Skip to main content.

Student Research

Graduate and undergraduate students at KU School of Nursing are engaged in important research efforts focused on improving outcomes for patients and strengthening health care systems.

Dr. Diane Mahoney talks with students at a training session. On a screen behind her, the words "Ready to Get" are visible, along with a typewriter

March 2024

Anna Trotter stands in front of her poster

The KU School of Nursing was well represented at the 48th Annual Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN, February 28-March 2, 2024. Fifteen students (5 BSN, 2 MS, 3 DNP, 5 PhD), 12 faculty, one post-doctoral scholar, two nurses from The University of Kansas Health System, and one staff member attended.

All students had poster presentations. Faculty had poster presentations, poster discussion presentations and podium presentations.

It was the first opportunity to attend a professional conference for most students. They commented that they learned a lot, enjoyed being able to converse with faculty and other students and learn about the breadth and depth of nursing science.

Congratulations to Kristine Trigoso who won honorable mention in the DNP student poster contest for her poster entitled "Congolese Refugees and Mental Health: A Community Needs Assessment" and to Deena Woodall, PhD student, who was recognized for receiving the Sigma/MNRS Grant "Longitudinal Evaluation of Practice Readiness for a Rural Nurse Residency Program, Using an Interactive Computerized Decision Tool".

  • Kelly Bosak & Frances Yang (Conference Poster), Developing the Managing Organization for a Dynamic Continuous Learning eHealth Platform
  • Kimberly Cornwell (Conference Poster), Improved Coping, Stress Response and Reduction of Stigma through Implementation of "Stress First Aid" in Pre-Licensure Nursing Students
  • Karen Weis (Conference Poster), Explore Nurse Staffing Models for Rural Emergency Hospitals
  • Lisa Guthrie, Maryellen Potts, Naomi King (Oral Presentation), Collaborating to Improve Health Care Delivery: Partnerships With Nurse Researchers
  • Diane Mahoney (Oral Presentation), Innovations in Nursing Science: Informing Our Future
  • Shin Hye Park (Oral Presentation), Work Conditions and Practice Environments in Nursing Units with High Patient Turnover
  • Jill Peltzer (Oral Presentation), Envisioning Racism and Repair: A Community-Academic Partnership to Address anti-Black Racism in Academic Health Centers
  • Barbara Polivka (Oral Presentation), Pathways to Becoming a Successful Associate Dean for Research (ADR)
  • Frances Yang (Oral Presentation), Surviving a Mass Shooting: Evidence-Based Approaches for Nurses to Consider Recommending to Their Patients
  • Sally Jercha, NUDGE – mHealth Intervention to Promote Physical Activity and Reduce Hba1c in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes, Mentor: Becky Christian
  • Abigail Censky-Kieklak, Describing the Impact of a Toxic Chemical Spill through Photovoice, Mentor: Jill Peltzer
  • Grant Colvin, Indoor Air PM2.5 Concentration, Motor Vehicle Traffic Exposure, and Perceived Stress Among Adults with Asthma, Mentor: Barbara Polivka
  • Julia Caldwell, Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) and Long-Term Breast Cancer Treatment Sequalae: An Interim Analysis, Mentors: Jamie Myers, Becky Christian, Ericka Sanner-Stiehr
  • Olivia Yingst, The Effect of Durable Medical Equipment Competitive Bidding Program on Long-Term Oxygen Therapy Equipment Availability and Patient Services, Mentor: Karen Weis
  • Phyllis Pastwa, An Integrative Review Examining Minoritized Nursing Student Attrition related to Sense of Belonging and Marginality Status, Mentor: Jill Peltzer
  • Karen Towne, Accurate, Feasible, and Meaningful: Challenges of Collecting Maternal Prenatal Stress Biomarker Data During Disasters, Mentor: Barbara Polivka
  • Deena Woodall, Longitudinal Evaluation of Practice Readiness for a Rural Nurse Residency Program, Using an Interactive Computerized Decision Tool, Mentor: Karen Weis
  • Julie Randolph, Pregnant Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence: Theory of Safe Environment, Mentor: Amanda Emerson
  • Tonya Dresher, Kansas School-Based Health Clinics:  A Scoping Review of the Literature Summarizing Barriers and Facilitators That Impact the Implementation, Mentor: Michelle Cochran
  • Emma Tapko-Rinas, The Effect of Social Determinants of Health on Kidney Transplantation Recipient Discharge Barriers and Facilitators: A Scoping Review, Mentor: Michelle Cochran
  • Madison Faddis, Implementing a "Stop the Bleed" Training Program for School Nurses, Mentors: Kesa Herlihy, Collen Paramesh
  • Kristine Trigoso, Congolese Refugees and Mental Health: A Community Needs Assessment, Mentors: Colleen Paramesh, Jill Peltzer
  • Anna Trotter, Addressing Barriers to Skin-To-Skin Contact in the Operating Room following Cesarean Birth, Mentors: Maryellen Potts, Krysta Ramirez Henry
  • Scotti Brackett, School Connectedness and Marijuana Use in Upper-Level High School Students, Mentor: Shin Hye Park

