Our research mission is a major focus. The diversity in expertise of our research faculty provides a broad foundation for our research objectives which include (1) the development of interdisciplinary scholarship teams that focus on collaborative discovery science in health promotion efforts in the aging population; (2) the development of new resources to aid in the procurement of future funding for research targeting healthy aging, and 3) the integration and promotion of current research into healthy aging practice.
| Faculty | Expert Area |
Barbara Ainsworth, PhD, MPH
|
Dr. Ainsworth’s expertise is in the assessment of physical activity, physical activity in minority women, environmental supports for physical activity; physical activity and chronic disease. It will lend strength to the protocol in each of these areas. Dr. Ainsworth has served as a co-investigator or consultant on numerous projects to promote physical activity in minority populations, including Latino (primarily Mexican heritage) and African American. |
Jeffrey Alexander, PhD,
|
Dr. Alexander’s research focuses on physical activity as a primary and secondary prevention of chronic diseases and resultant conditions, specifically among older adults. He also addresses physical activity as a means for the promotion of health-related quality of life and physical functioning among older adults with special attention given to strength training as an essential exercise mode for accomplishing these health objectives. Dr. Alexander is assessing the impact of harmonica playing on the respiratory muscle strength, health-related quality of life, and physical functioning of older chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients enrolled in pulmonary rehabilitation. |
Cheryl Der Ananian, PhD, MS |
Dr. Cheryl Der Ananian is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Exercise and Wellness at Arizona State University Polytech Campus. Her research focus is in exercise in Aging, with an emphasis on older persons with arthritis. She completed a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Gerontological Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago with Dr. Thomas R. Prohaska. She received her PhD from the University of South Carolina Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health and Masters of Science, Exercise Physiology from Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. |
Charlotte Armbruster, RN, MS
|
Health-related quality of life of older adults; Research Project Director for the Escalante Health Partnerships: Elder Care Coalition and Tempe Alliance for Community Health. |
Carol Baldwin, PhD, RN, CHTP, AHN-BC |
Dr. Baldwin’s mixed-methods research includes the bio-psycho-social and spiritual correlates of, and contributors to sleep disorders experienced by Latino/as across the lifespan; ways in which sleep disorders of Latino/as may impact other health problems, such as obesity, depression and cardiovascular disease; Latino family folk practices used for sleep disorders and ways in which they can be incorporated into conventional care to foster adherence; antioxidant intake, inflammatory markers and sleep disorders; and culturally relevant interventions for sleep disorders and associated chronic conditions. |
Michael Belyea, PhD
|
Dr. Belyea has been a statistician and co-investigator on numerous federally funded research projects, participating in the formation of the project, preparation of the proposal, management of the science, analysis of the data, and writing of articles and presentations. |
Suzanne Bushfield, PhD, MSW, BCD/LCSW |
Studies the challenges women face from significant life events across the lifespan. Her research focuses on end of life, cancer, care giving, and the role of spirituality as a source of resilience. Dr. Bushfield is also interested in the role of the interdisciplinary team in hospice care and pain management. |
Maurine Campesino, PhD, RN, PsyNP |
Bereavement, cross-cultural implications, cancer care, spiritual processes of healing. |
Evelyn Cesarotti, PhD, RN-C,
FNP, GNP |
Hospital and community based Falls Prevention Intervention Programs; management of patients with Alzheimer’s disease by Family Nurse Practitioners; Nurse Practitioner use of CAM in management of psychosocial symptoms in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. |
David W. Coon, PhD
|
Dr. Coon’s recent work has focused on a number of intervention projects with midlife and older adults including: the NIA funded REACH I and II projects, Chronic Care Networks for Dementia project sponsored by the National Chronic Care Consortium & National Alzheimer's Association, and an NIA funded planning grant designing a community-level HIV prevention intervention for midlife and older adults. |
Sandra Davidson, RN, MSN, PhD(c), CNE |
Sandra’s research and practice interests include reduction of inpatient delirium among elderly clients, use of light therapy in managing depression in elderly clients, program development and evaluation of innovative geriatric care projects, and chronic disease management in primary care. |
Shannon Dirksen, PhD, RN
|
Research on breast and prostate cancer survivorship, specifically the prevalence of treatment-related symptoms including insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, and depression and their impact on an individual’s quality of life. |
