Students and faculty from the Washington State University College of Nursing were strongly represented at the 2026 Western Institute of Nursing (WIN) Conference.
Sixteen peer-reviewed student posters and one peer-reviewed faculty poster from the WSU College of Nursing were accepted, marking a high level of participation in the conference. Two additional student projects were selected for the non-peer-reviewed Research and Information Exchange session.
Most of the accepted submissions came from Doctor of Nursing Practice students, with two PhD students also presenting. The range of topics reflected applied scholarship on patient care, population health, education, and workforce safety.
Seeing our students share this level of work at this premier nursing conference speaks to the strength of their preparation and the relevance of their projects to real-world health care challenges.
Dr. Julie Postma, WSU College of Nursing Associate Dean for Research

Pain management and clinical care inequities
- Introducing Nurse Navigators to Address PAIN Care Inequities
Haley Donovan, DNP student, Tri-Cities - Implementation of Pain Management Menu for Intrauterine Device Insertion
YC Lin, DNP student, Vancouver - A Clinical Tool to Improve Monitoring of Chronic Kidney Disease in Diabetes
Mckaylin Maie Shirey Wood, DNP student, Spokane


Cardiovascular, diabetes, and chronic disease screening
- Increasing Repeat Blood Pressure Compliance Rates in a Primary Care Clinic
Anne Marie Giampietro, DNP student, Tri-Cities - Implementing Standardized Training for Blood Pressure Protocol in Clinic and at Home
Alexis Hnatiak, DNP student, Spokane - Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Rates in Primary Care Settings: A Program Evaluation
Cosmos Buendasi, DNP student, Vancouver - Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screenings in Direct Primary Care
Annie McLean Bilauca, DNP student, Vancouver - Quality Improvement: Referral Algorithm for Team-Based Care of Blood Pressure Control
Hai-Yen L. Tang, DNP student, Vancouver - Barriers & Nurse Attitudes on Inpatient CGM/Insulin Pump Use Evaluation
Hodan Omar, DNP student, Vancouver - Implementing an ERAS Protocol for Hip and Knee Arthroplasty in a Rural Clinic
Elizabeth Wood, DNP student, Vancouver


Mental health, suicide prevention, and violence prevention
- Program Evaluation: The Chronic Suicide Pathway in a Senior Psychiatric Unit
Julia Victoria B. Salve, DNP student, Vancouver - Reducing Harm Via Columbia Suicide Scale: A Process Evaluation Study
Michelle Martinez, student, Tri-Cities - A Program Evaluation of an Organization’s Violence in the Workplace Prevention Program
Sean Patrick Fogarty, DNP student, Vancouver - Project Evaluation of a Workplace Violence Prevention Program at a Rural Hospital
Stacy Ochoa-Sofoifa, DNP student, Tri-Cities

Women’s health, pregnancy, and reproductive care
- Nurse Practitioner-Led Prenatal Care in Rural Oregon: A Program Evaluation
Emily Hobbs, DNP student, Vancouver - Improving PrEP Access and Uptake for Cisgender Women at Planned Parenthood
Britanie Speziale, DNP student, Spokane - Wildfire Risk Communication during Pregnancy: A Scoping Review Protocol
Kristy Lanciotti, PhD student, Spokane

Nursing education and pedagogy
- Evaluating a Flipped Classroom Model: A Prelicensure Quality Improvement Project
Tulla Landis, faculty, Spokane - Preceptor Perspectives on PMHNP Clinical Preparedness and Practice Readiness
Amanda Steweart, PhD student, Spokane

This level of acceptance highlighted both the strength of student scholarship and the mentorship provided by WSU College of Nursing faculty across programs and campuses.
At the conference, students and faculty shared work spanning quality improvement, population health, mental health, violence prevention, and nursing education.
Their work underscored the role of nursing scholarship in shaping care delivery, informing policy, and improving outcomes across communities.

About the Western Institute of Nursing (WIN) Conference
The 2026 WIN Conference, April 21 – 24, 2026, San Francisco, CA, brings together nurse scholars, educators, clinicians, and leaders to share research and practice that advance health and nursing education. This year’s theme, Navigating the Currents in Healthcare and Academia: Bridging Research, Practice, and Education, reflects WIN’s focus on connecting evidence to real-world impact. The conference marks the 59th Annual Communicating Nursing Research Conference, presented by the Western Institute of Nursing.