Implementation Mapping: Systematic Development of an Implementation Intervention Strategy for Exercise with Heart Failure Patients

• The study aims are to
  1. Assess the perspectives of key stakeholders (MD, NP, and PA providers) involved in implementing guideline-directed exercise recommendations to improve access to safe, effective exercise for patients with heart failure (HF),
  2. Identify the determinants (multi-level barriers and facilitators) of implementing guideline-directed exercise recommendations in routine clinic care for HF patients, and
  3. Define
     1. intermediate implementation outcomes,
     2. clinical outcomes, and
     3. performance objectives for a future implementation trial to evaluate exercise recommendations provided to HF patients during routine clinic care.
• Funding through the KU School of Nursing Jean Johnson Award.

Poster: Pathways to EnableOpen-Source Ecosystems (POSE) PDF

As a nurse scientist guided by clinical expertise in pediatric nursing, Dr. Christian’s program of research is focused on children and adolescents with chronic conditions – the interplay among physiologic, functional, psychosocial, and development characteristics as children integrate chronic illness into their everyday lives; and how families adapt to and manage their child’s chronic condition and/or physical disability (Building Life Skills in Children with Cystic Fibrosis; R01-NR04576, NINR, NIH). Dr. Christian (Co-PI) was funded for mixed-methods study to explore Informal Caregivers of Children with Cerebral Palsy (funded 2-phases, Primary Children’s MC Foundation Innovative Research Grant); mixed-methods study, Engaging Adolescents to Prevent Overweight: Exergames and Healthy Eating – Pilot Intervention (Co-PI, UAB Dean’s Scholar Award); an exploratory qualitative pilot study, Adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis: Peer-2-Peer Intervention (PI, University of Louisville, Research Grant-II).

As a researcher, Dr. Emerson seeks to understand and address barriers to health equity in populations affected by criminal legal system involvement. She has worked for eight years with the Sexual Health Empowerment ([S]HE) team in the KUMC Department of Population Health on NIH-funded studies to prevent cervical cancer by increasing screening and HPV vaccinations in people who have criminal-legal system involvement. Dr. Emerson’s current research aims are to develop a comprehensive health profile to characterize accelerated aging in and map health services use of older adult women with a history of incarceration. Her next steps will focus on the development of an assets-centered intervention to support cognitive and other health function in middle and older adult women with criminal-legal system involvement as they age. Dr. Emerson is supported by a KL2 mentored research career development award, a CTSA grant from NCATS awarded to Frontiers Clinical and Translational Science Institute (KL2TR002367). Dr. Emerson’s publications appear in Qualitative Health Research, Nursing Inquiry, Vaccine, American Journal of Health Promotion, Journal of Aging and Health, and elsewhere.

COVID Impact on Nurses Survey (COINS), Yang (Co-PI)

• The purpose of the COINS study is to use survey methodology to longitudinally assess nurse's quality of life, fatigue, mental and emotional health and intent to leave in the era of COVID-19.

Principal Investigator
Professional Identity in Nursing: Transitioning from Direct Patient Care to Leadership. Co-Investigators: Claire Poague, BSN, RN; Taynara Formagini, MS
2019-Present
Primary Co-Investigator
Scoping Review: What are current themes of professional identity in pharmacy, vet med, nursing, and medicine in the literature?
2019-Present
Consultant
National study on faculty and administrators’ perceptions of civility and incivility in nursing education using the Workplace Incivility/Civility Survey (WICS).
2019-Present
Co-Investigator
National study on faculty and administrators’ perceptions of professional identity in nursing education using the Professional Identity in Nursing Survey.
2019-Present

Student Nurses' Management of Identity-Based Patient Bias in the Clinical Setting: A Pilot Teaching Initiative

• This study aims to assess the nursing students' experience with identity-based patient bias (IBPB) and to evaluate nursing student skills and confidence in managing IBPB during clinical experiences.
• Funding through the School of Nursing Faculty Pilot Research Award.

Health Professions Students' Management of Identity-Based Patient Bias in the Clinical Setting: An Interprofessional Training Initiative, Maryellen Potts (Co-PI)

• The aims of this study are to assess health professions students' experience with identity-based patient bias (IBPB), to evaluate student skills and confidence in identifying and managing IBPB during clinical experiences, and t o explore students' perspectives, experiences, and response to IBPB training.
• Funding through the MacArthur Interprofessional Collaboration Award.

