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Current Fellows

College of Nursing Fellows

Tumilara Aderibigbe, PhD, MPH, RN

Research Focus: Dr. Tumilara Aderibigbe is a Nurse Scientist interested in the biopsychosocial mechanisms influencing breastfeeding in African American women. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2014 at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Nigeria; Master of Public Health in 2020 at the University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom; and PhD in Nursing in May 2023 at the University of Connecticut, United States. Her dissertation, co-funded by the International Society of Nurses in Genetics (ISONG) and the Institute of Africana Studies at University of Connecticut, identified psychosocial factors and genetic variants influencing breastfeeding in African American women. 

Dr. Aderibigbe is in the second year of her postdoctoral training. Her postdoctoral research is a qualitative study to examine breastfeeding grief in African American women. She also submitted a MOSAIC K99/R00 to NINR, entitled ‘A Multilevel Approach to Address Socioecological Determinants of Exclusive Breastfeeding in African American Women.’

The long-term goal of Dr. Aderibigbe’s program of research is to develop, test, and implement culturally sensitive multilevel interventions to promote breastfeeding exclusivity in African American women. For leisure, she likes to watch movies and visit historical and fun places with her husband and daughter.

Faculty Mentors: Gwen Latendresse, PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN

Sara Simonsen, PhD, MSPH, CNM, FACNM

Selected Publications:

Aderibigbe, T., Walsh, S., Henderson, W. A., & Lucas, R. F. (2023). Psychometric testing of the breastfeeding self-efficacy scale to measure exclusive breastfeeding in African American women: a cross-sectional study. Frontiers in public health11, 1196510. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1196510

Aderibigbe, T., Srisopa, P., Henderson, W. A., & Lucas, R. (2024). Meta-ethnography on the Experiences of Women From Around the World Who Exclusively Breastfed Their Full-Term Infants. Journal of obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal nursing: JOGNN53(2), 120–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2023.11.008

Aderibigbe, O., & Lucas, R. (2023). Exclusive breastfeeding in African American women: A concept analysis. Journal of advanced nursing79(5), 1699–1713. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15301

Sharon Bigger, PhD, MA, RN, CHPN, CNE

Program of research: Dr. Bigger’s research focuses on communication with diverse populations with chronic illness about goals of care, with specific focus on transitions between home health and hospice. She received her PhD in nursing from East Tennessee State University, where her dissertation research examined advance care planning protocols and acute care services use in skilled home health agencies nationwide. Clinically, she has worked in neuroscience and hospice settings for 22 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in Spanish, a second bachelor’s degree in nursing, and a master’s degree in philosophy and religion with a concentration in global women’s studies. As a former medical interpreter, Dr. Bigger is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Dr. Bigger maintains a collaborative relationship with the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium’s (ELNEC) international initiatives, having served in Mexico and planning next to serve in Puerto Rico. Through ELNEC-International, she teaches palliative care communication skills and provides consultative services to those promoting palliative care education among health professionals and lay caregivers alike.

Dr. Bigger remains focused on studying communication interventions to optimize quality of life for people with chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and dementia. Currently, she is studying advance care planning interventions among Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latino persons living with dementia and their caregivers. Her post-doctoral work is supported by the Dick and Timmy Burton Post-doctoral Fellowship.

She resides in Asheville, North Carolina. In her free time, Dr. Bigger enjoys singing, songwriting, and dance.

Faculty mentor: Dr. Kara Dassel, PhD, FGSA, FAGHE

Selected publications:

Bigger SE, Haddad L, Ahluwalia, SC, Glenn L. Advance care planning protocols and hospitalization rates in Home Health Value-Based Purchasing. Home Health Care Manag Pract. 2021;33(4):1-8. https://doi:10.1177/10848223211021393

Bigger SE, Haddad L, Glenn L. Cardiac and Pulmonary Diagnoses and Advance Care Planning in Home Health. Home Health Care Management & Practice. 2022;34(4):252-257. doi:10.1177/10848223211073711

Bigger SE, Zanville N, Wittenberg E, Towsley GL, Glenn L. Palliative care communication training among interprofessional home health staff: A randomized controlled trial of feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. 2023;0(0):1-8 doi:10.1177/10499091231165013.

Bigger SE, Foreman, RA, Keinath, RA, Towsley, GL. Transitions between home health and hospice for persons living with dementia: A systematic review of literature. Annals of Palliative Medicine. 2024;13(3):66173-66673.

Clarisa Medina Poeliniz PhD, MSN, APN, CPNP

Program of Research: Dr. Medina Poeliniz’s is passionate about eliminating health disparities, specifically among underserved communities. Her overarching interest is to understand the impact of social determinants of health among women throughout the lifespan and study the burden of maternal obesity on cardiometabolic disorders and whether breastfeeding has a protective mechanism against these cardiometabolic disorders.

