Ora L. Strickland
PhD, DSc (Hon), RN, FAAN
Dean & Professor — Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Dr. Strickland has been a significant force for change and progress in nursing research, practice, and education for the past 50 years.
In the late 1970s, she spearheaded a movement that encouraged nurse researchers to focus on measuring and documenting outcomes of nursing interventions when she conceptualized, initiated, and directed the Measurement of Clinical and Educational Nursing Outcomes Project. Through this project funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Strickland mentored 195 nurse researchers from across the nation in developing and testing more than 200 nursing clinical and educational outcome measures and instruments. She also developed the Nursing Citation Index, which was subsequently integrated into the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), the leading nursing and allied health literature computer search engine.
Dr. Strickland’s extensive research contributions include having been the first person to document the existence of Couvade Syndrome in expectant fathers in the U.S. and their relationship with social determinants of health, paternal emotional state, and pregnancy planning. This research was featured in more than 80 major newspapers and 1,200 radio stations internationally.
As a consultant and co-principal investigator, Dr. Strickland assisted the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the design of the $346 million Women’s Health Initiative — a landmark study involving over 500 multidisciplinary
6 cnhs.fiu.edu
Member, Board of Directors — American Association of Colleges of Nursing
Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Developing new knowledge that is applicable and provides solutions for day-to-day health problems, as well as elevating the quality of people’s lives through better health, is a very powerful responsibility. As a clinician, researcher, and educator, I welcome every opportunity to guide the next generation of health professionals to reach their full potential and expand their capacity to effect meaningful, positive, and lasting change on the lives they will impact as excellent practitioners delivering quality healthcare services and as leaders who will shape the future of healthcare.
investigators that greatly expanded the knowledge base and approaches for women’s healthcare. She oversaw research and measurement methods to ensure they were culturally and age appropriate; set research policies; and monitored research procedures of the 40-site national study, which conducted post-menopausal research on 168,000 women over the course of nearly a decade.
Dr. Strickland is one of the founders of today’s National Institute of Nursing Research; was the first nurse to serve on the Advisory Committee to the Director of the NIH, and the first nurse member of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus Health Brain Trust; and she assisted in the writing of the first nurse practitioner practice act for her home state of North Carolina.
Dr. Strickland is frequently called upon as an internationally known expert in nursing research, measurement, evaluation, and maternal and child health and parenting. She has served as a distinguished visiting professor or lecturer at more than 35 leading universities and traveled to more than 45 countries to advise on research, leadership approaches, and health policy. In 1987, she traveled to the then-Soviet Union with a team of U.S. experts to advise
Premier Mikhail Gorbachev’s senior cabinet ministers on their approach to international openness and cooperation in healthcare; she assisted five African countries in the development of their nursing practice acts; and she served as the nursing consultant to Botswana where she advised on approaches to nursing education, practice, and licensure.
Dr. Strickland is the founding editor and was senior editor for 20 years of the Journal of Nursing Measurement the first measurement journal in the nursing profession. She also served on the editorial boards or review panels of several professional journals including Advances in Nursing Science, Nursing Outlook, Journal of Professional Nursing and the American Journal of Public Health.
She is a prolific author who has won ten American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Awards; contributed more than 100 measurement and research articles to professional journals; and has written or contributed to 30 books to date.
Dr. Strickland co-authored Measurement in Nursing and Health Research, which was the first measurement textbook in nursing. Her “Nurse’s Station”
column, which appeared weekly in The Baltimore Sun, won two health journalism awards.
Dr. Strickland was recognized early in her career for her outstanding contributions to nursing through her election to the American Academy of Nursing at age 29. Her contributions to nursing research were lauded when she was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame in 2016. And among her many professional distinctions, Dr. Strickland is proud of having been selected as a Kellogg National Fellow; an American Nurses Association Minority Doctoral Fellow; a Ford Foundation Doctoral Fellow; “Trailblazer Award” recipient and Institute of Excellence inductee by the National Black Nurses Association; and recipient of the Mary Elizabeth Carnegie Award from the Southern Council on Collegiate Nursing.
As a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Board of Directors, Dr. Strickland will draw on her lifetime experiences, working alongside academic peers to establish and maintain quality standards for nursing education for more than 850 public and private nursing programs across the country.
7 Annual Report 2021-2022
LEADERSHIP & RESEARCH “ “
Ensuring equitable healthcare has been the driving force for me as a professional nurse, pediatric nurse practitioner, and nurse scientist. This passion emerged from my earliest experiences in clinical practice at the bedside and later as a pediatric nurse practitioner working with children and their families who resided in underserved areas and experienced health disparities. It is my strong belief that the inequities in healthcare access and the resulting poor outcomes for children can be avoided by transforming education, practice, and research.