Prevention of Financial Abuse Among Elders Affected by Cognitive Decline: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Three Rural Communities

• The goals of this study are to test a training intervention with people living with dementia and their family caregivers to prevent financial abuse.
• Funding through a subaward from Michigan State University (Prime Sponsor: Department of Justice).

Effects of Gastrointestinal Microbiota Dysbiosis on Inflammatory Markers, Ovarian Cancer Development, and Metastasis

• This study aims to investigate gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota as a novel biomarker for detecting ovarian cancer utilizing mouse models. The study's aims are to 1) study GI microbiota dysbiosis influences on circulating inflammation markers during ovarian carcinogenesis and 2) identify specific GI microbiota signatures associated with ovarian cancer development, progression, and metastasis.
• Funding through the MacArthur Interprofessional Collaboration Award.

Dr. Manos’ research interests include interprofessional informatics education, virtual reality and virtual works as simulations, but also the use of Instasim® in interprofessional collaborative practice.

Dr. Manos mentors many learners and peers through research studies, presentations, posters and other scholarly efforts.

Dr. Manos was involved in as a Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) was funded by University of Kansas Medical School and the title is: "Language, Power, and the Construction of Hierarchy in Healthcare: A Pilot Study to Investigate Healthcare Interprofessional Language Use." This study was conducted between 2015 and 2016.

Dr. Manos was a Principal Investigator (PI) from 2012 to 2015 on a grant awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services. The name of the project is "Interprofessional Collaborative Acute Care Practice - Pediatrics (ICAP-Peds)". The grant amount was $998.006.

Dr. Manos also served as a consultant/ advisor on a grant funded by Donald W. Reynolds Foundation between 2013 and 2016. The name of the Project is: "Kansas Reynolds Program in Aging Grant. Transitions of Primary Care Patient Project."

In 2014, Dr. Manos has served as an advisor for a project called "Problem Based Learning Module," a project funded by KUMC School of Medicine.

Androgen Deprivation and Sleep Disturbance: Remote Assessment and Intervention

• The purposes of this study are to 1) determine the feasibility of remotely assessing participants' fitness, physical activity, cognitive function, and sleep outcomes, 2) remotely deliver and oversee a guided telehealth CBT-I intervention (teleCBT-I) to improve sleep outcomes, and 3) garner participants' feedback and recommendations for refinement of the teleCBT-I content.
• Funding through the University of Kansas Cancer Center Pilot Project Grant.

Emerging from the Haze: Feasibility Pilot Comparing Two Telehealth Virtual Delivery Formats of a Multi-Dimensional Psychoeducational Cognitive Rehabilitation Intervention for Cancer Survivors Reporting Impaired Cognitive Function Post-Chemotherapy

• This study's aims are to 1) demonstrate feasibility of a three-arm study design comparing virtual “live”, virtual “pre-recorded” and wait-list control group sessions, 2) assess between group differences for change in perceived cognitive function, and 3) explore between group differences for changes in health behaviors, psychosocial outcomes, a determinant of behavior change and health related quality of life.
• Funding through the Oncology Nursing Society Foundation.

First-Line Immunotherapy with Check-point Inhibitors: Prospective Assessment of Cognitive Function

• This pilot study will demonstrate 1) feasibility for prospective recruitment, retention, and neurocognitive assessment of individuals diagnosed with cancer who will receive 1st-line therapy with check point inhibitor(s) and 2) provide preliminary evidence of changes in cognitive function associated with checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy.
• Funding through the University of Kansas Medical Center Lied Pre-Clinical Pilot Grant.

Combined Exercise and Game-based Cognitive Training Intervention: Correlative Study of Neurotrophic and Inflammatory Biomarkers for Women with Breast Cancer

• The purpose of the study is to collect fingerstick bloodspot samples and measure levels of neurotrophic and inflammatory biomarkers pertinent to the potential mechanism of the intervention using multiplexed magnetic bead-based immunoassays (Milliplex assays, Millipore). The biomarker levels will be used to explore potential mechanisms for the effect of the intervention on changes in cognitive function for women with breast cancer.