Dr. Medina Poeliniz is completing a research fellowship supported by the Dick and Timmy Post-doctoral Fellowship with the College of Nursing and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health supported by the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (DFPM) of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

She completed her bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. Clinically, she has experience in a variety of settings related to maternal-child health that spans over 20 years and for the past 15 years, she has worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner.  Dr. Medina Poeliniz completed her master’s degree and a post-master’s certificate from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She went on to complete her PhD from Rush University, College of Nursing with a focus on the role of maternal obesity on biological lactation outcomes and translated the utility of human milk biomarkers as an objective measure of secretory activation. In her sparetime she enjoys being active by practicing yoga, walking, and strength training.

Faculty Mentors: Sara Simonsen, PhD, CNM, MSPH, BSN and Kelly Glazer Baron, PhD, MPH, DBSM

Selected Publications:

Hoban, R., Medina-Poeliniz, C., Signorile, M. et al. Correction: Early postpartum pumping behaviors, pumped milk volume, and achievement of secretory activation in breast pump-dependent mothers of preterm infants. J Perinatology (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-024-02038-7

Medina Poeliniz, C., Hoban, R., Schoeny, E. M., Chapman, L. D., Julion, A. W., & Meier, P. P. (2023). Pumping behaviors at day 5 postpartum is associated with biological lactation outcomes at day 7 postpartum. Manuscript in preparation.

Parker, L. A., Hoban R., Bendixen, M. M., Medina Poeliniz, C., Johnson J.T., & Meier P. P. (2024). Milk biomarkers of secretory activation in breast pump-dependent mothers of Preterm infants: An integrative review. Breastfeeding Medicine, 19(1), 3-16.

Medina Poeliniz, C. Hoban, R. Schoeny, E. M. Engstrom, L. J. Patel, L. A. & Patel, Meier, P. P. (2022). Prepregnancy BMI is Associated with Time-Dependent Changes in Secretory Activation Measures During the First 7 Days Postpartum in Breast Pump-dependent Mothers of Premature Infants. Breastfeeding Medicine. 17:2,1-9.

Hoban, R., Medina Poeliniz, C. Somerset, E., Lai Tat, C., Janes, J., Patel, A. & Meier, P. P. (2020). Mother’s own milk biomarkers predict coming to volume in pump-dependent mothers of preterm infants. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2021;228:44-52.

Medina Poeliniz, C. Engstrom, L. J., Hoban, R. Patel, A. & Meier, P. P. (2020). Measures of secretory activation: An integrative review. Breastfeeding Medicine.15(4):191-212.

Hoban R., Patel L. A., Medina Poeliniz C., Ching Tat Lai, Janes, J., Geddes, D. & Meier, P. P. (2018). Human milk biomarkers of secretory activation in breast pump-dependent mothers of premature infants. Breastfeed Medicine.13:5, 352-360.

Mary Killela, PhD, RN

Program of Research:

Dr. Killela is a nurse scientist committed to the development, adaptation and implementation ofinterventions that minimize the financial toxicity experienced by patients and caregivers in their cancer journey. This goal is multi-faceted and includes evaluating existing financial toxicity interventions, gaining knowledge on implementation science, and lastly becoming an expert on financial toxicity associated with cancer care. Dr. Killela completed her PhD in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she was a Hillman Scholar in Nursing Innovation and a predoctoral trainee on the Interventions for Preventing and Managing Chronic Illness T32. She also completed three undergraduate degrees- B.S. in Nursing, B.S. in Biology and B.A. in Chemistry- at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her dissertation research focused on the costs of pediatric cancer care and how families cope by using medical crowdfunding. Specifically, she explored the online text that occurs in these web spaces andassessed what topics are discussed, who is present on these pages, and how activity on these pages corresponds to what is happening clinically. Additionally, she has examined the different types of social support that is exchanged on crowdfunding pages. In her free time, Mary loves to spend time with her family, see live music, and add to her never ending list of novels she wants to read.

Faculty Mentors: Echo Warner PhD, MPH and Anne Kirchhoff PhD, MPH

Selected Publications:

Killela, M., Biddell, C., Keim-Malpass, J., Schwartz, T. A., Soto, S., Williams, J., & Santacroce, S. (2023). The Use of Medical Crowdfunding to Mitigate the Personal Costs of Serious Chronic Illness: Scoping Review. Journal of medical Internet research, 25, e44530. https://doi.org/10.2196/44530

Killela, M., Adynski, H., Adynski, G., Myer, E., Dictus, C., Morgan, L., Hmiel, H., & Williams, J. (2024). Preparing students for tenure-track faculty positions. Nursing Research. (in press)

Bridget Nicholson, PhD, APRN-BC, ACONP, ACHPN

Program of Research: Dr. Nicholson is passionate about designing new care models to improve the care of advanced oncology patients. Dr. Nicholson received her PhD from Rutgers University in 2022, where she was designated Jonas Scholar. Her dissertation examined the symptom and demographic factors that impact hospice and palliative care utilization in patients with advanced cancer. Clinically, she has worked as an oncology and palliative care nurse practitioner for over 15 years across many oncologic subspecialties. She received both her BSN and MS from the University of Michigan. 

