Meet our PhD Students
Neil Christopher Apeles, MSN, RN-BC, NEA-BC, PHN
Entered program: 2016
Research interests/dissertation topic: Instrument development to measure patient acuity and predict workload management
Randi Arias-Losado, MSN, RN
Entered program: 2017
Research interests: Rural health, survivors of suicide and suicide prevention
Michelle Closner, RN
Entered program: 2015
Research interest/dissertation topic: How a Parent with Cancer Communicates with their Children about their Disease/Telling your Children you have Cancer: A Qualitative Study
Janina Damm, MSN, BA, RN
Entered program: 2018
Research interest/dissertation topic: Epistemological Relativism in Health Literacy
Charles (Dan) Edwards, MN, RN
Entered program: 2019
Research interest/dissertation topic: The interplay of stress and bias in law enforcement officers’ decisions to escalate or not in a force-on-force confrontation, and how this impacts the greater public health arena
Kailie Drumm, BSN, RN
Entered program: 2019
Research interests/dissertation topic: Understanding the Lived Experience of Adolescents Concerned about Climate Change
Ashley Engelmann, MSN, RN, OCN
Entered program: 2016
Research interests/dissertation topic: Bone marrow transplant
Hannah Gubitz, MSN, RN
Entered program: 2018
Research interests/dissertation topic: Substance Abuse Treatment in the Jail Setting with a Focus on Opiate3 Treatment & Patient Retention once Released from Jail
Bernice Gulek-Bakirci, MS, ACNP-BC
Entered program: 2015
b.gulek-bakirci@wsu.edu
Research interests/dissertation topic: The Impact of social support, coping, and depression on Health Related Quality of life after aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Brenda Hulett, MSN, RN
Entered program: 2017
Research interest/dissertation topic: Lifelong learning in nurses
Cheryl Lewis
Entered program: 2017
Research interests/dissertation topic: A Strategy for Early Identification of Colorectal Cancer
Jocelyn A Ludlow, MN, RN, CHSE
Entered program: 2014
Research interests/dissertation topic: Interested in researching pre-briefing practices in US pre-licensure nursing simulation programs as a basis for developing a pre-briefing framework for faculty to use when developing simulations
Tara Marko, MSN, RNC-NIC
Entered program: 2018
Research interests/dissertation topic: Environmental Exposure to Toxins in Maternal-Child Populations
MaryLee A. Roberts, RN, BSN, CMSRN
Entered program: 2014
Research interests/dissertation topic: Male Mentorship: The (meaning of the) Experience of Men Nursing Students in Relation to Male Mentors
marylee.roberts@wsu.edu
Laura Sherburne, RN
Entered program: 2015
Research interests/dissertation topic: Examining Healthcare and Genomics from the Military Veteran’s Perspective, Identifying Strengths and Barriers to the Integration of Genetic Testing and Genetically Based Therapies
Amy Thomas, BSN, RN (Bacc-PhD student)
Entered program: 2016
Research interests/dissertation topic: Transitional care and management of chronic conditions
Jennifer Thomas, MSN, RN
Entered program: 2018
Research interests/dissertation topic: The Military Family: How do Parents Help Their Children Find Their Identity Through Multiple Permanent Change in Duty Station (PCS) Assignments?