Dr. Thomas’ illustrious 40-year nursing career reached another milestone in July 2022 when she was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. She joins an elite group of only 270 nurse researchers worldwide who have achieved international recognition for research that has improved the profession of nursing and the people it serves.
Dr. Thomas is the College’s Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Endowed Chair in Prevention and Family Health. An award-winning nurse scientist with a background in epidemiology, she is an esteemed thought leader whose work has touched thousands of families, including survivors of sexual violence. Her research and community-engaged scholarship is built on 20+ years as a bedside nurse in hospital settings and a pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care clinics. Her work has a sustained impact on children, adolescents, and families by focusing on health promotion; HPV vaccination and cancer prevention; reduction of health disparities; access to care for sexual assault survivors in rural areas; and training nurse practitioners to serve in primary care clinics in rural and underserved communities.
Dr. Thomas has served as a principal investigator conducting more than 13 funded studies through grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Sigma
Theta Tau International, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and $7 million in awards from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, among others.
Over her academic career, she has published numerous manuscripts focused on research, evidence-based practice, and health policy while disseminating her research findings at nearly 120 international, national, and regional conferences.
Dr. Thomas’ national service includes roles as a scientific abstract reviewer for the Council on the Advancement of Nursing Science and for the NIH; a grant reviewer by invitation for the National Cancer Institute; and as an expert content reviewer for research proposals in several prominent nursing journals.
Dr. Thomas served for eight years as the only nurse on the National HPV Vaccine Round Table Steering Committee established by the President’s Cancer Panel and supported by the American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She currently serves as a member of the American Academy of Nursing’s Expert Panel on Children, Adolescent and Families providing input on health policy and nursing care standards.
Dr. Thomas is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
“ “ 8 cnhs.fiu.edu
Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences
PhD, RN, APRN-CPNP, FAANP, FAAN
LEADERSHIP & RESEARCH
Tami L. Thomas Associate Dean of Research & Faculty Development Director of the PhD in Nursing Program & Professor
Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame — 2022 Inductee
9 Annual Report 2021-2022
Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Endowed Chair in Prevention and Family Health
LEADERSHIP & RESEARCH
As an educator, nurse scientist, and healthcare provider, my greatest impact and strength has been in sharing my knowledge of the importance of lifestyle in the management of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive impairment. I give my students the knowledge and skills that I have as a professional and a researcher.
To my patients and community, I impart my knowledge to help them make informed decisions regarding lifestyle choices to improve their health.
Dr. Gaillard is a nurse scientist and career academic whose history of service through research endorses her recent appointment to one of three endowed chairs established for the College by the transformational gift in 2013 from Dr. Herbert Wertheim, which named the College.
She is the principal investigator of a $2.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Aging, to establish the Florida Statewide Registry for Aging Studies. Dr. Gaillard aims to increase the recruitment and retention of culturally diverse older adults for aging research by incorporating the influence of family members; increasing awareness of and willingness to participate in aging research; and implementing a statewide registry of older adults educated and ready to participate in aging research.
Dr. Gaillard also helped secure NIH funding for a related R24 project titled, “Meet ALEX: Agent Leveraging Empathy for eXams.” This work will explore mobile application impact on reducing health inequities related to clinical trial participation among racial/ethnic minorities, Spanish-language participants, and rural patients.
Dr. Gaillard has enjoyed a distinguished 40-year career that involves health disparities research, education, and mentoring students and junior faculty. She is a subject matter expert for her research examining ethnic differences in the development of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive impairment.
In April 2022, as part of the 20th-anniversary celebrations of the Network of Minority Health Research Investigators (NMRI), Dr. Gaillard received the Outstanding Contributions to NMRI Award presented by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
In addition to being a Fellow of the American Heart Association, Dr. Gaillard was inducted in June 2022 into the inaugural class of the UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Center for Brain Health Equity Fellowship. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that created a partnership with the National Black Nurses Association and National Association of Hispanic Nurses, the fellowship was designed to empower African American and Hispanic nurses with the knowledge and public health leadership skills to promote brain health in communities with a high risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
“ “ 11 Annual Report 2021-2022
I am very proud of having assembled an interdisciplinary team of researchers and clinicians to develop and test the integration of health information technology in dementia clinical care and caregiving. These talented investigators from multiple universities and clinical sites bring a wealth of knowledge spanning the fields of nursing, social work, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, geriatric psychiatry, neurology, and computer science. Collectively, they have conducted multiple studies focused on one common mission: to leverage technology to support people living with dementia, and their care partners, to live their best lives.
Dr. Brown is the College’s first-ever Erica Wertheim Zohar Endowed Chair in Community Mental Health. Her research focuses on the emotional health and wellbeing of older adults, especially those in cognitive decline, and their caregivers. Her goal is to support the choices of adults who want to age in place through personcentered care delivery.
