News

UArizona Nursing Professor's Research Earns Her the Nursing Outlook 2020 Excellence in Nursing Education Award

Dec. 3, 2020

In September, the Nursing Outlook editorial board announced that University of Arizona College of Nursing Clinical Associate Professor Kimberly Shea, PhD, RN, CHPN and co-authors, Barbara Brewer, Jane Carrington, Mary Davis, Sheila Gephart and Anne Rosenfeld were awarded the organization’s 2020 Excellence in Nursing Education Award for their article, "A model to evaluate data science in nursing doctoral curricula." The College of Nursing’s informatics team collaborated to develop and implement this important contribution to the field of nursing education will be recognized in an upcoming issue of Nursing Outlook.

Every year Nursing Outlook, the official journal of the American Academy of Nursing, recognizes the significant contributions of authors to the journal and the nursing profession in the areas of Nursing education, practice, research, and policy. In the winning article, Dr. Shea and her co-authors built on the efforts of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to develop a model to infuse data science constructs into doctor of philosophy (PhD) curriculum. Using this model, developing nurse scientists will be able to learn data science and be at the forefront of data driven healthcare.


“Data Science needs to be something that we address in every course and is familiar to students because they learn about it over and over again throughout courses, but in different perspectives, so that when they inevitably need to evaluate a large data set for their research question, they are equipped to understand all the dimensions of working with big data," ~ Kimberly Shea, PhD, RN, CHPN


Dr. Shea and her colleagues created the Data Science Curriculum Organizing Model (DSCOM) to guide a comprehensive review of PhD education that will enable data science to be addressed within the individual courses throughout the program. The DSCOM represents concepts and constructs, and their relationships which are essential to a comprehensive understanding of data science. By transforming the terminology and applicability of multidisciplinary data science models into the DSCOM, Dr. Shea’s team found that application of the DSCOM identified areas for threading into core course curriculum, as well as gaps that require additional content. Bottom line: the DSCOM is an effective tool to guide curriculum development and evaluation towards the preparation of nurse scientists with knowledge of data science.

“The ubiquitous presence of technology continually generates vast quantities of data that necessitate leaders within the health care system understand data science,” Dr. Shea and her co-authors wrote in their article. “As the foundation of the health care system, nurses must have a working knowledge of technology generated data. Data science is more than just understanding numbers used for analysis. Data support evidence-based practice and nurse scientists must thoroughly understand the complexities of data science in order to use advanced analysis techniques to build knowledge for providers.”

“In our college we have a remarkable group of informatics scholars and data science is one of the components or interests of informatics,” Dr. Shea explains, noting how retired UArizona Nursing Professor Anne Rosenfeld’s interest in expanding Nursing’s focus on integrating data science into graduate-level curriculum provided the inspiration for the project. “We wanted to see how we might look at integrating data science into our PhD curriculum.”

Dr. Shea and colleagues found that there was ample room for data science to be integrated throughout the College’s courses. “It's not just one course, it's possible within every course,” she says, “because it [data science] applies to every course and every bit of what we teach in today’s [PhD] programs and potentially in the DNP.” However in the article, they only apply the DSCOM to the core courses in the PhD program.

“We decided to use a course mapping technique, taking from all the syllabi and objectives in all of the core courses,” Dr. Shea explains. “We then applied our model to evaluating those syllabi to discover the overlaps and gaps.”

The concept mapping technique was a concerted effort that was painstaking.  Dr. Shea says. “In short, we evaluated constructs [Domain, Ethics, Theory, Technical, Analytics and Dissemination] for matches and then gathered information about concepts within the constructs and found that there were opportunities for insertion, overlaps and gaps that needed to be filled.”  The course mapping identified that there were 123 matches and 3 large gaps within the existing curriculums.

The next step will be to take what has been learned and implement it into the UArizona Nursing’s upper division course work – and hopefully disseminate use of the model to other nursing schools. Dr. Shea hopes that by sharing the team’s research and conclusions, others will learn the methodology without having to conduct their own intensive evaluations of the academic literature on the subject.

“Ultimately it can be used by nursing colleges and schools throughout the United States and abroad to realize that data science is much bigger than just getting a data set and using statistics” she says, noting that the DSCOM can be accurately used to apply, disseminate, and analyze gaps in the curriculum of other institutions. “It [data science] is our future of evaluating outcomes and needs to be something that we address in every course and is familiar to students because they learn about it over and over again throughout courses, but in different perspectives, so that when they inevitably need to evaluate a large data set for their research question, they are equipped to understand all the dimensions of working with big data.”

UArizona Nursing Professor’s Infant Massage Study Looks to Improve Health of Mothers and Infants

Nov. 30, 2020

Funded by a four-year $2,437,784 National Institute of Health (NIH) Research Project Grant (RO1), UArizona Nursing Associate Professor Aleeca Bell, PhD, RN, CNM, plans to launch a randomized clinical trial (RCT) aimed at investigating the effects of a multisensory infant massage on mother-infant synchrony – known as reciprocal behaviors that promote a mutually rewarding interaction. The massage has the potential to improve attachment between mother and baby as well as child development.

The intervention – which will be tested on mothers with early life adversity – has the potential to increase early mother-infant synchrony, and promote a better functioning oxytocin system. Oxytocin, a naturally occurring hormone released during childbirth that helps promote maternal bonding, is known to aid in developing positive social attachment, empathy, and mood. Mutually rewarding mother-infant synchrony has also been shown to positively affect infant attachment and healthy brain development in the baby.


“This multi-sensory infant massage is low-cost, easy to learn, and can be applied as soon as the baby’s born. The mother applies the infant massage, but any caretaker or clinician can easily teach it," ~ Aleeca Bell, PhD, RN, CNM


Aleeca Bell, PhD, RN, CNM

This intervention has been researched for 30 years in primarily pre-term infants in the NICU, but Dr. Bell’s study will focus on full-term healthy babies.  “We want to promote positive mother-infant interaction, but there’s limited research to show us what works in a cost-effective way,” she says. “This multi-sensory infant massage is low-cost, easy to learn, and can be applied as soon as the baby’s born. The mother applies the infant massage, but any caretaker or clinician can easily teach it.”