Substudy: Psycholinguistic Assessment of Cognitive Function in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Secondary Analysis

• The purpose of the substudy is to gather preliminary data on the correlation between psycholintuistic measures, self-report of cognitive function, and performance on neuropsychologic tests for breast cancer survivors.
• Secondary Analysis of Cognitive Function in Breast Cancer Survivors: Psycholinguistic Assessment
• The purpose of this study is to gather preliminary data on the correlation between psycholintuistic measures, self-report of cognitive function, and performance on neuropsychologic tests for breast cancer survivors.

KUCC Falls Prevention Quality Improvement Project

• The study purpose is to evaluate KUCC outpatient falls data to determine root cause(s) and to develop, implement, and evaluate intervention strategies for future policy refinement.

Effects of Patient Turnover on Nursing Care and Patient Outcomes in Acute Care Hospital Settings

• This study examines the effects of patient turnover on nursing care and patient safety in various types of inpatient units and hospitals. The study's specific aims are to: (1) assess variations in hospital and unit characteristics and nurse staffing associated with patient turnover; (2) determine the effects of unit patient turnover on nurses' work conditions, practice environments, and nurse outcomes; and (3) determine the effects of hospital and unit patient turnover on patient outcomes.
• Funded through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

CBPR to Foster Cancer-Related Health among African Americans Living in Wyandotte County

• The purpose of this community-based participatory research project is to build capacity for creating community-engaged research projects to promote physical, mental, social, and spiritual health and well-being for African Americans and their families living in northeast Wyandotte County. The specific aims are to 1) create a community advisory board with representation of cancer survivors and caregivers to inform the pilot project process; 2) identify and prioritize health needs for African American cancer survivors and their caregivers; and 3) explore factors that facilitate or impede health for African American cancer survivors and their caregivers.
• Funding through the University of Kansas Medical Center Clinical Pilot Program.

Dr. Peterson is primarily a clinical faculty but is currently involved in two major research projects. She is the primary investigator of the Life-DSR project which is a joint effort between the Alzheimer's Association and the LUMind group. It is studying the relationship and trajectory of adults with Down syndrome and the development of dementia. She is also involved in another project that involves determining how to encourage families to become in the national Down syndrome registry. She has also been involved with multiple quality assurance studies with honors baccalaureate students in her clinic, adults with Down syndrome specialty clinic. She also completed a poster and was a contributing author summing up several posters, on diabetes in the adult Down syndrome population.

Her other area of interest is in historical research as it applies to nursing in Kansas. She has produced a DVD that highlights a qualitative study completed with the nurses of Evacuation Hospital #77 that was sponsored by the University of Kansas Medical Center during WW2. She also has completed a fellowship with the History of Medicine Department at the Medical Center on the history of nursing in WW1- and highlighted the unit that had been deployed from Kansas to France. She speaks often to community groups and classes on these little-known contributions.

For more than 20 years, Dr. Pierce has been studying antioxidants in various diseases to determine the effects on the diaphragm, lungs, myocardium, brain and kidneys. Dr. Pierce has had continuous research funding at KUMC for over 30 years. She recently completed a randomized double-blinded clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute on Aging to study the effects of ubiquinol (active form of Coenzyme Q10) and D-ribose in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. The purpose of this study was to determine if these two supplements can improve the bioenergetics of the myocardium and reduce symptom burden. She is currently investigating the pathophysiology and symptoms of post-COVID-19 syndrome. Dr. Pierce was recently been funded by DOD, TSNRP to study the prevalence of post-COVID-19 syndrome in active duty military personnel.

The Changing COVID-19 Landscape: A Feasibility Study to Capture Momentary Residential Environmental Exposures and Asthma Symptoms in Adults

• The aims of this study are to: 1) determine the feasibility and usability of: (a) ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to assess self-report residential environmental exposures and asthma symptoms, (b) home monitoring of objective environmental exposures (total volatile organic compounds, particulates, and lung function; 2a) assess the frequency and degree of residential environmental exposures via (a) self-reported data, and (b) home monitoring objective measures, 2b) assess the level of asthma control as indicated by self-reported asthma symptoms and lung function; and 3) explore associations of self-reported and objective measures of residential environmental exposures with self-reported and objective measures of asthma control. <
• Funded through the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH).

