LCON Research News
Congratulations to Dr. Reba Umberger on an incredible series of achievements!
- Publication: "National analysis of pre-existing immunosuppressive conditions and infection-related readmissions among sepsis survivors," published in Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing (In press 8/13/24, published online 11/21/24).
- Podium Presentation: "Social determinants of health and unplanned hospital readmissions after sepsis," accepted for the SNRS 39th Annual Conference, February 19-21, 2025, in Memphis, TN.
- Grant Award: Dr. Umberger and collaborators received the TLC Module for sepsis patients and their caregivers grant from the University of Memphis Institute for Arts and Health ($2,500).
Congratulations to Dr. Fatima Alzyoud on having her abstract, "Validating the Disrespect and Abuse (D&A) Scale: A Psychometric Analysis," accepted for presentation at the 2025 AWHONN Convention in Orlando, Florida, June 21-25, 2025!
Congratulations to Drs. Christina Hillhouse and Sheri Howard on having their abstract, "Social Determinants of Health Associated with Resilience among Nursing Students," accepted for a podium presentation at the SNRS 2025 Annual Conference in Memphis, TN, February 19-21, 2025!
Congratulations to Dr. Viktoriya Pleshkan on having her abstract, "Advanced Practice Nursing Clinical Competencies: Designing Evidence-based ‘How to’ Strategies,” accepted for presentation at the SNRS 39th Annual Conference in Memphis, TN, February 19-21, 2025!
Drs. Leanne Lefler & Annapoorna Mary had two abstracts accepted for presentation at a national conference.
- Podium Presentation: "Health Equity Training in PhD Nursing Education" at the AACN Doctoral Education Conference
- Poster Presentation: "Health Equity Precepts in PhD Research" at the AACN Research Leadership Network Pre-Conference
Dr. Marissa Gray received $2,500 in funding from the CoRS program for her project, "University Schools Wellness Center: Measuring Outcomes for Students Receiving Wellness Services."
Drs. Dana El Hajj and Linda Haddad Successfully Submitted NIH R-21 Grant Proposal
Congratulations to Dr. Dana El Hajj, Principal Investigator, and Dr. Linda Haddad, Co-Investigator, on the successful submission of their NIH R-21 grant proposal titled,
“A Clinical Trial of Virtual Reality Using Cue Exposure: An Innovative Technology
for Tobacco Cessation Among African American Dual Users.” This groundbreaking research proposal, valued at approximately $380,000, aims to explore using virtual reality technology for tobacco cessation. We are incredibly
proud of their innovative work and commitment to advancing health equity!
Dr. Fatima Alzyoud Publishes in Nursing Research
Congratulations to Dr. Fatima Alzyoud on her recent publication in Nursing Research! Her study, titled “Psychometric Analysis of Disrespect and Abuse Scale,” has been accepted for publication, marking a significant contribution to the field.
We are excited to see Dr. Alzyoud’s continued success and scholarly impact!
Dr. Sheri Howard Selected for the Families USA Health Equity Academy Fellowship
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Sheri Howard has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious Families USA Health Equity Academy Fellowship! This fellowship is a highly competitive program designed to equip recipients with
the skills, knowledge, and network to advocate for equitable healthcare system transformation.
Dr. Howard was chosen as one of only 20 fellows nationwide, making this a remarkable achievement. Congratulations, Dr. Howard—we are so proud
of you!
In addition, we also celebrate her recently accepted peer-reviewed conference presentations:
- Howard, S. (2024, September 17-20). Teaching using virtual reality to improve attitudes towards mental illness. [2024 NLN Educational Summit, San Antonio, TX].
- Howard, S. (2024, October 22-25). Using innovative and emerging technologies in nursing education. [Mississippi Nurses Association, Biloxi, MS].
Drs. Tracie Augusta and Mary Annapoorna published "Concept Analysis of Self-Efficacy in Healthcare Utilization Among African American Youth and Young Adults" in JOCEPS: The Journal of Chi Eta Phi Sorority. Excellent work!
Dr. Fatima Alzyoud submitted her application for a Fulbright Partnership Development Scholarship ($8K) this summer to build a research team between UoM and Jordan. Best of luck!
Drs. Tracie Augusta, Mary Annapoorna, Sohye Lee, Fawaz Mzayek, and Christy Woodbury-Moore have a manuscript in press titled "Spirituality, Self-Efficacy, and Medication Use in African American Women with Hypertension: Beyond the Prescriptions" in Research and Theory for Nursing Practice. Great job, team!