The scientific literature demonstrates that higher oxytocin levels in blood and saliva are associated with better mother-infant synchrony, but a unique element of Dr. Bell’s study is that it looks in greater detail at the oxytocin pathway to determine epigenetic effects (i.e., how oxytocin is regulated). “In this RCT, we hypothesized that moms with a history of early life adversity will demonstrate lower mother-infant synchrony due in part to a dysregulated oxytocin system,” Dr. Bell says. “We theorize that our intervention will lead to greater mother-infant synchrony and a better functioning oxytocin system.”

During the three-month intervention, participating mothers will give the 15-minute infant massage daily, because three months is the earliest that mother-infant synchrony can be reliably measured. More than just a massage, the technique is geared toward teaching new moms how to engage with their infant. There will also be a control group who will come to all the study sessions to donate blood and answer questionnaires, but they will receive an educational intervention about safe infant care.

The moms and babies will be videotaped during their interactions, after which video coders will complete the painstaking process of micro-coding behaviors. “We use a highly rigorous method that only requires three minutes of video recorded behavior to measure frame-by-frame the mother’s and the baby’s gaze, affect, touch and speech,” Dr. Bell says. She points out that most researchers who study mother-infant interactions use a more subjective method where coders are trained to reliably examine segments of recordings to rate the quality of that interaction. “Another unique aspect of the study is that it’s a very objective, quantitative way to measure behavior,” she says. 

Currently, Dr. Bell is hiring staff for the project, but she hopes to begin recruiting participants in January. Though the recruitment sites have yet to be determined, Dr. Bell has already set in place a raft of safety guidelines to make the process safer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recruiting will be done over the phone versus in person and when participants do need to come to the College for study visits, masks and social distancing will be required. Appointment times will also be limited and staggered to avoid waiting room interactions as much as possible.

Once this study is completed, Dr. Bell hopes to enhance her research with further inquiries. One extension is to follow vulnerable mother-infant dyads for a longer period of time to ascertain broader biobehavioral health outcomes, and to determine epigenetic effects of the massage in the infant. Another goal is to enable clinicians to implement teaching the infant massage, testing at multiple sites, so that it can eventually become standard of care.

Dr. Bell, who practiced as a Certified Nurse Midwife for seven years prior to entering academia, has an unwavering commitment to improve the wellbeing of mothers and babies in the perinatal period. She seeks to promote a positive birth experience for women and encourage optimal mother-infant interaction. “The same passion I had as a clinician is what drives my research,” she says. “As a clinician I wanted to promote physiologic birth and to help moms and babies get off to a great start – to help them fall in love with each other. These are the same desires that drive my research questions.”

How UArizona Nursing’s Land Acknowledgement Honors the Traditional Homelands of Tribal Nations

Nov. 23, 2020

Recently, the University of Arizona College of Nursing adopted the practice of acknowledging the traditional homelands of the Tohono O’odham Nation and lands of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in the form of a Land Acknowledgement to open public meetings and events. Subsequently, members of the UArizona Nursing community have asked the thoughtful questions, “What is the purpose of a Land Acknowledgement?” and “Why is it important?” We are very appreciative to those who have asked these questions because understanding the significance in normalizing public recognition of Indigenous Peoples is essential to awareness, reciprocity, and building equitable and collaborative relationships with the communities we serve.  


“Acknowledging traditional Indigenous lands should be a meaningful practice with appreciation and gratitude to the original inhabitants, their love for the land and sacrifices made to protect and sustain the land. Beyond words and explanation, we hope to spark curiosity, inspire greater interest to learn about local tribes and communities, not only here in Arizona but, as your work takes you to the various Indigenous lands across the globe."


Among Indigenous people, acknowledgment of the land is a venerable traditional practice. The land where we work and live is comprised of rich traditions, cultures and history. It is important to understand the long-standing history that brought us to reside on the land, and to seek understanding of our place within that history. Land acknowledgements remind us of the sacred and interdependent relationship between people, animals, land, natural elements and the universal environment. Land acknowledgments bring awareness to the forced removal of Indigenous peoples from their beloved homelands and the impact historical events have had on the ongoing disparities that continue to exist throughout Native communities today. A formal Land Acknowledgment is an honest, respectful and intentional action to bring forgotten histories into present consciousness and is a simple yet incredibly powerful gesture of acknowledging and respecting Indigenous people and the spirit of the land.

Michelle Kahn-John. PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, GNP and Timian Godfrey, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC

Land Acknowledgments express recognition, honor, gratitude, and appreciation for the traditional homelands of tribal nations and communities. Listeners are encouraged to seek understanding of the history of the specific tribal nations acknowledged and to think about what it means to occupy space on Indigenous lands. Open acknowledgment of traditional lands also provides a valuable learning opportunity for those who may have never heard the names of the tribal nations and communities that have and continue to reside on the land they are on. The Land Acknowledgment serves as verbal memoriam to Indigenous peoples by recognizing where they came from and affirming who they are today.

Acknowledging traditional Indigenous lands should be a meaningful practice with appreciation and gratitude to the original inhabitants, their love for the land and sacrifices made to protect and sustain the land. Beyond words and explanation, we hope to spark curiosity, inspire greater interest to learn about local tribes and communities, not only here in Arizona but, as your work takes you to the various Indigenous lands across the globe. Land acknowledgements represent advocacy and convey willingness to care for the community in which we reside. Exploring the culture, stories and learning about local tribal Nations, and what their civilization was like before colonialism deepens our understanding of the complex history of Indigenous people.