Asthma in Older Adults: Identifying Phenotypes and Factors Impacting Outcomes

• For older adults with asthma, the aims of this study are to: (1) develop and systematically implement a phenotyping algorithm; (2) Longitudinally investigate the effects of (a) asthma phenotypes and (b) VOC exposures on asthma control; and (3) develop a predictive model of asthma quality of life.
• Funding through the National Institute on Aging (NIH)

Immunotherapy Patient Education: A Cross-sectional Survey of Patient Knowledge and Information Seeking Strategies

• The purpose of this study is to learn patients' gaps in education about immunotherapy immune-related adverse events (IrAEs) and better understand their experience of IrAEs, their information-seeking behaviors, and their side effect management choices.

View the Integrate Health Quality of- Life Into
Immunotherapy Treatment Continuum Research Poster (PDF)

Investigating the Relationship of Platelet Mitochondrial Function and Clinical Outcomes in Obese Patients with Heart Failure

• The purpose of the study is to examine the biological signature of platelet mitochondria in obesity-related heart failure and explore the potential as a biomarker for heart failure. The study aims to 1) examine the association of platelet mitochondrial function with cardiac function measured by echocardiography; 2) investigate the association of platelet mitochondrial function with cardiac output assessed by right heart catheterization; and 3) explore the association of platelet mitochondrial function with self-reported health status evaluated by the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ).
• Funded through the University of Kansas Medical Center Clinical Pilot Program.

Maternal Perinatal Mental Health and Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes: My primary research interest is maternal perinatal mental health and its affect on maternal and fetal/infant health. Funding for this work has included large studies that tracked maternal, pregnancy-specific anxiety and depressive symptoms from first trimester through delivery assessing pregnancy complications and poor birth outcomes. Funding also included the affect of prenatal maternal mental health on postpartum maternal adaptation and maternal-infant bonding. We are now studying the affect of anxiety and depressive symptoms on maternal and fetal inflammatory responses.

Changing Talk Online Training (CHATO): A National Trial to Reduce Behavioral Symptoms in Long Term Care Residents with Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias

• Major Goals: Test effects of online communication training for nursing home staff on behavioral symptoms and psychoactive medication use for nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in a national sample of 120 nursing homes. Identify implementation strategies and cost linked to outcomes.
• Funded through the National Institute on Aging (NIH).

Communication with Personal Protective Equipment (CHAT-PPE)

• This administrative supplement to the CHATO study will develop and pilot test a web-based intervention module (CHAT- PPE) to promote success in communication with persons living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias for nursing home staff who use personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Funded through the National Institute on Aging (NIH).

Speeko for Elderspeak: A Self-Monitoring App to Improve Communication and Reduce Behavioral Symptoms in Care for Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias

• Major Goals: To test feasibility and preliminary effects of an automated feedback app to reinforce CHATO communication training skill implementation in practice. To evaluate app accuracy and costs and acceptability for use in nursing home settings.
• Funded through the National Institute on Aging (NIH).

Strategies for Effective Caregiver Communication with Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias (SECC-AD), Coleman (Co-PI)

• Major Goals: Identify communication strategies family caregivers use with persons with dementia. Identify strategies that reduce communication breakdown and increase successful repair. Identify dyad factors that predict effective strategies. This is a secondary behavioral analysis of FamTechCare video data.
• Funded through the National Institute on Aging (NIH).

Functionally-tailored Oral Intervention for Community-dwelling Older Adults with Dementia and Their Caregivers

• The major goals of this study are to develop and test an intervention to support community dwelling persons with dementia and their caregivers maintain optimal oral care.
• Funded through the University of Iowa.

The Emerging Novel Data on COVID-19 for iNvestigating Outcomes Worldwide (END COVID-19 NOW) Study

• The study aims are 1) To develop a global strategic index for COVID-19 using the National Institutes of Health Office of Data Science Strategy Open-Access Data and Computational Resources to Address COVID-19 and 2) to validate the global strategic index with vaccination data in a pilot study with countries that have the new variants of COVID-19.
• Funded through the University of Kansas Medical Center Clinical Pilot Program.