Drs. Tracie Augusta and Sheri Howard have had their manuscript, "Exploring Hypertension Medication Adherence in African Americans using the Health Belief Model and the Social Determinants of Health," accepted by Research and Theory for Nursing Practice. Congratulations!
Dr. Sheri Howard also submitted her R25 Grant to the National Institute of Nursing Research in July. Titled "Short Courses in Social Determinants of Health for Research Education: A Fellowship Program," the grant is for $750K. Good luck!
Dr. Sheri Howard's first-authored manuscript, "Using Virtual Reality in Mental Health Nursing to Improve Behavioral Health Equity," has been accepted by CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing. Well done!
Drs. Brad Harrell and Debra Kelly received $50K in funding from the Tennessee Hospital Association for a Healthcare Collaborative Grant. They are partnering with Baptist Hospital to train preceptors. Congratulations!
Drs. Sohye Lee and Sheri Howard have co-authored a groundbreaking manuscript titled "Technology-based music intervention to reduce anxiety and pain among patients undergoing surgery or procedures: Systematic review of the literature" has been published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research mHealth and uHealth (JMU).
Dr. Sheri Howard has been awarded a spot in the highly competitive "Families USA Health Equity Academy in System Transformation." This training will empower her to advocate effectively for healthcare system transformation and advance health equity.
Congratulations to Dr. Jill Dapremont, who serves as the Co-Investigator and UofM Site Director alongside Principal Investigator
Shelley White-Means, as they received an NIH R01 award for their groundbreaking project,
"Policy Pathways to Breast Health Equity in Racially Segregated Areas with Concentrated
Poverty."
Congratulations to Dr. Fatima Alzyoud on her abstract acceptance to the 35th International Nursing Research Congress, Sigma,
in Singapore this summer! Her presentation titled "Validating the Disrespect and Abuse (D&A) Scale: A Psychometric Analysis" showcases her outstanding work.
Congratulations to Drs. Sheri Howard and Meghan Taylor on their abstract that was accepted to the 35th International Nursing Research Congress, Sigma, in Singapore this summer. he title of their presentation is “Evaluating the Virtual Reality Experience for Older Adults: A Feasibility Study to Enhance Patient Education.”
Congratulations to Drs. Dana El Hajj and Dean Linda Haddad who has two peer-review presentation: national Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco entitled “ Tobacco Use of Self-Identified Females and Their Immigrant Status” and the Southern Nursing Research Society conference entitled "Tobacco Use of Self-Identified Females and Their Social Status.”
Congratulations to Drs. Sheri Howard & Leanne Lefler on their abstract acceptance for a poster presentation entitled "Using the Community Action Poverty Simulation to Accelerate Learning About Health Equity"
Congratulations to Dr. Reba Umberger and her team on her abstract acceptance for a poster presentation entitled "Using ICD-10 Codes to Capture Social Determinants of Health within the National Readmission Dataset"
Congratulations to Dr. Fatima Alzyoud and her team on her abstract acceptance for a podium presentation entitled “Nurse Disrespect and Abuse Toward Laboring and Child-Birthing Women. “
Dr. Tracie L. Augusta, the Principal Investigator, and her team have received their first grant award titled "Hypertension Control of African Americans in an Urban Environment." This seed grant is generously provided by the Communities of Research Scholars (CoRS) program at the University of Memphis. Dr. Annapoorna Mary and Fawaz Mzayek are contributing as co-investigators on this project.
Congratulations to Kerri Kitchen and Tiffany Elliott on the acceptance of their abstract "Empathy in Action: Harnessing the Power of Reflection from '5B' in Nursing Education" for the AACN's Diversity Symposium in Feb 2024.
Congradulations to Dr. Gloria Carr on receiving a small grant award from the Tennessee Nurses Foundation Nursing Research Grant Program, entitled SDOH: Work Environment: Implications for Mental Health, Moral Injury & Burnout Among Nurse Educators in Higher Education.
Congratulations to Howard S. and Dr. Leanne Lefler on their recent publication "Using the Community Action Poverty Simulation to Accelerate Learning About Health Equity." J Nurs Pract. [IN PRESS].
Congratulations to 1st author Viktoriya Pleshkan & 2nd author Sohye Lee on their manuscript entitled "Facilitating Nursing Students’ Transition to Scholar:
Embedded Writing Tutor Project," (JNE-2023-421R1, Syllabus Selection), has been accepted
for publication in the Journal of Nursing Education.
