit. On a unit that later transitioned into a COVID-19 step-down intensive care unit, Sarah witnessed first-hand how health disparities affect various populations depending on backgrounds and experiences. To seek leadership opportunities, Sarah became a HIV/AIDS Certified Registered Nurse (ACRN), and she trained to be a Skin Champion for her unit, performing audits, educating staff, and caring for patients to prevent pressure injuries. While caring for LGBTQ+ patients at Northwestern, she gained additional clinical experiences with the community and volunteered at Howard Brown Health in downtown Chicago during this time. Sarah’s academic, professional, and philanthropic experiences led her to pursuing a career in research full-time to mitigate health disparities.

Maryam Al-Mujtaba MPH, BSN, RN, RM, PGDip, PGCert has research interests in the health of adolescents living with HIV, interventions to reduce maternal and child morbidity and mortality in resource-limited settings, cancer screening in medically underserved populations, cancer survivorship, and HIV treatment in adult populations. Since 2010, Maryam has led/significantly contributed to the coordination, administration and management of health and research programs in Nigeria and Canada. In Nigeria, she coordinated the first nurse-led 'see and treat' cervical cancer screening program (which screened over 3,000 women for cervical cancer in two years). In Canada, as a research associate at Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario), Maryam led the analysis and report writing of data from 25 interviews with Aboriginal Canadians on barriers and facilitators to cancer screening. Maryam has extensive experience working on qualitative and quantitative studies and she has presented her work at international scientific conferences, and published in several leading journals, such as PLOS One, BMC Infectious Diseases and Journal of AIDS and HIV Research and Biomed Research International.

Remi Misiewicz graduated in 2011 with her AAS from Crouse Hospital College of Nursing. While working asa primary oncology nurse in a pediatric cancer center, she earned her BSN (2019), magna cum laude, from Upstate Medical University. She was awarded the Charles R. Ross Memorial Student Research Award and the Outstanding Student Award. She presented her undergraduate work at local conferences. Remi also received certification as CPHON. She is a member of the Association of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Nurses and Sigma Theta Tau. Her experience working with patients and families affected by cancer fueled her passion for research focused on improving care for the pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients. Remi's research interest includes using mobile health technology to create innovative approaches to engage and support the patient and family in comprehensive care management.