Katherine Wuestney, RN, BSN (Bacc-PhD student)
Entered program: 2016
Research interests/dissertation topic: Aging in place, Type 2 Diabetes, Mellitus
Alumni
Shandeign Berry, PhD ’20, MSN, RN, CNOR
Entered program: 2017
Research interest/dissertation topic: Anencephaly Awareness, Prevention, and Care
D. Hughes, PhD ’20, MSN
Entered program: 2016
Research interests/dissertation topic: Strength-based research with rural AI/AN communities
Teresa Bigand, PhD ’19, MSN, CMSRN, CNL
Entered program: 2016
Research interest/dissertation topic: Exploring what factors are common among overweight adults who suffer a chronic pain diagnosis
Chong (Sherry) Cheever, PhD ’19, MSN, ANP-BC
Entered program: 2012
Research interest/dissertation topic: Validity of the Clinical Institute’s Withdrawal Assessment Protocol for Patients With Alcohol Withdrawal With Comorbidity of a Traumatic Brain Injury in the Acute Phase
Sheila Hurst, PhD ’19, RN
Entered program: 2015
Research interest/dissertation topic: Practices of Head Lice Treatment Among School Age Children
Kelly McBroom, PhD ’19, RN
Entered program: 2015
Research interests/dissertation topic: The lived experience of women prenatally diagnosed with the Zika Virus: a hermeneutic analysis
David Oni, PhD ’19
Entered program: 2015
Research interests/dissertation topic: Assessing Self-Managed Foot Care Practices and Knowledge in Patients with Diabetes
Patrice Griffin-Codd, PhD ’19, MSN, ARNP
Entered program: 2009
Research interests/dissertation topic: Experiences of Female Athletes Engaged in High School Competitive Sport
Tullamora Diede, PhD ’18, MN, RN-BC, CNL
Assistant Professor, WSU College of Nursing
Dissertation: Professional Identity in the Lived Experience of Hospital Nurses
tullamora.diede@wsu.edu
Grace Kolodychuk, PhD ’18, MSN, RN
Entered program: 2012
Nursing Program Director, Whatcom Community College, Bellingham, WA
Dissertation: Prelicensure Student Nurse Medication Administration Errors: Characteristics, Related Factors, and Patient Outcomes
Patrick Muturi, PhD ’18, RN, MSN, PMNHP
Psychiatric ARNP Faculty/Preceptor, Seattle University College of Nursing
Dissertation: Military Personnel Post-Deployment Reintegration Experiences
Alecia Nye, PhD ’18
Entered program: 2010
Adjunct faculty, Seattle University College of Nursing
Research interests/dissertation topic: Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection
Leslie L. Randall, PhD ’18, MPH, BSN, RN
Co-Chair and board member, Native Research Network
Dissertation: My Story, Your Story, Our Story: Grief and Loss of a Child in a Tribal Community
Yasmin Musa Alshannaq, PhD ’17, RN, MSN
Assistant Professor, Jordan University of Science & Technology, Faculty of Nursing, Irbid, Jordan
Research interests/dissertation topic: The Psychosocial and Quality of Life Experiences of Jordanian Women with Breast Cancer
Anas Mohammad, PhD ’17, RN, MSN
Assistant Professor, Jordan University of Science & Technology, Faculty of Nursing, Irbid, Jordan
Research interests/dissertation topic: High-Fidelity Simulation: A New Method for Improving Medication Administration Skills of Undergraduate Nursing Students in Jordan
Victoria Sattler, PhD ’16, MSN, RN
Instructor, RN Refresher Clinical Coordinator, WSU College of Nursing
Research interests/dissertation topic: Psychometric Analysis of a Scale Used to Measure Patient Perception of Cultural Competency
vsattler@wsu.edu
Ruth A Bryant, PhD ’16, RN, MS, CWOCN
Director of Nursing Research, Abbott Northwestern Hospital
Research interests/dissertation topic: Factors Associated with Adverse Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized with Pressure Ulcers
Erla Champ-Gibson, PhD ’16, RN
Clinical Assistant Professor, Pacific Lutheran University
Research interests/dissertation topic: Facilitated Family Presence: The (meaning of the) Experience of Family Members Present During Resuscitation on a Loved One
April Morgenroth, PhD ’16, MN, RN
Assistant Professor of Nursing, Seattle Pacific University
Research interests/dissertation topic: Experiences of Nurses Living and Working with Chronic Illness: A Dual Insider Perspective
Donna S. Watson, PhD ’16, MSN, RN, CNOR, FNP
Director, Professional Affairs and Clinical Education, Medtronic
Research interests/dissertation topic: Reducing Surgery Scheduling Errors
Sandra Wyrick, PhD ’16, MN, RN
Executive Nursing Director and President, A New Day: RN Refresher Online Program
Dissertation: Provider Weight Bias: Experiences of Overweight and Obese Cancer Survivors
Molly Altman, PhD ’15, MN, CNM, MPH
Assistant Professor, University of Washington School of Nursing
Dissertation: Exploration of Nurse-Midwifery Care for Childbirth
Deborah Bennett, PhD ’15, MN, RN
Healthcare Educator/Simulation Consultant
Dissertation: Development of a Pediatric Simulation-Based Scenario and Performance Checklist for Medication Administration Competencies
