Three Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston faculty members received new, multiyear R01 grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in September 2023 totaling more than $8.5 million.

• Dean Diane Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN, RN, FAAN, will expand testing of a mobile health intervention aimed at HIV prevention among youth experiencing homelessness with a four-year, $2.9 million grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) for her project “Assessing the use of MY-RIDE, a Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention, to Improve HIV Prevention and Substance Use in Youth Experiencing Homelessness.”
• Associate Professor Janet Van Cleave, PhD, RN, FAAN, will study the implementation and effectiveness of a patient-reported symptom (PRO) tool for head and neck cancers with a five-year, $3.3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute. Her project is “Implementing the NYU Electronic Patient Visit Assessment (ePVA) for Head and Neck Cancer in Rural and Urban Populations.”
• Associate Professor Daphne Hernandez, PhD, MSEd, FAAHB, will explore the association between the level of eviction risk during the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing mental distress with a three-year, $2.36 million grant from the NINR grant for her study “Heath Outcomes Post-Eviction Moratoria (HOPE-M).” Separately, Hernandez received a two-year, $169,000 R03 grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for her study, “Evaluation of Food Security Scales among Hispanic Parents: A Cognitive Interview and Psychometric Properties Study.”

Learn more about the three recently awarded federal grants.

OTHER NEWLY FUNDED STUDIES

Emily Barr, PhD, CPNP-PC, has received her second $50,000 grant from the Texas Development Center for AIDS Research. Her 2022 award funded her study, “TEC-HIV: Telehealth Use and Engagement in Care in Young Adults Living with HIV,” which examined whether and how telehealth can help with the often-difficult transition from pediatric to adult HIV care. The second study, “ePATHS: Patient Activation Through Home STI Testing Using Electronic Communication and Telehealth in Youth Living with HIV,” will examine the acceptability and effectiveness of mailing sexually transmitted infection home test kits to patients, then assessing what impact this might have on participation in telehealth visits.

Veronica Brady, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, received an All of Us Research Program Mini-Grant Researcher Award from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in partnership with the National Institutes of Health for her project “Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in the Presence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among All of Us Participants.”

Doncy Eapen, PhD, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, received a $50,000 award from the Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation to advance her work with mothers who have experienced both homelessness and interpersonal violence with the project “Feasibility of a Positive Parenting Program for Women Experiencing Homelessness Who Have a History of Interpersonal Violence: A Randomized Controlled Trial.”

Joyce Ju, DNP, FNP-BC, CNE, received a $20,000 Dean’s Research Award to develop and test a series of videos aimed at educating patients with diabetes about foot care in her study, “Asynchronous Diabetes Virtual Intervention with Storytelling and Empowerment (ADVISE) Program.”

Carina Katigbak, PhD, ANP-BC, Padmavathy Ramaswamy, PhD, FNP-C; Kathrin Milbury, PhD; and CarePartners partnered on a research project funded by the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CTCS). Their study, “In Tandem: Exploring Homebound Older Adults’ and Caregivers’ Perspectives on Technology to Support Caregiving and Aging in Place,” examines how technology may enhance the quality of life for homebound older adults and support caregivers, and to identify any barriers to usage.

Nitha Mathew Joseph, PhD, RN, received a CTCS for her study “A Culturally Adapted, Social Support-Based, Physical Activity Intervention for South Asian Indian Women in the United States: A Feasibility Study.” She also received a $5,000 2022 Sigma Theta Tau International Research Grant for her study "Physical Activity Participation in Middle-aged U.S. South Asian Indian Women at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes."

Cizik Nursing Research by the Numbers
Calendar Year 2022

NIH ranking: 38^th among nursing schools

Research Expenditures: $3,839,196

Contracts and Awards: $3,721,486 

Publications: 127

Book chapters: 7

Presentations: 148

(Research numbers are for calendar year 2022)

Continuing Grants

The Feasibility, Usability, and Acceptability of Using the Oculus Virtual Gaming Reality in Stroke Survivors for Upper Extremity and Cognitive Rehabilitation.
Team: Principal Investigator: Seema Aggarwal, PhD, RN, AGNP-C
Funding: $40,000 Aging in Place Research Award

Self-management EdUcation and SuPport to Promote PsychOsocial Health among StRoke Survivors and Informal Caregivers in a VirTual Stroke Community (SUPPORT): A Pilot Project
Principal Investigator: Jennifer E.S. Beauchamp, PhD, RN, FAAN
Funded by PARTNERS