Another, seemingly simple, action of great significance is to normalize and encourage discussions about Indigenous cultures and issues, rather than avoiding the topic. Conversations and discussion about Native issues raise awareness and assist us in understanding how we can all become better at minimizing unintended cross-cultural misunderstandings. An example of a few points of discussion might include discussions on the following facts; approximately 90,000 American Indian families are under-housed or homeless and only 13% of American Indians have a college degree. Many people aren’t aware of these alarming statistics and other profound disparities, which is why opportunities to exchange and promote cross-cultural awareness is a crucial goal. As patient and community advocates, it’s critical for us to lead these sometimes uncomfortable and challenging conversations and recognize them as opportunities to collaborate on efforts that will put a stop to these long-standing disparities.

Repetition and practice foster comfort. The act and practice of regularly speaking, writing and offering a land acknowledgement is a first step towards normalizing this practice. As we acknowledge land, it allows us to enhance our awareness of not only our geographical environment but, also the past, present and future as well as the extensive relationships we have with the communities we serve. Dr. Nadine Caron, the first Canadian female surgeon of First Nations descent, once said, “To learn to understand our present, to be part of what our future holds, one must understand and respect our past.” Land acknowledgment statements validate, honor and infuse an awareness of the constant Indigenous presence that we have always been surrounded by.  Land acknowledges must become a comfortable, natural and regular aspect of our day to day professional routine as nurses, educators, scientists. When delivered with intention, respect, and meaning, the Land Acknowledgement is an invitation to learn and grow together. Ahe’hee.

Collaborations Shape College of Nursing Research

Nov. 20, 2020

research 1.jpg

Helena W Morrison, PhD, RN, associate professor of nursing, works with a lab assistant in 2018.

Among the many reasons for the College of Nursing’s outstanding rankings is its strong research program, a key area of focus for Dean Ki Moore, PhD, RN, FAAN. While research efforts targeting bedside care and patient education strategies are well-represented at the college, its research program is much deeper and broader than many realize.

The director of the College of Nursing’s PhD program, Lois Loescher, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Judith Gordon, PhD, the college’s associate dean for research, recently shared insights about the inner workings of the college’s research pursuits, from creating new technology to influencing human behavior.

“People still think that nurses are taking care of patients at the bedside. And granted, that's where most nurses do work, so it's harder for them to envision nurses doing so many other things,” said Dr. Loescher.

 Drs. Loescher and Gordon say the college’s research success is built on four key principles.

Nursing’s PhD program and its research work attract professionals from a wide swath of health care professions and other backgrounds. Pictured: a 2018 presentation.

College of Nursing research takes a comprehensive approach

Nurses are trained to address the person, the environment, and well-being, and the research in the college typically incorporates these, Dr. Loescher said.

“We look at it through a little bit different lens than a physician or a pharmacist. We're really looking at health in a broader context,” said Dr. Loescher, who noted she is pleased to see other health care fields have begun to move in a more holistic direction, too. One of the most difficult challenges in health care is to change human behavior, both Dr. Loescher and Dr. Gordon said, and much of the college’s research work touches on ways to promote positive behavioral changes. For example, Tracy Crane, PhD, an assistant professor in Nursing, Public Health and Nutrition Sciences, is studying the impact of lifestyle behaviors, such as changes to diet, physical activity, sleep and tobacco use, on health outcomes for cancer survivors.

“Most of these projects show the synergy that happens between practice and research,” said Dr. Gordon. “Our PhD students are nurses who have practiced and who have been working in various areas, and they’ve generated questions that we answer through the research process, which generates more questions.”

Nursing research includes basic and behavioral sciences, and beyond

“We have researchers who are looking at the effect of stroke on brain microglia, all the way to questions such as ‘How do we better provide tobacco cessation treatments to cancer patients at the UArizona Cancer Center?’ and everything in between,” Dr. Gordon said.

The science comes together just as it does in other colleges, in a variety of settings, including laboratories and community engagement programs.

“We have two core labs. One is a biological core lab that does basic wet lab assays looking at biological markers in our research. We also have a behavioral applied clinical science lab that provides space and facilities for doing in-person behavioral research across all our domains,” Dr. Gordon said. “Much of our research takes place in community settings. We recruit participants through health centers, community centers, and social media.”

College of Nursing research is as diverse as the researchers are

College of Nursing faculty is comprised of both nurses and scientists from other fields, creating a rich environment for team science. Faculty and students in the PhD program who come from a nursing career bring myriad life and work experience to the study of human health, and that makes the research that comes out of the college equally diverse. Those from other fields bring their expertise to enrich research and education.

Judith Gordon, PhD, developed a smart phone app called See Me Serene to study guided meditation for stress reduction.

Drs. Loescher and Gordon are prime examples.

Dr. Loescher began her career as an ICU nurse, then moved into oncology and eventually worked at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. She then earned her PhD from the College of Nursing, and now oversees the PhD program along with conducting cancer prevention behavioral research.

Dr. Gordon is representative of those with other professional backgrounds. Dr. Gordon’s health care background is in behavioral psychology. Before that, she worked in IT and theater. She pulled all of that together when she worked with students studying computer science to create the See Me Serene mobile phone app to study guided meditation for stress reduction and smoking cessation.

“I like to describe the research in the College of Nursing as research done by nurses and other experts about nursing and, primarily, about how to improve health, health care and health equity,” said Dr. Gordon.

College of Nursing research embraces teamwork

Nurses are trained to be collaborative in the clinical environment, which translates to being collaborative in their research pursuits, said Dr. Gordon.

The College of Nursing attracts students and researchers from a variety of backgrounds, which strengthens the work they do.

“We have so many connections to so many different fields, and I think it stems from an attitude of recognizing that there are different members of the team that bring different expertise, and together it creates this really positive synergy,” Dr. Gordon said.

Zhanette Coffee, FNP-BC, MSN, APRN, a nursing PhD student, is a prime example. She is studying integrative health approaches for patients with opioid use disorder and chronic pain. The study is a collaboration with researchers at the College of Pharmacy and the Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center.

Dr. Gordon and Dr. Loescher are both members of the University of Arizona Cancer Center and have worked on cancer prevention strategies. They say that College of Nursing faculty are involved in many kinds of health research with many collaborators.