She has been a licensed registered nurse for nearly 40 years, holding a gerontological nurse practitioner certification for almost three decades. Dr. Brown has earned national recognition and funding for her groundbreaking research in geriatric depression care, caregiver education, and service delivery, including funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health and National Institute on Aging.
Dr. Brown is currently co-leading a multidisciplinary research team on an NIH R01 project studying how families and memory centers can use technology to share information that will help them make better decisions about the care of adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. This
research is an expansion on the CareHeroes web and smartphone app she helped develop in 2013 to improve dementia care coordination between family caregivers and medical practitioners.
In 2021, Dr. Brown was recognized as a Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing by the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence. The accolade recognizes Dr. Brown for her skills as a nurse educator who shows exceptional competence fostering positive attitudes toward older adults in the next generation of nurses.
In 2011, the year she became a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Dr. Brown received the Academy’s Raise the Voice “Edge Runner” distinction for creating the TRIAD (Training in the Assessment of Depression) model that helps home healthcare nurses more effectively identify late-life depression in their patients.
Dr. Brown has served on multiple NIH Study Section, Center for Scientific Review Panels; she is a founding editorial board member for the journal Research in Gerontological Nursing; and is an editorial board member for the Journal of Applied Gerontology
“ “ 12 cnhs.fiu.edu
Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences
EdD, MS, RN, FAAN
Ellen Leslie Brown
LEADERSHIP & RESEARCH
Associate Professor — Graduate Nursing
Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing — Class of 2011
Erica Wertheim Zohar
13 Annual Report 2021-2022
Endowed Chair in Community Mental Health
PhD, ATC, PT, FACSM, FNATA Jeff Konin Director & Clinical Professor — Doctor of Athletic Training Program National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame — 2020 Inductee DISTINGUISHED FACULTY CLAIM TO FAME 14 cnhs.fiu.edu
Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences
ATHLETIC TRAINING
Dr. Konin is a 30-year veteran of athletic training who has staked a unique position of influence to advance the future of the discipline professionally and academically.
Early on, Dr. Konin was a full-time clinician working with elite athletes while simultaneously engaged in injury prevention, injury evaluation, and rehabilitation education and research. His clinical experiences included serving at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Centers and on the medical staff for the 1996 Olympic Games. During this time in his career, he helped create new techniques and special tests to assess acute sports injuries that led to his allied health best-selling book, Special Tests for Orthopedic Examination.
With a great passion to ask the important questions today that need to be
answered for tomorrow, the next phase of Dr. Konin’s journey was in higher education. He was responsible for launching athletic training programs at several universities, and his prolific scholarly writings focused on textbooks in the areas of proper documentation, leadership, management, and administration, which were the first of their kind.
Dr. Konin joined the College in 2019 as director of the Doctor of Athletic Training program, one of only eight in the U.S. and the first in the southeast. He made an immediate impact redeveloping the 16-course curriculum to focus on the areas of entrepreneurship, academic leadership, and international perspectives in athletic training practice.
Dr. Konin is a highly regarded expert and proponent of cannabis research and
education for healthcare providers. He serves as the chair of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Cannabis-Related Resources Task Force, and regularly speaks about the use of cannabis in sports and the care of active individuals in an effort to dispel the many myths surrounding its application. Such speaking engagements include invited lectures to the medical staffs of major universities and for professional sports teams.
Dr. Konin established a multidisciplinary initiative at FIU to spearhead evidencebased research and collaborative engagements for meaningful cannabinoid-focused studies. In early 2022, he hosted the first Cannabis in Sports Conference, which was designed to foster education and networking on the use of cannabis in sports to bear light on the proper use of cannabinoids as it relates to athletes.
CHAIR: Michelle Odai, PhD, LAT, ATC
DIRECTOR: Jeff Konin, PhD, ATC, PT, FACSM, FNATA DAT program
PROGRAMS:
Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT)
25% Hispanic 14% Black Non-Hispanic 46% White Non-Hispanic 4% Asian/Pacific Islander 11% Other
I have always gravitated toward “fuzzy edge” ideas that I feel can make a difference because opportunity, and ultimately success, does not come without risk. We live in a fast-paced world, and to be able to be successful in our profession and our life requires us to adjust on the fly and respond favorably to change.