Facial and Body Motion Technology to Detect Psychosocial Distress in Stroke Survivors and Informal Caregivers Living at Home
Principal investigator: Jennifer E.S. Beauchamp, PhD, RN, FAAN
Funded by Maria C. and Christopher J. Pappas Family Distinguished Chair in Nursing

Impact of Depression and HIV Symptoms on Glycemic Outcomes (A1c, BG) Among Patients Living with HIV and Type 2 Diabetes
Principal investigator: Veronica J. Brady, PhD, FNP-BC, FAAN
Funded by Center for AIDS Research at The University of Alabama

An Examination of Innovation Competencies and Organizational Culture in a Sample of Texas Registered Nurses
Principal Investigator: Linda Cole, DNP, RN, APRN, CCNS, CNE, CPHQ, FCNS
Funding: Zeta Pi Chapter Sigma Theta Tau International

Facilitating Comprehensive Self and Proxy Symptom Assessments for Children with Cancer (the SMART Pediatric Oncology Tracker of Symptoms) (K23)
Principal Investigator: Stacey Crane, PhD, RN
Funded by National Institutes of Health – National Institute of Nursing Research

Biomarkers Illuminating Pain After Stroke (BIPAS)
Principal Investigator: Deniz Dishman, PhD, DNAP, CRNA
Funding: $100,000 PARTNERS Nursing Research Award

Identifying the Incidence of Post-Sedation Adverse Events in Pediatric Dentistry
Co-principal investigators: Deniz Dishman, PhD, DNAP, CRNA; and Brett Chiquet, DDS, PhD
Funded by SOD-CSON Joint Seed Award Program

An Examination of Associations between Transition to Practice Measures and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Principal Investigator: Maja Djukic, PhD, RN, FAAN
Funded by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing

Positive Parenting: Empowering Young Mothers Experiencing Homelessness with a History of Interpersonal Violence to Improve Parenting Strategies
Principal Investigator: Doncy Eapen, PhD, FNP-BC
Funded by Heilbrunn Family Center for Research Nursing Scholars Award from Rockefeller University

Exploring Food Pantry Clients’ Use of ‘Choice’ and ‘Non-Choice’
Principal Investigator: Daphne Hernandez, PhD, MSEd
Funded by Feeding America

Exploring the Feasibility of Using Interprofessional Education to Deliver Nourishing Smiles to Underserved Adolescents in Houston Area Schools
Principal Investigator: Daphne Hernandez, PhD, MSEd
Funded by SOD-CSON Joint Seed Award Program

Houston-Area Opportunities for Student Training in Obesity and Nutrition (HOUSTON) Academy 2.0
Principal Investigator: Daphne Hernandez, PhD, MSEd
Funded by Research and Extension Experiential Learning for Undergraduates Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA

Care Matters: Using Ecological Momentary Assessment & Heart Rate Variability Monitoring to Identify the Timing and Experience of Caregivers’ Stress
Principal Investigator: Carina Katigbak, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FAHA
Funding: $40,000 Aging in Place Research Award

“Perspectives on Physical Activity Participation in Middle-Aged U.S. South Asian Indian Women at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes”
Principal Investigator: Nitha Mathew Joseph, PhD, RN
Funding: Sigma Theta Tau International Research Grant

Come as You Are – Assessing the Efficacy of a Nurse Case Management HIV Prevention and Care Intervention Among Homeless Youth (R01 grant with two supplements)
Principal Investigator: Diane Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN, ACRN
Funded by National Institutes of Health – National Institute of Nursing Research

Examining the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Tailored Version of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention among Youth Experiencing Homelessness Aged 18-25 Years Old (.b4me)
Principal investigator: Diane Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN, PHNA-BC
Funded by National Institutes of Health – National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Implementing Routine Symptom Monitoring and Management Using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measures to Improve Outcomes in Patients with Breast Cancer
Principal Investigator: Megan Whisenant, PhD, RN
Funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT)

Characterizing Symptoms Among Subpopulations of Persons Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Principal Investigator: Megan Whisenant, PhD, RN
Funded by Texas Development Center for AIDS Research.

Auricular Point Acupressure to Manage Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy
Principal Investigator: Constance Johnson, PhD, MS, RN, FAAN
Funded by National Institutes of Health – National Cancer Institute (R01)

Management of Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults Using Auricular Point Acupressure
Principal Investigator: Constance Johnson, PhD, MS, RN, FAAN
Funded by National Institutes of Health – National Institute on Aging (R01)