“I think you'll find that a lot of the research we do may be perceived as something else besides nursing because we have so many team players,” Dr. Loescher said. Dr. Gordon agrees, “What this shows is the important contribution that the College of Nursing makes to team science and to improving health.”

Additional examples of ongoing research in the College of Nursing:

  • Terry A. Badger, PhD, RN, FAAN, chair of the division of community and systems health science: innovative ways to reduce psychological distress among cancer survivors and their caregivers, through telephone and app-based interventions
  • Aleeca Bell, PhD, RN, CNM, associate professor: integrative intervention for improving the maternal-child bond in order to improve health outcomes and long-term educational and other outcomes, among first-time, low income mothers.
  • PhD student Ottilie Rung: testing the feasibility of integrative health intervention alternate nostril breathing to reduce biopsychosocial stress in pregnant women who are victims of intimate partner violence.
  • PhD student Elizabeth Johnson: testing a USB wristband device worn by pediatric cancer patients that houses clinical trial information to be accessed by providers in critical care and emergency situations.
  • PhD student Cristina Rivera Carpenter: studying wellness among Diné women in Navajo Nation border towns using a methodology that integrates mainstream Western qualitative methodology with Indigenous methodologies.
  • PhD student Carrie Langley: studying the factors that facilitate and inhibit the use of community-based transitional support services by adults with mental illness post release from jail.

UArizona Nursing Researchers Develop Web-Based Skin Cancer Prevention Training for Massage Therapists

Nov. 19, 2020

In response to the threat of skin cancer – the most common form of cancer in the United States – University of Arizona College of Nursing researcher Lois J Loescher, PhD, RN, FAAN, and her team are looking at the feasibility of partnering with massage therapists (MTs) to help reduce their clients’ skin cancer risk.

Dr. Loescher’s team recently concluded a study funded by the Arizona Biomedical Research Centre, “Massage Therapists Skin Health Awareness, Referral and Education (MTsSHARE) to Reduce Skin Cancer Risk in Arizonans,” the results of which have been published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR). Manuscripts detailing follow-ups to the study are also currently under review by two other academic publications.

“Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the US and costs about $8.1 billion annually to manage,” said Dr. Loescher. “Massage therapists trained to properly communicate skin cancer risk reduction information to their clients ultimately could contribute to decreased skin cancer incidence and management costs.”


“Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the US and costs about $8.1 billion annually to manage. Massage therapists trained to properly communicate skin cancer risk reduction information to their clients ultimately could contribute to decreased skin cancer incidence and management costs,”  ~ Lois J Loescher, PhD, RN, FAAN


Because of their eyes-on-the-skin observation and client-centered communication, MTs are uniquely positioned to promote skin cancer risk reduction. During a typical full body massage, MTs have a full view of each anatomical area of a client’s body, allowing the opportunity to visualize skin cancer risk factors such as sunburn, tanning lines, high mole counts, or suspicious lesions. Additionally, clients typically see their MTs more often and for longer durations than their primary care provider and are more likely to discuss health promotion offering greater opportunities for communication and encouragement of effective skin cancer risk reduction behaviors.

Some MTs receive education about skin cancer while completing licensing and certification training; however, there is no national standard for the extent of inclusion in massage therapy curricula. To help fill this gap, Dr. Loescher and her team developed an e-training intervention with two purposes: to inform MTs about skin cancer risk reduction and to train MTs how to have positive client-focused conversations about skin cancer risk reduction without compromising their scope of practice.

Lois J Loescher , PhD, RN, FAAN

Dr. Loescher’s team utilized the DecisionSim™ online platform in the e-training intervention. The team developed five virtual cases (simulations), each highlighting different components of a conversation within the context of a massage client visit. Each case contained between four and seven decision points for the participant to apply knowledge. The five cases were seamlessly integrated into the learning management system (LMS) to directly follow the e-training modules, allowing staff to monitor participant status and case completion.

To test the efficacy of the e-training, Dr. Loescher and her team recruited 80 MTs practicing in the state of Arizona. Participants demonstrated high rates of success with the training, which significantly improved their skin cancer knowledge and attitudes and comfort with delivering risk reduction information with their clients. A majority of MTs found the simulations useful and worth including in the training of future MTs. Dr. Loescher and her team concluded that adding decision simulation technology to e-training modules was useful not only to assess participant knowledge and skills, but also to assess e-training content and delivery for improvement. This innovative, practical application of simulation technology may be useful in a wide variety of health promotion and disease prevention contexts across disciplines and populations of study.

As for the future, Dr. Loescher’s team is planning on further testing of the e-training in a larger sample of massage therapists in sunbelt states in the US.

Nursing and Pharmacy Students Seize a Rare Clinical Opportunity

Nov. 10, 2020

10-28-2020-flu_shot_klh4266-hero.jpg

Chase Jones, who is in the University of Arizona men’s indoor volleyball club (center), poses with College of Nursing master’s degree students Hailey Finn (left) and Michelle Garcia (right) at the student-run flu shot clinic.

University of Arizona Health Sciences students from the College of Nursing and the College of Pharmacy spent the final week of October getting clinical experience that has been harder to come by in 2020. Many students leapt at the chance to participate in a flu clinic to get hands-on experience with patients, citing changes made to their classroom curricula in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When flu shot-seeking members of the Wildcat community showed up at two on-campus clinics, they encountered appropriately distanced immunization stations staffed by pharmacy and nursing students decked out in masks and face shields, wielding cleaning spray, hand sanitizer and flu shots. By the time they wrapped up, they had given nearly 1,000 doses of the flu shot to their fellow students.

Gaining Experience and Confidence

“The college is doing what it can with alternative options and online simulations, but I’m ready to jump on any clinical opportunity that arises and go get some experience,” said Hailey Finn, who is working toward her Master’s Entry to the Profession of Nursing (MEPN) degree. “Because of the pandemic, clinical opportunities are pretty limited for us right now.”

Sammy Zimmerman, a PharmD student on the Phoenix campus, came to Tucson for the opportunity to give flu shots to UArizona students.