Master of Science in Athletic Training (MS-AT)
AT Services Clinic 40% Hispanic 34% Black Non-Hispanic 20% White Non-Hispanic 0% Asian/Pacific Islander 6% Other 23.6 Average Age 74% Female 26% Male MS-AT Student Body Diversity 34.6 Average Age 54% Female
Male DAT Student Body Diversity
46%
INSIDE FIU ATHLETIC TRAINING ACCREDITATION: Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) 100% Graduation Rate (MS-AT) 91% Ultimate Licensure Pass Rate (MS-AT) 6 Full-Time Faculty 35 (MS-AT) 28 (DAT) 14 (MS-AT) 12 (DAT) Number of Graduates Student Enrollment (in and out of state) “ “ 15 Annual Report 2021-2022
Dr. Hough was inducted as a Fellow of the American Speech-LanguageHearing Association (ASHA) in 2012. This award represents a lifetime of scholarly and academic accomplishments that have enriched the field of communication sciences and disorders.
Dr. Hough has been a practicing, nationally certified speech-language pathologist (SLP) for more than 40 years specializing in the area of adult neurogenic communication disorders with emphasis on various components of neurolinguistics and neuropathology. Her specific expertise is in word retrieval and semantic organization and categorization skills in older and brain-damaged adults from strokes, traumatic brain injuries, and dementia.
Dr. Hough’s research examining linguistic and communication functioning of adults with neuropathological impairments, specifically the identification, assessment, and treatment of these deficits, has
generated over 85 publications and 400 presentations. She was a co-investigator on the College’s research team on an R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, to enhance interaction and communication skills in family-centered dementia care. As an educator, Dr. Hough has been in the university setting for the last 30 years developing clinical programs for graduate students from diverse backgrounds. She has taught masters and doctoral level coursework on aphasia, clinical management, motor speech disorders, research design, and cognitive-communicative impairments; and mentored over 250 students on graduate-level projects, theses, and dissertations. In 2019, Dr. Hough was awarded the Clinical Career Achievement Award from the Florida Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Dr. Hough has been chair of the FIU Department of Communication Sciences
and Disorders since 2011. Under her leadership, department outcomes have consistently shown close to a 100% rate of retention and graduation, as well as a 100% pass rate on the national PRAXIS exam among graduate students. She is also currently co-investigator of a $1.875 million U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration grant for Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students of the FIU SLP program through 2025.
Dr. Hough has previously served as an academic SLP site visitor and academic SLP board member for ASHA’s Council for Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. She was the program chairperson (2013), conference chairperson (2014), and currently serves on the steering committee for the annual Clinical Aphasiology Conference, which engages in the study and clinical management of persons with acquired neurogenic language disorders.
INSIDE FIU COMMUNICATION SCIENCES & DISORDERS
CHAIR: Monica Hough, PhD, CCC-SLP
PROGRAMS:
Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP)
Graduate Certificate in Communication Sciences & Disorders
Student Enrollment (in and out of state)
92
MS-SLP Program
123 Graduate Certificate Program
44 Number of Graduates
91% Graduation Rate
Student Body Diversity
97% Female
3% Male
98% First-Time Board Certification Pass Rate
100% Overall Annual Pass Rate
82% Hispanic
7% Black Non-Hispanic
8% White Non-Hispanic
1% Asian/Pacific Islander
1% Other
25.2 Average Age 7 Full-Time Faculty
1% Foreign Students
ACCREDITATION: Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
Conducting research has always been of interest to me because I enjoy solving problems. The research process is a clear example of deductive thinking, allowing the investigator opportunities to understand or implement procedures that will lead to novel answers to experimental questions. Because my research involves examining different aspects of the speech and language problems encountered by adults with communication disorders of neurological origin, understanding the human condition also drives me to investigate.
“ “ 16 cnhs.fiu.edu
Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Monica S. Hough
PhD, CCC-SLP
Fellow of the American Speech-LanguageHearing Association — Class of 2012
DISTINGUISHED FACULTY CLAIM TO FAME
COMMUNICATION SCIENCES & DISORDERS 17 Annual Report 2021-2022
Chair & Professor — Communication Sciences & Disorders
Chanadra Young-
EdD Mariceli Comellas Director & Clinical Assistant Professor — Master of Health Services Administration (MHSA) Program EdD, MPH/HSA, CHES Chair & Clinical Associate Professor — Health Services Administration Leading FIU HSA Up the Rankings DISTINGUISHED FACULTY CLAIM TO FAME 18 cnhs.fiu.edu
Whiting
Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences
What students learn from an educator should be what they take with them and build on in their academic and professional journeys. Which is why as an educator, ideas need to be innovative and continually changing with the times. — Chanadra
Young-Whiting
I have a moral, social, and ethical responsibility to the profession and the students we serve through the content we deliver by putting into practice what we’ve learned theoretically and practically from our peers who are researchers and industry leaders. — Mariceli Comellas
Drs. Young-Whiting and Comellas are the formidable pair behind the recent accolades for FIU’s Health Services Administration programs. These include the MHSA’s U.S. News & World Report #32 ranking among the top 50 public universities, and a #1 ranking by OnlineU.com for the Bachelor of Health Services Administration program.