Congratulations to Dr. Annapoorna Mary for having her paper was accepted for publication in the journal Research in Nursing and Health. The Article Title: Recommendations to Improve Maternal Health Equity Among Black Women in “The South”:
A Position Paper from the SNRS Minority Health Research Interest & Implementation
Group.
Congratulations to Dr. Sohye Lee on her recent co-authored publication titled is "Factors Associated College Students' Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination and Preferred Strategies for Catch-Up Vaccine Promotion: A Mixed Methods Study." Her paper is published in Vaccine (Impact Factor, 4.962). Read more here >>
Congratulations Dr. Viktoriya Pleshkan on receiving a small grant award from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners for her project entitled: Phenomenological Study of Preceptors’ Experiences with Preparing Nurse Practitioner Students for Autonomous Practice. 8/23-12/24 Read more here>>
Celebrating Dr. Genae Strong on her recent publication “Speaking the Same Language: A Call for Standardized Lactation Terminology in the United
States” that has just now been published in Volume 39, Issue 1 of Journal of Human Lactation.
Congratulations to Tiffany Elliot, MSN, RN, CHSE for her manuscript entitled Theory Analysis and Evaluation of Emancipatory Nursing Praxis: A Theory of Social Justice in Nursing accepted for publication in the International Journal of Nursing Knowledge.
Congratulations to Dr. Candace McGowen for her manuscript entitled Exploring the Clinical Outcomes of Implementing Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support in a Primary Care Practice: A Quality Improvement Project accepted for publication in the Journal of Doctoral Nursing Practice.
Congratulations to Dr. Ashanti Coleman for acceptance of her peer-reviewed presentation entitled Stroke Prevention in African American Women Ages 20-40 with Oral Contraceptive Use, to be presented at the National Nurse Practitioner Symposium for July 20-23rd in Keystone, Colorado.
Congratulations to Dr. Sohye Lee on her co-authorship of Effects of Medication Intervention on Self-management in Adult Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis.
Congratulations to Dr. Reba Umberger and Dr. Annapoorna Mary! Presentation acceptance for the 2023 Critical Care Congress by Society of Critical Care Medicine for their abstract entitled Exploring the Role of Social Determinants of Health on Readmissions After Sepsis to be held in San Francisco in January.
Congratulations to Dr. Reba Umberger for receiving intramural research funding from the Division of Research and Innovation
Community of Research Scholars grant entitled Exploring the role of social determinants of health on 90-day sepsis readmissions.
Congratulations to Drs. Jill Dapremont and Sheri Howard! Presentation acceptance for the 2023 Annual Conference by Southern Nursing Research
Society for their abstract entitled Leveraging Health Equity Through Creation of a Learning Community for Minority Nursing
Students to be held in Rosen Centre, Orlando, Florida in March.
Congratulations to Drs. Gloria Carr and Genae Strong! Presentation acceptance for the 2023 Annual Conference by Southern Nursing Research
Society for their abstract entitled Faculty Navigating COVID-19 – Nursing Education Crisis to be held in Rosen Centre, Orlando, Florida in March.
Congratulations to Dr. Annapoorna Mary! Presentation acceptance for the 2023 Annual Conference by Southern Nursing Research
Society for their abstract entitled Building Community Partnerships to Support Population Health through Engagement in
Cardiovascular Health Education for Disparate, Inner-City Patients to be held in Rosen Centre, Orlando, Florida in March.
Congratulations to Dr. Sheri Howard and Leanne Lefler for their presentation acceptance for the annual conference by National Organization
of Nurse Practitioner Faculties entitled Using the Community Action Poverty Simulation to Change Student’s Attitudes and Beliefs
to Support Health Equity in Future Practice to be held in Orlando Florida in April.
Congratulations to Dr. Leanne Lefler, Co-Investigator on the Shelby County Health Department/ School of Public Health
(Dr. Ashish Joshi, PI) and LCON collaboration on a $13+ million Public Health Workforce
and Infrastructure Grant. This grant was recently funded with an aim to build and
revitalize the existing public health infrastructure and help to recruit, retain,
and train the current and future public health workforce.
Congratulations to Co-Investigator Dr. Jill Dapremont and the interprofessional research team lead by Dr. White-Means for their grant proposal
submitted to the National Institute for Disparities and Minority Health, entitled
Policy Pathways to Equity in Racially Segregated Areas with Concentrated Poverty. This research proposal addresses racial and economic resource structure gaps and
creates a blueprint on how to reverse patterns of absent breast cancer resources and
other services in underserved communities.