SEE Photos ON LINKEDIN

November 2023

2023 Scholarship Night

KU School of Nursing hosted, "Advancing Nursing Excellence: Bridging the Gap Between Evidence and Practice," on Nov. 30, 2023. The event featured more than 20 research presentations from students on our Kansas City and Salina campuses. 

See Photos on LinkedIn

DNP Fall Presentation Day

On Nov. 3, 2023, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students in the NRSG 983 course celebrated the culmination of a year of hard work at Fall Presentation Day. Students shared and presented their project outcomes to classmates and faculty. Highlights of the day included: 

  • Caitlin Staver's DNP project evaluated the utilization of a food pantry at a safety net hospital in a large metropolitan area. After a social determinants of health (SDOH) screening was completed during a provider visit, patients who screened positive were referred to the food pantry. Findings showed that over 90% of patients utilized the food pantry on the day of their referral. 
  • Morgan Fellers' DNP project utilized the Agree Tool to evaluate common sleep apnea tools. Findings showed that tools were cumbersome and the tool used within the clinic had a 0% completion rate. Once a modified tool was developed and implemented, 96.7% of patients completed the tool, providers found the tool easier to use, and found that they were identifying more patients at risk of sleep apnea. 
  • Shannon Liew's DNP project developed an orientation program for newly hired nurses to ensure competency and foster engagement. Training orientation programs can reduce nursing turnover.   
  • Sam Joyce's DNP project implemented a standardized discharge checklist in a neonatal intensive care unit. Using feedback from nurses and providers, a discharge checklist was integrated into the workflow. Additionally, an educational folder was created and centralized for nurses' use. They found that discharge was streamlined, discharge occurred earlier in the day, nurses felt they were more efficient and decreased missteps in the discharge process, and staff wanted to continue to use the tools. 
  • Christopher Graybill's DNP project evaluated a practice change to assess if the use of a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) or a nebulized Albuterol inhaler impacted patient outcomes. Findings showed that MDI use in the acute asthma exacerbation in an outpatient clinic was cost effective, reduced ER visits and return to clinic for retreatment. The use of an MDI in clinic can be an efficient and effective treatment option. 
  • Debbie Schwartzkopf was one of three DNP students selected as a speaker for the 2023 Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Symposium, sponsored by The University of Kansas Health System. Debbie is bringing her experience as a senior leader in Nursing and her DNP project outcomes to APPs at KU. She developed a tool to evaluate Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives in a systematic way.

October 2023

Ten faculty members and one post-doctoral student, Samantha Citron, attended the American Academy of Nursing Conference, Oct. 4-6, in Washington, D.C.

July 2023

Group of students stand shoulder to shoulder, in front of KU Medical Center's Oculus sculpture, a large metal sculpture in the courtyard.Students in our Doctor of Nursing Practice program presented their research at the Multiple Dimensions of Scholarship and Inquiry Symposium, hosted by KU School of Nursing and the Sigma Theta Tau’s Delta chapter. 

The goal of the symposium was to help students develop skills in oral research dissemination. Congratulations to our DNP students for successfully presenting their final research.

See photos on LinkedIn

June 2023

Students beginning doctoral programs in the School of Nursing gathered for a week-long workshop, June 5-9. Each student learned about university resources, explored professional development opportunities and met with faculty members and mentors to officially launch their journey toward a DNP or Ph.D. degree. 