“That’s one of the reasons I signed up,” said second-year PharmD student Sammy Zimmerman. “I woke up at 5 in the morning to get down here and get some practice giving immunizations, because I haven’t done one since last year when we were starting school.”

For some students, the flu shot clinic was their first time giving a shot to a patient, though they had all received thorough training as part of their coursework. While several students said they initially worried about causing pain, they all reported gaining confidence and poise after just a few minutes on the job.

“This morning when I came in, my heart was pounding,” said Zimmerman, whose previous experience giving shots was in class, practicing with her friend and classmate. “This isn’t my best friend, this is someone from the community, and I’m scared because this is my first one. After I think the third one, I stopped shaking.”

Several students said they thought it was important to convey confidence. If a patient senses a provider is uneasy, that anxiety could be contagious.

“This was my first time giving a flu shot,” Finn said. “I was a little bit nervous, but trying not to let it show to the patient. I don’t want to make them nervous, too.”

“I emphasize being comfortable around the patient and showing confidence, so they have confidence in what you’re doing,” said second-year PharmD student Judy Mburu. “It does prepare us in terms of giving flu shots and being comfortable doing it in the long run.”

Preparing for the Future

For service-minded future nurses and pharmacists, whose chosen careers will put them in clinics and communities, outreach opportunities like these flu shot clinics are a perfect fit.

PharmD student Judy Mburu gives a flu shot to Enrique Marquez, a UArizona undergraduate.

“We get to help people and we get to practice,” Mburu said. “We get to meet other people in the same field and also from other fields. It’s pretty cool.”

“I came down here because I want to help people get access to health care,” Zimmerman said. “Everyone’s getting their flu shot because it protects them, but it also protects others. We’re all living in the same community.”

The students agreed that in-person service learning is a crucial part of their education, giving them experiences that never could be replicated in textbooks, such as building rapport with patients.

“I can sit at home and poke an orange, and I’ll get the mechanics down eventually, but it’s so much different when you’re dealing with a real person,” Finn said. “This is one of the first clinical opportunities I’ve had. Learning how to talk to real patients, how to approach them, keep them at ease, educate them, all of that is really important. Those are kind of the skills we’re getting here.”

UArizona Nursing Celebrates Native American Heritage Month

Oct. 30, 2020

Joshua Issac Billy.jpeg

Joshua Isaac Billy

Located on the Tohono O'odham Nation homelands and the lands of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, the University of Arizona is keenly aware of its responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the people, culture and history that make up the Wildcat community.  The University’s core values of diversity and inclusion are mirrored by UArizona Nursing ’s mission to innovate nursing and interdisciplinary education, practice, research, and service to develop leaders, address healthcare challenges, and promote health, equity and inclusiveness.  

The College champions diversity in race, ethnicity, gender, sex, age, sexual preferences, religious and spiritual thought, language, abilities/disabilities, socioeconomic status, educational backgrounds and geographic regions of origin. UArizona Nursing’s proactive efforts to broaden awareness to ensure that its students feel represented and valued are epitomized by its Indians in Nursing: Career Advancement and Transition Scholars (INCATS) program, led by Drs. Michelle Kahn-John and Timian Godfrey, both members of the Diné Nation. Enabled by a $2 million cooperative agreement from the Indian Health Service, the five-year project aims to increase the number of BSN and advanced practice Native American nurses who will practice in tribal facilities. INCATS creates new pathways for those interested in nursing and current nurses to advance their careers and build new tribal-academic-practice collaborations that expand the Native American nursing workforce prepared to improve health in Native communities.


“We want to let our academic community know about the incredible journeys and important contributions to the nursing profession these students make. Each one of them is a shining example for future Indigenous students and we couldn’t be more proud to have them as INCATS at the University of Arizona,”  ~ Timian Godfrey, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CPH


The program provides financial support, culturally aligned mentoring, professional skills development and preparation for RN licensure or APRN certification and career navigation support to scholars who are members of American Indian/Alaska Native tribes. INCAT scholars are enrolled in a UArizona Nursing priority nursing program (BSN/BSN-IH, MEPN, DNP Family Nurse Practitioner or Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Specialty) and have been nominated by one of the College's community partners. Partners include Tohono O’odham Health and Human Services, San Carlos Apache Healthcare Corporation, Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation, Ft. Defiance Indian Health Services-Tséhootsooí Medical Center, Phoenix Indian Medical Center, Pascua Yaqui Health Department, Gila River Health Care, Tohono O’odham Community College, San Carlos Apache Community College, and Navajo Technical University. At the conclusion of the program, each INCAT scholar is expected to return to a tribal community or tribal healthcare setting to honor investments of tribal collaborations and partnerships.

“These stories enrich faculty awareness on the diverse experiences, talents, resilience and career goals of our students," says Michelle Kahn-John, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, GNP. "Programs like INCATS are mutually enriching, bringing cultural insights and new knowledge to faculty while also benefitting students through intentional engagement of faculty in elevating students to their highest potential through meaningful and inclusive teaching and mentorship. We’re honored to be collaborators in co-creating a beautiful, strong, inclusive and diverse nursing workforce at the UArizona Nursing."

“We want to let our academic community know about the incredible journeys and important contributions to the nursing profession these students make,” says clinical assistant professor Timian Godfrey, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CPH. “Each one of them is a shining example for future Indigenous students and we couldn’t be more proud to have them as INCATS at the University of Arizona.”

As we begin our celebration of Native American Heritage Month, a nationwide tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of our indigenous cultures, we zero in on three of our exceptional Native American nursing students. We’re proud and excited to share their perspectives and stories, and excited to expand our focus on diversity and inclusion.

Joshua Isaac Billy

Please share a bit about where you are from.

Growing up in the small town of Shiprock, NM, on the Navajo Nation, the desert landscape seems endless. But if you look deeper without an outsider lens, then you will find a town that’s immersed in traditions and surrounded by land formations with stories passed down for many generations. Within this small town, you’ll see little rez kids that look like me making the most out of what they have, while also trying to avoid trouble. Unfortunately, it’s easy to get caught up in the wrong crowd here, which forced my mom to move our family around to pursue better opportunities for us.