Together, they have spurred departmentwide evolutions such as the development of a minor in Long-Term Care Administration; Quality Matters third-party endorsements of online coursework; transformation of the hybrid MHSA to an accelerated program; and launch of an integrated digital residency for students who work full-time.
Individually, each has made their impact as an academic influencer. Dr. Young-Whiting, one of Legacy South Florida’s Top Black Educators of 2021, has spent more than 15 years on the FIU HSA faculty. Her teaching
style combines politics, business, and science with managing the human and fiscal resources needed to deliver effective health services. Her research focuses on health services administration ethics and culture, healthcare education and promotion, healthcare finance, leadership in healthcare, and healthcare policy.
Dr. Young-Whiting’s scholarly catalog features more than 25 papers published, in press, or submitted. She served on the editorial board of the International Journal of Education and Human Development, and was an associate editor for the International Journal of Health, Wellness and Society. She is also an invited reviewer for the Journal of Health Promotion Practice and manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Health Education & Behavior.
Dr. Comellas, a health administrator who joined FIU in 2018, brings research experience ranging from cultural
CHAIR: Chanadra Young-Whiting, EdD, MPH/HSA, CHES
DIRECTOR: Mariceli Comellas, EdD • MHSA program
PROGRAMS:
competency in patient care to diabetes and cardiovascular care. Published in numerous journals, she is also a reviewer for the American Psychological Association, American Public Health Association, and American Medical Informatics Association.
Dr. Comellas led FIU’s MHSA faculty team in designing and hosting a webinar for more than 380 clinician members and affiliates of the American Hospital Association on the new telehealth models and their effects on healthcare organizations in the post-COVID-19 world. She also assembled an analysis in press with the Journal of Health Management titled, “Future Perspectives: HSA Workforce, Challenges, and the Changing Healthcare Landscape in the United States.” The results will provide insights into industry trends, labor availability, and the market potential for growing industry educational programs for public healthcare organizations and practitioners in the sector.
83%
17% Male
27.7Average Age
Minor in Health Services Administration 491 (BHSA) 182 (MHSA) 189 (BHSA) 80 (MHSA) 7Full-Time Faculty Number of Graduates 61% Hispanic 25% Black Non-Hispanic 5% White Non-Hispanic 5% Asian/Pacific Islander 4% Other 25.7Average Age 80% Female
Male BHSA Student Body Diversity
Hispanic
Black
White
Asian/Pacific Islander
Other
Foreign
Bachelor of Health Services Administration (BHSA) Master of Health Services Administration (MHSA)
20%
44%
31%
Non-Hispanic 9%
Non-Hispanic 7%
5%
4%
Students
Female
MHSA Student
Student Enrollment (in and out of state)
Body Diversity
HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
INSIDE FIU HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION “ “ 19 Annual Report 2021-2022
Dr. Holness’ dedication to the practice, instruction, and advancement of nurse-midwifery was evident since graduating in 1990 as Jamaica’s Top Nurse-Midwife caring for women in the country’s rural communities. Upon coming to the U.S., she became a certified nurse midwife and practiced from 1996 to 2019 at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, providing full-scope midwifery and gynecological services to high-risk women.
Her teaching career began in 2007 as an obstetrics lecturer and nursemidwifery program director before joining the FIU Undergraduate Nursing faculty in 2015. She has taught more than 500 students maternity nursing and nurse-midwifery management of childbearing women.
Dr. Holness’ international work to improve reproductive health is notable. As lead educator for the Dominican Foundation for Mothers & Infants, Dr. Holness worked with neonatologists, nurse midwives, and pediatricians on a year-long continuing education program to empower maternity nurses in the Dominican Republic. She volunteers one week annually providing full-scope clinical midwifery services at the Loma de Luz Hospital in Balfate, Honduras, and will do the same at Memorial Christian Hospital in Mahlumghat, Bangladesh.
She is also collaborating with University of Ghana professors to create an online learning experience for nursing and midwifery students there and at FIU to explore telehealth care to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes.
Dr. Holness and a team of expert researchers are working on an FIU Wallace Gilroy Nursing Research Endowment Grant to improve maternal health by addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant African American women. For another pilot study, she has partnered with FIU’s Biomedical Engineering Department on developing a specialized camera to view cervical collagen changes in pregnant women with threatened preterm labor to determine actual risks for preterm birth. She is also currently conducting qualitative research studying Jamaican adolescent mothers’ lived perinatal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Holness was inducted in 2022 as a Fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). She is the ACNM representative on the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative, for which she serves on the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health Fourth Trimester Committee. The Alliance launched the nation’s first patient safety bundle focused on perinatal care, reproductive health, and mental health for the 12-month period immediately after childbirth.