Roschelle (Shelly) Fritz, PhD ’15, MSN, RN, IGERT Fellow
Assistant Professor, WSU College of Nursing Vancouver
Dissertation: The Influence of Culture on Older Adults’ Adoption of Smart Home Monitoring: A Qualitative Descriptive Study
shelly.fritz@wsu.edu
Samantha Girard, PhD ’15 MSN, RN
Instructor, WSU College of Nursing Vancouver
Dissertation: Experience of Registered Nurses who Voluntarily Withdraw from their BSN Program
samantha.girard@wsu.edu
Jennifer Miller, PhD ’15, MA, RN, BC, LMHC
Dissertation: The Experience of Student Nurses While Caring for Patients
Jeanne Robison, PhD ’15, MN, ARNP, AOCNP
Dissertation: Self Reported Changes in Quality of Life, Demands of Illness, and Sexual Function in Colon Cancer Survivors
Yi-Hsiu Liu, PhD ’15, BSN, MEd
Assistant Professor, National Tainan Institute of Nursing, Taiwan
Dissertation: Older Widowers in Taiwan: Exploring Older Men’s Health-Related Quality of Life Following Spousal Bereavement
Debra Wise Matthews (Stauffer), PhD ’14, MSN, RN
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Texas A & M University College of Nursing
Dissertation: The Effect of the Practice Environment on the Implementation of Family Presence in Adult Critical Care
Brenda Senger, PhD ’13, RN
Assistant Professor of Nursing, Gonzaga University
Dissertation: Nursing Education for Parents of Children with Mitochondrial Disease
Elizabeth Schenk, PhD ’13, MHI, RN
Adjunct Faculty, WSU College of Nursing
Dissertation: Development of the Nurses’ Environmental Awareness Tool
Carrie Miller, PhD ’13, MSN, RN, CNE, IBCLC
Director Clinical Performance Lab and Assistant Professor, Seattle University
Dissertation: The Experience of Infant Feeding for First-Time Mothers: A Hermeneutic Ananlysis
Marian Wilson, PhD ’13, MPH, RN
Assistant Professor, WSU College of Nursing
Dissertation: Empowering Patients with Chronic Pain Using an Internet-based Self-management Program
marian.wilson@wsu.edu
Ira Kantrowitz-Gordon, PhD ’13, MN, CNM, ARNP
Assistant Professor, University of Washington School of Nursing
Dissertation: Distress After Preterm Birth: A Discourse Analysis of Parents’ Accounts and Photographs
Janet Willhaus, PhD ’13, MSN, RN
Assistant Professor, Boise State University School of Nursing
Dissertation: Measures of Physiological and Psychological Stress in Novice Health Professions Students During a Simulated Patient Emergency
Benjamin Miller, PhD ’13, RN, MN, ARNP, FNP, ACNP
Assistant Professor, Seattle University College of Nursing
Dissertation: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the Arumeru District of Northern Tanzania: Evaluation of The Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors in Rural Communities
Nicole Armitage, PhD ’13, Lt Col, USAF, NC
Chief, Clinical Research
Dissertation: The Experience of Active Duty Women as They Prepare for Their Fitness Assessment After Childbirth
Gail (GG) Salvatierra, PhD ’12, MSN, RN
Assistant Professor, California State University San Marcos (retired)
Dissertation: The Relationships Between Rapid Response Team Interventions and Patient Health Outcome
Carrie Holliday, PhD ’12, MSN, ARNP
Dissertation title: Teen Suicide: Experiences in the Emergency Department (ED) Following a Suicide Attempt
Katie Anne Haerling (Adamson), PhD ’11, RN
Associate Professor, University of Washington Tacoma
Dissertation title: Assessing the Reliability of Simulation Evaluation Instruments Used in Nursing Education: A Test of Concept Study
Colleen Doherty, PhD ’11, MN, RN
Faculty, Olympic College
Dissertation title: Self-Efficacy of LPNs: Relation to Attaining RN Licensure
cdoherty@olympic.edu
Susan Fleming, PhD ’11, MN, RN, CNS
Assistant Professor, Seattle University College of Nursing
Dissertation: Grand Multiparous Women and the Hospital Birthing Experience: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study
Tracy Klein, PhD ’11, MS, FNP, FAANP
Associate Professor, WSU College of Nursing Vancouver
Dissertation: Prescribing Competencies For Autonomous APRN Prescriptive Authority: What Do Nurse Prescribers Need to Know?
taklein@wsu.edu
Gail Oneal, PhD ’11, MN
Clinical Assistant Professor, PhD Program Director, WSU College of Nursing
Dissertation: Rural Families with Children Who are Low Income and Their Use of Environmental Health Information
Linda Ward, PhD ’11, ARNP
Associate Professor, Clemson University College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences
Dissertation: Development of the Genomic Nursing Concept Inventory
Barb Richardson, PhD ’10, RN
Director, Interprofessional Education & Research
Dissertation: Alleviating Chronic Sleep Debt in Early Adolescence; Can a School Based Intervention Make a Difference?
barichardson@wsu.edu
Vicki Aaberg, PhD ’10, RNC
Associate Professor of Nursing, Seattle Pacific University
Dissertation: Implicit Attitudes of Nurse Faculty Toward Individuals with Disabilities