Tell us about your educational journey to the University of Arizona and why you’ve chosen nursing as a career.

I will always remember how it felt to ride a school bus on bumpy dirt roads as a kid, but this was before I truly understood the disparities that plague my community and other Indigenous communities alike. Highlighted is the lack of reliable roads, which hinders access to quality health care as families embark on journeys to receive basic health care. As an aspiring nurse, I’m obligated to fight these social injustices by becoming an advocate for my people. Drawing inspiration from my community, my mom, and my love for science, I felt that nursing was the best fit.

As a nurse, how do you plan to impact the health of Indigenous people or your community?

As one of the few admitted Indigenous nursing students to the BSN program, we need more Native American nurses as they make up less than half a percent of students in baccalaureate nursing programs in the United States. Furthermore, we need our people to serve each other by increasing Indigenous visibility and representation. This will benefit our communities drastically as it is my utmost belief that we know how to help our people best. After graduating from the University of Arizona in May 2022, I plan to fulfill my service commitment and work at an Indian Health Service (IHS) hospital to treat and work with Native American patients. In this role, I look forward to utilizing my cultural knowledge to bridge the gap between Western medicine and Indigenous ways of knowing to ensure quality care for Native American patients.

Johnice Barajas

Johnice Barajas

Please share a bit about where you are from.

My name is Johnice Barajas, I grew up in Tucson, AZ. My mother is White Mountain Apache from Cibecue, AZ and my father is Tohono O'odham from the village of Vaya Chin. I was raised south of south Tucson near the Tohono O'odham Nation. I graduated from Sunnyside High school. I am the eldest of 4 siblings and a first generation college student. I grew up in a very diverse neighborhood where we were able to ride our bikes and play outside all day without concerns since we pretty much knew each other on our street. 

Tell us about your educational journey to the University of Arizona and why you’ve chosen nursing as a career.

My decision to become a nurse came at a critical time in my family. My father unfortunately had a medical issue which landed him in the hospital for a major procedure at the time. I remember the doctor coming in to talk to my family and he was very abrupt and we did not know any of the medical terminology he used. Needless to say, I was scared for my father and decided that I would become a nurse to help my family and friends with medical understanding. 

As a nurse, how do you plan to impact the health of Indigenous people or your community?

Currently as a Nurse Practitioner I have worked with various tribes to care for their patients. When I first became a nurse, my first job was working with Veterans which was rewarding however, after a while, I still felt unfulfilled in my career. I wanted to work for Indigenous communities and began my work in Sells, Az on the Tohono O'odham Nation in their emergency department. I then wanted to see what life was like working on the White Mountain Apache reservation and worked in their emergency department. I would watch physicians talk to my tribal people and felt I could also help them gain a better understanding of their healthcare options and went back to obtain my Masters Degree in Nurse Practitioner. I have also worked on the Hopi reservation as an DNP to ultimately return home to Tucson to work once again on the Tohono O'odham Nation where I feel a sense of closeness. 

Kimberly Yazzie

Kimberly Yazzie

Please share a bit about where you are from.

I’m originally from Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico and I reside in Phoenix, Arizona. I represent the Navajo, Hopi and Isleta Pueblo tribes.

Tell us about your educational journey to the University of Arizona and why you’ve chosen nursing as a career.

I honestly do not have a story as to why I chose nursing. I always knew I wanted to be a nurse. However, the specialty did not come to me until years later. I feel as I have always been drawn to psychiatry.

As for my educational journey, I was very fortunate to make a connection at work which led me to get into contact with Dr. Kahn-John. She informed me about the Indians in Nursing: Career Advancement and Transition Scholars (INCATS) program. I feel as though this is my path that I am supposed to be on. I applied to the graduate program and received the INCATS award. I am truly honored and thankful to receive this opportunity.

As a nurse, how do you plan to impact the health of Indigenous people or your community?

Currently, I’m seeking my Doctorate of Nursing Practice in Psychiatry. American Indians and Alaskan Natives have one the highest rates of suicide as well as alcohol and substance abuse. Therefore, this specialty is desperately needed and I hope to be able to help promote mental health awareness within the Indigenous communities.

From the Heart: Andrew and Kirsten Braccia’s $1M Investment in UArizona Nursing is a Personal Affair

Oct. 29, 2020

For Andrew and Kirsten Braccia, being proud Arizona Wildcats has always been a family affair. The Bay Area couple, who recently gifted the University of Arizona College of Nursing with $1M to fund material supports for nursing students and their educational teams, met as undergraduates at the University. They gradated together in 1998 – Andrew with a degree in Business from the Eller College of Management and Kirsten with one in Nursing – and went on to marry and start a family of their own. But their Arizona Wildcat legacy extends far beyond those beginnings. Kirsten’s father is an alumnus, as are both of Andrew’s parents, his brother and his uncle, Bob Baffert, the celebrated horse trainer. “It’s a family tradition to attend the University of Arizona,” Andrew says. “I grew up in the Bay Area but I always rooted for UArizona in all their athletic competitions. When the time came to make a college decision it was a very natural and comfortable choice to make.”


“Our objective is to really lay a foundation for investing in the College of Nursing that we can build around for many years to come. This is where we can really make an impact, because our goal is for UArizona Nursing to be one of the top nursing programs in the country, and most importantly graduate nursing students that are prepared to make a major impact on the world,”  ~ Andrew Braccia


So when it came time to focus their philanthropic activities, UArizona was an equally natural choice to make. They settled on UArizona Nursing in particular not only because of Kirsten’s positive experience at the College but because of the example their giving sets for other University alumni. “As incredibly proud graduates of the University, we’re excited not only to be able to give but also be able to showcase the fact that there are many great opportunities to make an impact after you graduate,” Andrew says. “What attracts us to the College of Nursing specifically is that it was a big part of shaping Kirsten as a young adult and propelling her into her career. We also have a tremendous amount of respect for the training and development of the next generation of nurses, and the impact that they’re going to make on the world.”