INSIDE FIU UNDERGRADUATE NURSING
CHAIR: Maria Olenick, PhD, FNP, RN, FAAN
PROGRAMS:
Generic Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
Accelerated Option (AO) BSN
RN-to-BSN Online
392 Student Enrollment (in and out of state)
97% Graduation Rate
234 Number of Graduates
91.86% First-Time NCLEX (RN Licensure) Pass Rate
22 Full-Time Faculty
Student Body Diversity
81% Female 19% Male
28.0 Average Age
68% Hispanic
13% Black Non-Hispanic
11% White Non-Hispanic
5% Asian/Pacific Islander
3% Other
ACCREDITATION: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
It is my desire to inspire and see learning taking place in an environment of discovery and passion. I am motivated by joy in acquiring that knowledge, imparting that knowledge, and building on that knowledge. I try to give everyone a voice for them to know that their lived experience is significant. Together we can build on that experience to make it worthwhile, practical, and livable.
“ “ 20 cnhs.fiu.edu
Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Holness
PhD, CNM, APRN, ANP-C, CNE, FACNM
Nola
UNDERGRADUATE NURSING
Clinical Assistant Professor — Undergraduate Nursing
21 Annual Report 2021-2022
Fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives — Class of 2022 DISTINGUISHED FACULTY CLAIM TO FAME
PhD, MSN, APRN, ANP/FNP-BC, CNE, FAANP Lucie Dlugasch Clinical Associate Professor — Graduate Nursing Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners — Class of 2021 DISTINGUISHED FACULTY CLAIM TO FAME 22 cnhs.fiu.edu
Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Dr. Dlugasch is a practicing nurse practitioner (NP) and educator who has pioneered learning strategies that are immersive, interprofessional, and use innovative technologies that bridge theory and practice to educate the next generation of advanced practice nurses.
Having joined the FIU Nursing faculty in 2007, Dr. Dlugasch developed the Technology Interprofessional (IP) Culturally Competent Education Program for the College in 2010. Over 700 students across five health programs participated in IP activities through virtual learning platforms, simulation, and clinical experiences that reflected the country’s growing racial and ethnic diversity. She was also co-principal investigator on a project to establish a simulation-based cardiovascular assessment curriculum that improved assessment and diagnostic reasoning skills in NP students.
INTERIM CHAIR: Rosa Roche, PhD, APRN, PPCNP-BC
INTERIM DIRECTOR:
Charles Buscemi, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, CWCN • DNP Program
CHAIR: Jorge Valdes, DNP, CRNA, APRN Dept. of Nurse Anesthesiology
INTERIM ASSISTANT CHAIR: Ann Miller, DNP, CRNA, APRN Dept. of Nurse Anesthesiology
PROGRAMS:
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Doctor of Nursing Practice — Nurse Anesthesia (DNP-NA)
The curricula for these projects were presented at national and international conferences and her research was published in Clinical Simulation in Nursing and Nursing Education Perspectives Her academic expertise and passion to bring theoretical content to life led her to co-author Applied Pathophysiology for the Advanced Practice Nurse, the first pathophysiology textbook written exclusively for NPs.
At FIU, she was the first faculty member to integrate observed structured clinical examinations, standardized patients, and virtual patient programs in the graduate nursing curriculum, which is now the standard. She also partnered with U.S. Southern Command and the Project HOPE global health education and humanitarian assistance organization to give nursing students valuable clinical experience working abroad on healthcare missions.
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Degrees & Post-Graduate Certificates:
Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
Family Nurse Practitioner
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Nurse Educator
Dual MSN Degree/Nurse Educator Certificate
Dual MSN/DNP Degree(s)
383 Student Enrollment (in and out of state)
With a specialty in adult-gerontology health, Dr. Dlugasch sits on the board of Assistance to the Elderly, Inc., serving as a clinical expert reviewing infection control policies for the nonprofit’s largest assisted living facility serving low-income Hispanic seniors. In her prior practice at Open Door Health Center, a clinic that provides free care to over 2,000 people annually whose income is 200% below federal poverty levels, she received an Avon Foundation grant to provide low-income women with free breast health services. She was also the director of a multi-year Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to provide community support, education, and selfcare programs for low-income, high-risk adults with type 2 diabetes.
For these and other achievements, Dr. Dlugasch was inducted as a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and awarded its 2021 Florida State Award for Excellence as a Nurse Practitioner.
190 Number of Graduates
86% Graduation Rate
19 Full-Time Faculty
Student Body Diversity
78% Female 22% Male
35.8 Average Age
50% Hispanic
22% Black Non-Hispanic
12% White Non-Hispanic
11% Asian/Pacific Islander
5% Other
ACCREDITATIONS: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE); Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA)
I became a nurse in the first place to care for patients. Which is why in all my years as an educator, I’ve maintained an active practice. Doing so helps relate to students and provides them with cutting-edge clinical practice information. This blend of practicing and teaching is what fuels me and is very gratifying.
