College of Nursing Faculty Research

Research Areas

College of Nursing faculty members serve the dual mission of disciplinary research and professional teaching.

If you are a graduate student seeking committee members, all graduate faculty listed above the gray line may serve as graduate student advisory committee members. Per the College of Nursing Performance Standards, DNP projects are chaired by a DNP faculty member, and Ph.D. dissertations are chaired by a Ph.D. faculty member. DNP and Ph.D. faculty may co-chair project or dissertation committees.

Robin Arends

Robin Arends, DNP, CNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, CNE, FAAN, FAANP, has experience with quality improvement and implementation science. She has been a part of interprofessional teams that implement and evaluate best practices and explore new health care approaches to improve the health of patient populations and the delivery of health care. 

Interests:

  • Mental health
  • Telehealth
  • Chronic disease management/prevention/health promotion
  • Military health
  • Complementary medicine
  • Advocacy/legislation, advanced practice issues, leadership

Brittany Brennan

Brittany Brennan, Ph.D., RN, CHSE, CNE, has experience with multiple methods of research including quantitative methods, instrument testing, systematic review protocol development and implementation, descriptive qualitative research and quality improvement conducted in the areas of simulation, nursing education and rural health nursing. 

Interests

  • Nursing education
  • Simulation
  • Rural nursing/health

Robin Brown

Robin Brown, Ph.D., RN, CNE, is a quantitative researcher with experience in multiple regression analysis.

Interests

  • Organizational change
  • Stress and coping
  • Rural health
  • Health promotion
  • Nursing education

Dannica Callies

Dannica Callies, DNP, CNP, FNP-C, CNE, has experience in quality improvement projects, including serving as a chair or co-chair for Doctor of Nursing Practice projects and has worked on research teams focused on nursing and health care. 

Interests

  • Preventative health care
  • Nurse practitioner education and clinical practice
  • Rural health care
  • Scholarship of teaching and learning
  • Quality improvement

Nicole Carlson

Nicole Carlson, Ph.D., RN, has experience advanced qualitative (Hermeneutic phenomenology) research, specifically in the long-term care setting.

Interests

  • Gerontology
  • Nursing education
  • Rural nursing and rural health

Karin Emery

Karin Emery, Ph.D., RN, has experience in quantitative research and health care quality improvement. She has served on Ph.D. and DNP student committees.

Interests

  • Administration and leadership
  • Biobehavioral research
  • Quality of life, resilience, stress
  • Diabetes and chronic disease management
  • Student success

Theresa Garren-Grubbs

Theresa Garren-Grubbs, DNP, RN, CMSRN, CNL, has experience with qualitative and mixed methods. She has served as a co-chair for DNP committees and as a committee member for Ph.D. students. 

Interests

  • Rural health
  • Social determinants of health
  • Palliative care
  • Advance care planning

Michelle Lichtenberg

Michelle Lichtenberg, Ph.D., RN, focuses on quantitative methods for research projects. She has experience in curriculum development and evaluation.

Interests

  • Clinical judgment development among nursing students
  • Nursing student success
  • Transition to practice/practice readiness

Sarah Mollman

Sarah Mollman, Ph.D., RN, CHPN, CNE, has experience in multiple research methods. Thematic analysis and formative evaluation to develop a clinical intervention entails her qualitative experience. Quantitative methodology experience includes instrument development and evaluation, network/coalition evaluation and intervention testing.

Interests

  • Educational research
  • Palliative and end-of-life care
  • Oncology
  • Rural health and access

Lea Niederbaumer

Lea Niederbaumer, DNP, FNP, CNP-BC, has experience in both quantitative and qualitative research methods with a focus on diabetes quality improvement and school and community-based health initiatives. 

Interests

  • Women’s health
  • School health
  • Access to care
  • Quality improvement

Christina Plemmons

Christina Plemmons, Ph.D., RN, MEDSURGE-BC, CNE, is a quantitative researcher who enjoys working with research teams and supporting Ph.D. and DNP students in service as a chair, co-chair or member of student committees.

Interests

  • Nursing education
  • Clinical academic partnerships
  • Clinical self-efficacy
  • Clinical teamwork

Brandi Pravecek

Brandi Pravecek, DNP, CNP, FNP-BC, has experience in quality improvement projects, implementation science and program planning and evaluation. She has been a member of interprofessional teams performing quantitative studies related to palliative care.

Interests

  • Palliative and end-of-life care
  • Rural health
  • Homeless populations
  • Primary care

Danielle Schievelbein

Danielle Schievelbein, Ph.D., RN, has experience in quantitative research methods, qualitative (case study) and mixed methods. She also has experience with quality improvement projects. She has served on DNP and Ph.D. student committees. 

Interests

  • Chronic disease management
  • Rural nursing/health
  • Nursing education
  • Simulation
  • Preventative health care

Alyssa Zweifel

Alyssa Zweifel, Ph.D., RN, CHSE, is an innovative researcher who focuses on quantitative and mixed-methods research to further best practices through interprofessional and simulation-based learning approaches.  

Interests

  • Health care simulation
  • Interprofessional education
  • Team-based learning
  • Ortho/neuro clinical research
College of Nursing
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