Research Activities

Selected Grants

“Measuring Implementation Fidelity for a New Graduate Nurse Residency Program.” Funded by AONE. Dr. Nancy Hoffart, PI. This project is developing an instrument to measure the implementation fidelity of the nurse residency program.

“Frailty Risk using EHR Nursing Data for ICU Transfer and Mortality.” Funded by AMSN. Dr. Deborah Lekan, PI. Co-I’s Dr. Thomas McCoy, Dr. Somya Mohanty and Dr. Prashanti Manda and Dr. Marjorie Jenkins (Cone Health). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of a Frailty Risk Score (FRS) derived from nursing flowsheet data in the electronic health records (EHR) of hospitalized adults 50 years and older admitted to a health system 2013-2017 for time to transfer to ICU and in-hospital mortality.

“NYHA Functional Class Study Proposal.” Funded by Abbott Laboratories. Dr. Kelly Stamp, PI.

The purpose of this study is to 1) examine Heart Failure providers’ decision making and ability to correctly assign NYHA functional class and 2) develop a short-item instrument to help providers more accurately assign a NYHA functional class to patients with Heart Failure.

“Dimensional Analysis of Living after an Opioid Overdose Reversal.” UNCG New faculty grant. Co-PI’s are Dr. Tim Sowicz and Dr. Melissa Floyd-Pickard from the Dept of Social Work.

The proposed research study creates a situational theory of living after an opioid overdose reversal . It will lay the groundwork for future research studies to understand and prevent overdose deaths; specifically, theoretically based, nursing interventions to improve the care of people who have experienced non-fatal opioid overdoses. Given the high rates of non-fatal and lethal opioid overdoses in the U.S. and North Carolina and the lack of theoretical scholarship concerning this phenomenon, this work is critical for understanding how nurses and other healthcare and social service professionals understand the experience of this vulnerable population.

“Exploration of Competence in New Graduate Nurses.” Funded by Sigma Theta Tau International. Dr. Elizabeth Van Horn and Dr. Lynne Lewallen, Co-PI’s. This project will assess clinical competence definition and measurement for new graduate nurses using a mixed methods design.

“Improving quality and safety outcomes using the workload intensity staffing delivery of care model. ” Subaward via Cone Health. Dr. Bacon is Co-I on this award to Cone Health funded by the Duke Endowment. Co-I’s Dr. Thomas McCoy and Dr. Marjorie Jenkins (Cone Health.)

Abstract: Robust nurse staffing in hospitals is associated with better outcomes for patients including reductions in preventable death and overall death (1), improved patient satisfaction (2) and decreased infections (3-5). What is unclear is which care delivery model best improves these patient outcomes. The primary aim of the study is to investigate the impact of an innovative workload intensity staffing model on patient outcomes in the patient care units in a hospital.

Selected Research Programs

Emotional Eating Behavior, Obesity, and Stress Among Young African American Women

Stephanie Pickett and Colleagues

The purpose of this program of research is to examine stress and specific behaviors, knowledge and intentions that may result in obesity in African American women.

Nurses’ perceptions of failure to rescue

Cynthia Bacon and Thomas McCoy

The purpose of this study is to examine nurse’s understanding and practices about how failure to rescue occurs for inpatient units.

Understanding Biomarkers of Stress and their role in Chronic Disease Progression in Black Americans

Pamela Rowsey

The purpose of this program of study is to examine biomarkers of stress, inflammatory cytokines and their effects on chronic disease progression and understanding factors that might contribute to Black Americans being diagnosed with chronic illnesses more often and disproportionately dying of these diseases when compared to White Americans.

Frailty in Hospitalized Adults

Deborah Lekan, Thomas McCoy, Marjorie Jenkins (Cone Health) and colleagues

The purpose of this research program is to examine precursors and factors associated with and predictive of frailty in older adults using EHR data.

A CLINICAL DECISION RULE FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF HEAD INJURIES IN CHILDREN UNDER AGE 2

Elizabeth Stone, Leslie Davis, Thomas McCoy

The purpose of this study is to perform a secondary analysis of the PECARN head injury study to develop a clinical decision rule to score children under age 2 with a closed head injury for their risk of underlying skull fracture or intracranial injury.

The Health and Safety of the Nursing Workforce

Susan Letvak

Research is focused on the health and safety of the registered nursing workforce as well as healthy aging.

Opioid Use Disorders

Timothy Sowicz

My research is concerned with identifying aspects of, and experiences in, the lives of people living with opioid use disorder (OUD) that are amenable to nurse-led interventions.

PREDICTORS AND OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH TRAJECTORIES OF ADOLESCENT TO ADULT BEHAVIORS AND EXPERIENCES

Jennifer Toller Erausquin, Thomas McCoy, Robin Bartlett, Eunhee Park

In collaboration with a interdisciplinary team of researchers in Public Health and Nursing, we examine potential predictors including modifiable protective and risk factors associated with adolescent behaviors and experiences across the lifespan from adolescence to adulthood. We also examine distal health outcomes associated with these trajectories in later adulthood using the Add Health data.

SYNDEMIC EFFECTS OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE, VIOLENCE, AND HIV/AIDS

Courtney Caiola, Thomas McCoy

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of upstream socioeconomic inequalities among mothers by investigating the influence of TANF receipt, TANF sanctioning, and economic hardship on SAVA syndemic conditions (substance use, HIV risk taking behaviors, and violence) over time.

WOMEN’S RETIREMENT, MENTAL STRESS SYMPTOMS, AND STRESS BIOMARKERS

Francine Sheppard, Thomas McCoy

The purpose of this study is to examine the differences in mental stress symptoms of anxiety and

depression and stress biomarkers between forced and voluntary retirement groups of older women.

Women’s Health, Biobehavioral and Lifestyle Interventions

Forgive Avorbador

The purpose of this program of study is to examine Women’s Health, postpartum cardiovascular health, biobehavioral and lifestyle interventions.

Child Health Intervention

Colleen McGovern

The purpose of this program of study is to examine child health intervention through school & community intervention using qualitative and quantitative methods.

Life course adversity, pregnancy, mental health, stress response, ethics and research methods

Crystal Epstein

The purpose of this program of study is to examine life course adversity, pregnancy, mental health, stress response, ethics and research methods.

School of Nursing