GRADUATE NURSING
“ “ 23 Annual Report 2021-2022
INSIDE FIU GRADUATE NURSING
Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Dr. Glymph’s contributions to nursing practice and leadership were doubly recognized in 2021 when he was inducted into the inaugural class of fellows of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) and selected to be a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
These contributions first came to bear while serving with the U.S. Army Reserves, when he was awarded an Army Commendation Medal in recognition of his expertise in pain management during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. His experience as the sole anesthesia provider on a forward surgical team attending on the battlefield prompted him to join the first Doctor of Nursing Anesthesia Practice (DNAP) cohort at Virginia Commonwealth University, from where he graduated in 2010 as the first African American with DNAP credentials.
He now holds the rank of Colonel and is Deputy Commander of Nursing for the 7456 Medical Operations Readiness unit, planning and directing nursing care practices and activities serving thousands of U.S. soldiers.
From military service, Dr. Glymph transitioned to fighting the country’s opioid epidemic by championing professional development for all providers of pain management and opioid therapies. It has propelled
his 30 years of advocacy and research focused on reducing opioid use disorders, including recently obtaining a PhD in Nursing Science focused on Opioid Use Disorder and Treatment Programs.
A former governor-appointed member of the Florida Board of Nursing, Dr. Glymph led alliances with the Florida Boards of Medicine and Pharmacy to pass controlled substance prescribing requirements for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) under Florida statutes. Nearly 35,000 APRNs in Florida have completed this requirement since taking effect in 2016.
He is also a collaborator on a $2.5 million U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration grant directed at opioid responses for rural communities. For this project, he implemented the Safe Opioid Prescribing Strategies Micro-credential curriculum to ensure healthcare providers with prescriptive authority and nursing students are well-prepared in opioid pain management.
Dr. Glymph has been shaping the next generation of nurse anesthetists and advanced practice nurses through leadership in education, research, and clinical practice since coming to the College in 2011. He serves on the editorial boards of the AANA Journal, Journal of Nursing Regulation, and Current Reviews for Nurse Anesthetists.
INSIDE FIU PHD IN NURSING
DIRECTOR: Tami Thomas, PhD, RN, APRNCPNP, FAANP, FAAN
TRACKS:
Post-Master’s PhD in Nursing
BSN-to-PhD in Nursing
12 Student Enrollment (in and out of state)
1 Number of Graduates
19 Faculty/Dissertation Advisor Status
Student Body Diversity
36.8
Average Age
25% Hispanic
17% Black Non-Hispanic
17% White Non-Hispanic
8% Asian/Pacific Islander
33% Foreign Students
I believe my greatest impact is with my students; to see a Black man in this nursing profession demonstrates that they can also do it. I am passionate about lifelong learning, and being an example of this for my students can transform their perspectives.
58% Female 42% Male “ “ 24 cnhs.fiu.edu
Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology — Inaugural Class of 2021
Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing — Class of 2021
Derrick
PhD, DNAP, CRNA, APRN, COL. USAR, FAANA, FAAN
Clinical Associate Professor — Graduate Nursing
GRADUATE NURSING
Glymph
25 Annual Report 2021-2022
DISTINGUISHED FACULTY CLAIM TO FAME
PhD, OT/L, FAOTA
Lynne Richard
Chair & Clinical Associate Professor — Occupational Therapy
Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association — Class of 2022
26 cnhs.fiu.edu
DISTINGUISHED FACULTY CLAIM TO FAME
Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Dr. Richard’s 45-year commitment to the occupational therapy (OT) profession encompasses leadership excellence in practice, teaching, research, and service.
Her foray into OT began as a clinician for the voluntary inpatient psychiatric unit at the predominantly minorityserving Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield, New Jersey. Dr. Richard developed an acute care program focused on the evaluation and implementation of client-centered activities to assist in their successful return to the community.
After a decade, Dr. Richard transitioned into adult rehabilitation working with individuals with physical and/or cognitive impairments including neurological, orthopedic, cardiac, cognitive-behavioral, and gerontological limitations.
The call to academics began in the hospital setting, where she was also a primary supervisor for OT students and later became coordinator for OT student fieldwork hospital-wide. By the turn of the millennium, Dr. Richard had earned tenure at a public university in New Jersey.