Kirsten remembers her time as a Wildcat Nursing student fondly. She was drawn to the career as a young girl, when she lost her brother to cancer. “I built a lot of relationships with the nurses that were caring for him when he was sick, and I just felt like it was my calling,” she says. “Going through that experience was a big part of what drove me to become a nurse.  I knew I wanted to take care of kids and take care of people.”

Kirsten was attracted to UArizona Nursing because of its stellar reputation and because she wanted the full college experience that the University offers. “It was a rigorous program but yet very rewarding at the same time,” she says. “I built many relationships and friendships, had terrific instructors that really challenged me, got to know me personally and put me in clinicals that would suit my ability and personality.” She was especially inspired by the simulation labs, a facet of the College that will be one of the beneficiaries of the Braccias’ gift. “Simulations are a huge part of educating nurses,” she says. “Looking back, I wish I had been able to do more simulation work. The College now has the opportunity to expand them, which is very beneficial.”

Kirsten’s nursing degree led to her work at Stanford University’s prestigious Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which cares for premature babies from across the country. She worked with some of the NICU’s sickest infants, in one case taking part in open-heart surgery for a 23-week-old preemie.  She also gained experience in the cardiovascular intensive care unit, where she cared for older children as well. “A lot of times you only hear the sad stories, but there are 20 times as many happy stories coming out of the NICU,” Kirsten says of the work she performed. “It was very rewarding to see these babies do well. They come out at a very challenging time to heal, but they’re very resilient. It was a joy to send them home to their families. It also makes you appreciate – once you have your own children – how fragile life is.”

At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the importance of heath care to the forefront of the national stage, Andrew and Kirsten are acutely aware of the need for a strong nursing workforce. They’re proud to be doing their part to aid UArizona Nursing in continuing its mission to provide students with the very best in learning resources and opportunities. “Nurses are such an essential part of keeping us all healthy,” Andrew says. “They require a combination of great training and skill. UArizona Nursing has always been at the forefront of skill development and clinical development, but it also emphasizes understanding the situation, understanding the patient and their family, and having empathy. That’s one of the things Kirsten’s work has really taught me.”

The Braccias’ gift to UArizona Nursing will upgrade simulation capabilities at the Tucson, Phoenix Biomedical, and Gilbert campuses, and provide students with online access to virtual patient experiences. It will also enable the purchase of software subscriptions and other essential technology to support online teaching and learning due to the pandemic. “With a greater emphasis on online classes, you want them to be just as successful as in-person classes, so the timing is good,” Kirsten says. “Everything can be up-to-speed and up-to-date and all the students can have the ability to keep learning and continue their education as if it was in person.”

Andrew and Kirsten’s goals for the College extend well beyond the immediate moment, however. “Our objective is to really lay a foundation for investing in the College of Nursing that we can build around for many years to come,” Andrew says. “This is where we can really make an impact, because our goal is for UArizona Nursing to be one of the top nursing programs in the country, and most importantly graduate nursing students that are prepared to make a major impact on the world.”

UArizona Nursing Creates New Virtual Clinical Concept to Mitigate Changes due to COVID-19

Oct. 23, 2020

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States, the rapid shift from physical to online interactions changed the way Americans shopped, worked, played, and schooled. Along with every other institution of higher learning, The University of Arizona College of Nursing had its share of challenges as it transferred from in-person classes to online instruction. But one of its greatest success stories in this pixilated new environment is its utilization of Zoom for standardized patient (SP)/student intake interviews during Clinical Concept Days.

Held for the last five semesters for 3rd semester nursing students enrolled in Mental Health Nursing 471, the academic exercise is intended to prep students for their behavioral health clinical rotations. The concept is straightforward: volunteers – often retired nurses with direct experience with mental illness – pose as patients suffering from a variety of psychiatric issues and interact with students, enabling them to practice and refine their interviewing skills. The first iterations of Clinical Concept Days were held in-person at the UArizona College of Nursing building, as well as in the new Health Sciences Innovation Building.     


“All our volunteers are extremely dedicated to providing educational experiences for our nursing students. It's been well worth the effort. Without geographic limitations, we have an opportunity to expand the volunteer base and provide each NURS 471 student opportunities for skills practice,  ~ Morgan Stock, MSN-Ed, RN, CNE


After significant time investment in training and support, the revised and revamped Clinical Concept days kicked off in August to resounding success. All told, 36 students were afforded the opportunity to practice psychiatric interviewing, and an additional 18 students benefited by observing their peers during the process.  Students reported feeling safe and supported in the virtual environment and described the experience as very valuable. “All our volunteers are extremely dedicated to providing educational experiences for our nursing students,” Stock says. “It's been well worth the effort. Without geographic limitations, we have an opportunity to expand the volunteer base and provide each NURS 471 student opportunities for skills practice.”

The experience of working with those students virtually allowed instructors Morgan Stock, MSN-Ed, RN, CNE and De Anne Nichole Dwight, MSN, RN, to quickly pivot, post-COVID, to make the interviews an entirely online experience. Since most of the standardized patient volunteers are retired, they had the time and flexibility to participate in the program. While some volunteers initially left over concerns about the virtual environment, the shift enabled the instructors to recruit a wider variety of volunteers from all across the country, including Kansas and Wisconsin. ”By this point in the pandemic, a lot of them had learned how to use zoom on some type of device, because that's how they were staying connected,” Dwight says. “We just needed to get them used to a more than just one-on-one zoom, since Clinical Concept Days involves moving from virtual room to virtual room seeing multiple groups of students.”

The new process involves virtual rooms occupied by a group of students, and then moving the SPs from group to group to interview in-character about such issues as dementia, PTSD and schizophrenia. “We kept the same students in the same room and then we would move the standardized patients from room to room,” Stock says. Students had eight minutes per interview, followed by a five-minute discussion session before the standardized patient was moved to the next group. “We were able to manage all these rooms simultaneously and it was actually more much efficient than having the physical environment,” Stock says.