Dr. Nicholson's research program utilizes technology to deliver expert symptom management to patients across community, academic, and virtual care oncology environments. Her long-term goal is to study the integration of technologies into oncology nursing care models to improve the patient and caregiver experience across populations. In her free time, she enjoys walking, swimming, cooking, and spending time with her husband, three children, and a dog. 

Faculty Mentor: Kathi Mooney, PhD, RN, FAAN

Selected Publications: 

Mooney K, Gullatte M, Iacob E, et al. Essential Components of an Electronic Patient-Reported Symptom Monitoring and Management System: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA NetwOpen. 2024;7(9):e2433153. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.33153

Mooney K, Beck SL, Wilson C, Coombs L, Whisenant, M, Moraitis AM, Sloss EA, Alekhina N, Lloyd J, Steinbach M, Nicholson B, Iacob E, Donaldson G. Assessing Patient Perspectives and the Health Equity of a Digital Cancer Symptom Remote Monitoring and Management System. JCO Clin Cancer Inform. 2024 Jul;8:e2300243. doi: 10.1200/CCI.23.00243. PubMed PMID: 39042843

Nicholson, B., Sloss, E, Fausett, A., Davis, C., Dumas, K, Littledike, M., Mooney, K.  et al. Advancing Rural Access to the Cancer Hospital at Home Care Delivery Model: The Rural Huntsman at Home Experience. NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery: Vol. 5 Issue 3 | March 2024.

Nicholson, B., Moraitis, A., Wong, B., Echeverria, C., Mooney, K. Step Counts and Symptom Burden in Cancer Patients undergoing treatment. MASCC conference June 27, 2024.

Nicholson, B. Advanced care planning: the concept over time. Nursing Forum. 2021; 56: 1024-1028. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12631

Nicholson BL, Flynn L, Savage B, Zha P, Kozlov E. Palliative Care Use in Advanced Cancer in the Garden State. Cancer Nurs. 2023 Jul-Aug 01;46(4):E253-E260. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000001105. Epub 2023 Feb 7. PubMed PMID: 35398871.

Nicholson BL, Flynn L, Savage B, Zha P, Kozlov E. Hospice Referral in Advanced Cancer in New Jersey. J Hosp Palliat Nurs. 2022 Jun 1;24(3):167-174. doi: 10.1097/NJH.0000000000000845. Epub 2022 Feb 11. PubMed PMID: 35486912.

Sumin Park, PhD, RN

Program of Research: Dr. Park’s research interests lie in the physical and psychological health of patients with cancer and their family caregivers and social determinants of health, especially during the care transition period.

Sumin Park completed her PhD in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University in May 2022. Her dissertation primarily addressed the psychological aspects of distance caregivers, who live more than an hour away from the care recipient, of patients with cancer. The study findings highlighted that distance caregivers experience elevated burden due to caregiving, with contributing factors similar to those of local caregivers. Throughout her PhD program, Dr. Park worked as a graduate research assistant in several NIH-funded R01 grants involving patients with cancer and their family caregivers.

Dr. Park is the principal investigator of a mixed-methods study titled “The Impact of Multi-Level Social Determinants on Health Outcomes for Lung Cancer Patients and Their Family Caregivers During the Transition from Cancer Treatment,” funded through the Oncology Nursing Foundation (RE03, $50,000). Guided by the National Institute on Minority and Health Disparities Research framework, the study aims to more fully understand the caregiver’s social risks and resources from multi-level perspectives, including individual, interpersonal, and community-level social determinants of health.

Currently, she is involved in a project exploring caregivers’ discharge readiness for patient transitions from hospital to home. Additionally, she is engaged in a study addressing geographical health disparities among family caregivers in rural areas and establishing a community advisory board.

During the Family Caregiving Collaborative Postdoctoral fellowship training, Dr. Park isacquiring advanced knowledge and hands-on experience in community-engaged research, intervention studies, mixed-methods study, dyadic analysis, and grantsmanship under the guidance of exceptional mentors.

Faculty Advisor: Andrea Wallace, PhD, RN, FAAN; Alycia Bristol, PhD, RN, AGCNS-BC

Selected Publications:

Wallace, A. S., Bristol, A. A., Johnson, E. P., Elmore, C. E., Raaum, S. E., Presson, A., Eppich, K., Elliott, M., Brooke, B., Park, S., & Weiss, M. E (2024). Impact of social risk screening on discharge care processes and postdischarge outcomes: A pragmatic mixed-methods clinical trial during the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical Care, 62(10), 639-649. http://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000002048

Park, S., Douglas, S. L., Boveington-Molter, B., & Lipson, A. R. (2024). Aggressive end-of-life care and caregiver satisfaction for patients with advanced cancer. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 46(1), 19-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/01939459231213786

Park, S., Mazanec, S. R., Burant, C. J., Bajor, D., & Douglas, S. L.  (2022). Caregiver burden in distance caregivers of patients with cancer. Current Oncology, 29(11), 8967-8974.https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol29110704

Mazanec, S.R., Park, S., Connolly, M. C., Rosenzweig, M. Q. (2021). Factors associated with symptom distress in women with breast cancer prior to initiation of chemotherapy. Applied Nursing Research, 62, Online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2021.151515