Since joining the FIU Occupational Therapy faculty in 2013, Dr. Richard has taught 11 distinct courses and interacted with more than 550 master’s students. She quickly rose to leadership positions in the department, first as interim chair and then chair. Under this combined time, she has led initiatives
that revised the curriculum and provided increased student support, faculty development, and holistic admissions. In 2018, she successfully led the FIU OT reaccreditation process to meet all Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education standards, culminating with a 10-year reaccreditation — a first for the department. In 2020, Dr. Richard secured a $1.8 million workforce diversity grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to award scholarships to disadvantaged FIU OT students over the next five years.
Dr. Richard’s accomplishments in research and scholarship include 14 peer-reviewed publications, two book chapters, and one book. She is currently the associate editor of Physical and Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics. She has overseen 20 research projects completed in collaboration with students, many resulting in published and presented work at the state, national and international levels. She has also been principal investigator for three funded research grants and two training grants.
Dr. Richard became a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in 2022. She has served several terms as a representative to the AOTA Representative Assembly; on AOTA’s Emerging Leaders Development Committee; and on the scholarship and development committees of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation.
CHAIR: Lynne Richard, PhD, OT/L, FAOTA
PROGRAM: Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MS-OT)
144 Student Enrollment (in and out of state)
50 Number of Graduates
98% Graduation Rate 100% First-Time Pass Rate
9 Full-Time Faculty
Student Body Diversity
58% Hispanic 10% Black Non-Hispanic
25.0 Average Age
22% White Non-Hispanic
6% Asian/Pacific Islander
3% Other
1% Foreign Students
ACCREDITATION: Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)
“ “ 27 Annual Report 2021-2022
I am fortunate to have discovered and chosen to be an occupational therapist. It has inspired and nurtured my lifelong professional career in service to others and to the profession. Here at FIU, our amazing OT faculty prepare our students to thrive in our special vocation. The diversity of our program prepares graduates to care for all who need us.
89% Female 11% Male OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
INSIDE FIU OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Dr. Vieira has been a member of the FIU Physical Therapy faculty since 2010 and is an authority noted for his lines of study addressing the older adult community.
His expertise is in risk assessment and prevention of aging-related mobility impairments, fatigue, frailty, and falls in older adults from minority populations. His extensive research and programs developed in this area — funded by agencies such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Administration for Community Living, and the Florida Department of Health — aim to help older adults stay functionally independent by optimizing mobility and preventing frailty, falls, and related injuries.
Because of this proficiency, Dr. Vieira was invited to become an expert reviewer for the CDC’s Special Emphasis Panel: Research Grants to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Physical Therapybased Exercises and Movements Used to Reduce Older Adults Falls. He is also an appointed reviewer for the Switzer Research Fellowship Program of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Vieira’s body of work to identify and address fall-related aspects of functional decline has led to many working partnerships with academic
institutions from Brazil and Canada. He has also supervised several international doctoral and postdoctoral students, and visiting professors. His research has extended to other areas of older adult health, as evidenced by the 2018 Wertheim Innovation Opportunity Endowment Fund award for his research on diet and exercise interventions in older Hispanics with diabetes; a feasibility study on OTAGO exercise programs for seniors with Parkinson’s disease; and a project collaboration with a Spain-based international new product development company studying physiotherapy combined with robotics to improve quality of life.
Dr. Vieira is currently editor-in-chief of the journal Physical & Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics. A prolific writer, he has published more than 140 peer-reviewed papers in national and international scientific journals, which have been cited almost 6,000 times. His article, “Depression in older adults: screening and referral,” in the American Physical Therapy Association’s Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, was one of the top five viewed articles in 2018. And his article titled, “Prevalence, age-related trends, and functional limitations of various types of arthritis in the U.S. population,” was recognized as Best Paper of the Year in the American Journal of Public Health
INSIDE FIU PHYSICAL THERAPY
CHAIR: Mark D. Rossi, PhD, PT, CSCS
PROGRAM: Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
182 Student Enrollment (in and out of state)
56 Number of Graduates
100% Graduation Rate
90% First-Time Licensure Pass Rate
95% Ultimate Licensure
11 Full-Time Faculty
24.7 Average Age
39% Hispanic
10% Black Non-Hispanic
35% White Non-Hispanic
10% Asian/Pacific Islander
5% Other
1% Foreign Students
Student Body Diversity “ “ 28 cnhs.fiu.edu
ACCREDITATION: Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
As a researcher, I’m driven and motivated to identify and answer questions that help advance the field and contribute to people’s quality of life and healthy aging in the community. As an educator, I like to stimulate critical thinking and encourage students to seek advanced degrees and contribute to the science of physical therapy, injury prevention, and rehabilitation.
Pass Rate
59% Female 41% Male
DISTINGUISHED FACULTY CLAIM TO FAME
Dr. Vanessa Von Wertheim Endowed Chair in Chronic Disease Prevention and Care
PhD, CDCES, FAHA
PhD,