“Morgan was like the air traffic controller keeping track of this chart where everyone was moving,” Dwight says. “And I was just popping in and out of the rooms to make sure things were running smoothly. Sometimes I’d hear something happen in the middle of the interview where you could tell something wasn’t going to go well. I would make sure that I snuck back in later to see if they had discussed that in debrief.”

The instructors and the SPs have always striven to make the interviews as accurate and realistic as possible. Dwight never fails to be amazed by how committed the SPs are to verisimilitude. “It’s amazing to see the students’ jaws drop when they encounter an SP who has taken on their patient persona,” Dwight says. “It’s almost the way they would be if they had experienced that patient in a day room for the first time. After the interview we would invite the SPs to a debriefing, where the students could see them out of character. They almost had the same expression of amazement. ‘Oh. Rita can talk. She doesn't have dementia.’” The sessions were so successful that in a post-Clinical Concept Days survey, more than 90% of students said the interviews were the most valuable part of their experience. “Talking to the volunteers was so helpful for them,” Dwight says. “They said they felt like they were actually able to receive practice, similar to an in person clinical, and gave them so much insight on therapeutic communication.”

As educators, Morgan and Dwight were equally impressed by the process. “At the beginning of the day, we’d ask the students what they were most concerned about,” Dwight says.  “What they’re truly concerned about is saying the wrong thing.  This structure allowed us to practice without serious consequences, such as saying something wrong or upsetting.” Dwight and Stock especially appreciated watching the SPs and students give one another feedback. “By the end of the day they were getting better,” Dwight says. “It was really neat to watch them teach each other. Plus, the SPs are very gracious and merciful with their feedback.”

Not only is the complex process easier for instructors to moderate, but the students exhibited far less anxiety about psychiatric interviewing, not to mention the added benefit of having access to a  much broader array of SPs. “It was very effective,” Stock says. “And we continue to see increased confidence in our students because of it. We've been pushed because of COVID as far as instantly coming up with other ways to meet with our students and to address and to use the technology creatively. Initially it was a matter of expedience, but now we see it as another tool that we will have after COVID. Once it’s settled, I'll still be using a tool like this.”

Dr. Betty Parisek Appointed Program Director of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing-Integrative Health Program

Oct. 9, 2020

The University of Arizona College of Nursing has named Betty Parisek, EdD, MSN, RN, as the new program director of the College’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing-Integrative Health (BSN-IH) Program in Gilbert, Ariz. Previously, Dr. Parisek served as a clinical assistant in the College’s General Nursing & Health Education Division.

“Dr Parisek is a leader who embodies and consistently models integrative nursing principles in action for educating students,” said Connie Miller, DNP, RNC-OB, CNE, Clinical Associate Professor and Chair, General Nursing and Health Education Division. “Her whole-person and learner-centered approach fosters the success of our BSN-IH students.”


“I envision a mindful perspective of nursing practice that includes opportunities for self-care and reflection. The hope is that by beginning the process of mindfulness in the nursing program, our students will carry that mindfulness perspective with them into the future as they transition into caring, mindful, and resilient practitioners,”  ~ Betty Parisek, EdD, MSN, RN


Dr. Parisek’s passion for the BSN-IH program stems from her belief that it embodies the true art of nursing. “It’s the recognition that the best healthcare comes from meeting our clients where they are,” she said. “That positive change comes from a mind-body-spirit perspective that is much more than often we, or our clients, can see at first. I believe there is always possibility, always hope, always an opportunity, for that positive change. Our faculty embodies that perspective everyday as they facilitate the learning of the students in our program.”

As the new director of the BSN-IH program, Dr. Parisek has two main goals: to cultivate relationships with the College’s community partners, both in acute care and in the community, that will sustain enrollment growth; and to offer students the opportunity to view and participate in a healthcare model that embraces an integrative, wholistic approach both for the clients and the practitioners. “I envision a mindful perspective of nursing practice that includes opportunities for self-care and reflection,” she said. “The hope is that by beginning the process of mindfulness in the nursing program, our students will carry that mindfulness perspective with them into the future as they transition into caring, mindful, and resilient practitioners.” 

Dr. Parisek has been a registered nurse since 1995. She also holds a doctorate in Education Leadership from Walden University and a Master’s Degree in Nursing from the University of Phoenix. She joined the College of Nursing in August, 2019 as a Clinical Assistant Professor teaching full time in Level 1 and took over as the Level 1 lead faculty member in spring 2020 and Interim Program Director, July 1, 2020.

Dr. Parisek chose a career in nursing after realizing early on that health promotion allowed her to provide positive encouragement to others. She began her career as an ADN nurse, and worked in healthcare areas that included both the beginning of life and the end of life. “I loved to facilitate the learning of new graduate nurses on my unit,” she said. “I decided a few years into my career that nursing education would offer me an opportunity to provide perspective, encouragement, and support to nursing students, as they moved through their educational journey.” 

Dr. Parisek's accomplishments include a focus on the retention and success of diverse student populations. Her dissertation research encouraged positive change in a college-wide Early Alert system as well as a strategic dialogue regarding use of data to inform teaching and learning. This dialogue served as the foundation for the college’s HLC accreditation 'Informed Improvement' initiative.

As chair of a college level student outcomes committee, she collaborated with a team of faculty to develop system wide strategies that more positively aligned the use of college general education student learning outcomes assessment with the practice of teaching and learning, and co-authored a white paper offering strategies designed to improve academic success and retention of indigenous students.

Dr. Parasek’s strategic initiatives include the development of an alternative program design that supported student access to a nursing program while also maintaining faculty positions, and collaboration with university partners to cultivate the success of culturally diverse nursing students enrolled in the Concurrent Enrollment Program through Maricopa Nursing. Additionally, as a nursing leader in healthcare industry, Dr. Parisek developed effective and innovative strategies to ensure increasing market share in a highly competitive hospice market while also ensuring administrative oversight of a hospice team.

She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nursing, the National League for Nursing, and the American & Arizona Nurses' Associations.