See Photos on LinkedIn

May 2023

Our 2023 BSN honors students and their faculty mentors took center stage at a luncheon celebrating the students' accomplishments and upcoming graduation. 

Attendees included: 

  • Dr. Becky Christian (BSN Honors Coordinator) 
  • Dr. Ericka Sanner-Stiehr (BSN Honors Coordinator) 
  • Mikayla Kwek 
  • Camille Henderson 
  • Sophia Schneller 
  • Hanna Mouak 
  • Nicolle Johnson 
  • Shy'anna Tyler
  • Mallory Peterman 

See photos on LinkedIn

April 2023

Five School of Nursing students presented research posters during KU Medical Center's annual Student Research Forum, April 11-14. 

March 2023

A student stands beside her research poster, talking to an attendeeOver 30 faculty, staff and students from KU School of Nursing attended and participated in the 47th annual Midwest Nursing Society Research Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. The conference theme was, "Leading the Way: The Critical Importance of Nursing Science and Implementation in a New Era." Our students presented posters and our nursing faculty presented during poster sessions, poster discussions, 20X20 oral presentations and podium presentations. 
 
Both faculty and students received Research and Implementation Interest Group (RIIG) awards.
 
Faculty winners: 

  • Dr. Kristi Williams: Gerontological Nursing Science RIIG, Senior Nurse Scientist Award 
  • Dr. Diane Mahoney: Physiology, Behavior, Genomics Society RIIG, New/Early Career Investigator Award 
  • Dr. Carli Zegers: Health of Diverse Populations RIIG, Early Career Investigator Award 

Students and faculty stand near a table at a conferenceStudent winners: 

  • Dr. Samantha Cintron: Physiology, Genomics, Behavior Society RIIG, Dissertation Award 
  • Dr. Shayla Holt: Health of Diverse Populations RIIG, DNP Project 
  • Nicholle Johnson: Acute & Critical Care Across the Life Span, Undergraduate Research Award 

See photos on LinkedIn


Ph.D. Student Dissertations

The Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (Ph.D.) Program is designed to prepare graduates for faculty positions in schools of nursing, including independent research and scholarly endeavors in nursing; generation and expansion of theoretical, empirical, and philosophical bases for nursing practice; and preparation for leadership in the profession and through the interpretation of nursing to society. Learn more about KU School of Nursing's Ph.D. program.

  • Samantha Cintron – Leukocyte Transcriptome Analysis of Morbidly Obese Patients With High Output Heart Failure: Exploring The Underlying Pathophysiologic Mechanisms (2022)
  • Mamie Williams – Factors Associated With Patient Handling Injuries Among Nurses In An Acute Care Hospital (2022)
  • Amanda Schmitt – Self-Efficacy, Physical Function, and Healthy Behaviors in a Working Adult Population Living with Obesity and Dyslipidemia, Hypertension, or Diabetes Mellitus (2022)
  • Amenda Fisher – Weighing In: Overweight, Working Women’s Descriptions Of Body Weight And Weight Management (2021)
  • Laurie Jones – Faculty Perceptions of Nursing Student Retention in Community College Associate Degree Programs: A Qualitative Descriptive Study. (2021)
  • Elise Craig Hector – A Convergent Mixed Methods Study To Describe Noticing And Interpreting Among Baccalaureate Nursing Students During A Virtual Simulation Case Study (2021)
  • Heather A. Lewis – A Study To Identify Factors Of Rater Cognition From Different Rater Perspectives During Performance-Based Assessments (2021)
  • Heidi L. McNeely – Understanding Policy Impacts And Non-Medical Substance Use Among Healthcare Professionals From The Perspective Of Treatment Providers (2021)
  • Rebecca A. Miller – Examining The Relationship Between Nurse Manager Practice Environment And Burnout (2020)
  • Marian Savage – Defining The Characteristics And Instrument Development Of Nurse Workarounds During Medication Administration (2020)
KU School of Nursing

KU School of Nursing
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Mail Stop 2029
Kansas City, KS 66160
913-588-1619 | TTY 711
soninfo@kumc.edu