Bronwynne Evans, PhD, RN, FNGNA, ANEF |
Design and testing of interventions that impact nutritional status for older persons in long term care, well-being of older members of culturally and ethnically diverse populations, and recruitment and retention of culturally and ethnically diverse nursing students. |
Julie Fleury, RN, PhD, FAAN |
Research on motivational determinates of primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease; particular emphasis on community building for prevention in vulnerable populations. |
Victoria T. Grando, PhD, RN
|
Dr. Grando’s expertise is in Gerontology, Long Term-Care, Gero-Psychiatric nursing, and Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory. Her research focuses on conducting intervention studies aimed at improving the daily physical functioning of very frail post-hospitalized older adults who have been admitted to a nursing home. |
Judith Hightower, RN, MS, MEd
|
Research in older homeless women and alcohol use and misuse, coupled with certification in gerontology, and doctoral studies at the University of Arizona. |
Colleen Keller, PhD, RN-C,
|
Dr. Keller’s research projects have focused on the health status of older women, addressing exercise interventions for post-menopausal women and Mexican-American women, and broader topics such as the experience of coronary artery bypass surgery and cardiovascular risk factor status in Black women. |
Pauline Komnenich, RN, PhD |
Research focus is on informal caregiving of older adults in the home and in assisted living facilities, and exploring the use of integrative and systematic reviews and meta-analysis in focusing research priorities that are relevant to the needs of caregivers. |
Mary Mays, PhD |
Dr. Mays has expertise in research design, experimental methods, bioethics, data management, statistical analysis, and scientific writing. She is a member of the American Statistical Association and the American Public Health Association. |
Marianne McCarthy, PhD, RN |
Gerontology/geriatrics; influence of philosophical perspectives on clinical reasoning among nurses; delirium (acute confusion) in older adults; dimensional analysis in curriculum development planning. |
Morris Okun, PhD
|
Research on aging focusing on motivation to volunteer and determinants of volunteering. Current funded projects include serving as Co-PI on the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at ASU (Vince Waldron, PI) which is designed to engage older adults in intellectually stimulating activities and to embed them in campus life and serving as PI on the St. Lukes Health Initiative Key Explorer Partnership Grant which is designed to demonstrate the capability of older adult volunteers to model resilience skills for their less robust peer clients. |
Dana Rosdahl, PhD, RN, FNP-C |
Research on the effect of co-meditation on salivary cortisol and secretory IgA in terminally diagnosed individuals and their caregivers; spirituality, immunity, stress, and psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). |
Anna Schwartz, PhD, FNP, FAAN |
Dr. Schwarz’s expertise is in physical activity interventions for cancer patients and survivors to improve quality of life and reduce and acute and chronic side effects of cancer treatment (e.g., fatigue, bone loss, weight change). She is the author of “Cancer Fitness: Exercise programs for patients and survivors” (Simon & Schuster 2004) and is actively involved in disseminating this research to the general public. |
Kimberly Shea, PhD, RN |
Dr. Shea has 15 years of experience as a home health and hospice nurse. Her research combines her nursing expertise in care of chronically ill patients and a masters in nursing informatics. The innovative exploration of the influence of technology on relationships resulted in a NRSA funded for 3 years by NIH/NINR. Her dissertation, “Sociotechnical Influences on Outcomes in Telehomecare” which she recently defended Aug 4, 2007 will be presented at the National American Telemedicine Association conference in April. Her research uses Social Relations Modeling to examine the impact of technology on the relationship of social characteristics among patients, nurses and caregivers to self care outcomes in home health care. |
Nelma Shearer, PhD, RN |
Research focused on the development, testing, and refinement of the Health Empowerment theory and relevant theory-based interventions designed to promote the use of personal resources and social contextual resources with the ultimate goal of enhancing well-being in homebound older women. |
Johannah Uriri Glover, PhD, RNP |
Research interests include developing nursing interventions that which will address problems associated with activities of daily living in persons with dementia cared for by family members or nursing assistants. Currently, Dr. Glover has received state funding and a NIH subcontract, to conduct a feasibility study of implementing a warm lavender oil towel bath to promote sleep in community dwelling persons with dementia who experience sleep disturbances. |
Linda Vaughan, PhD
|
Research on the nutritional assessment of at-risk populations; measures that include anthropometry, biochemical analyses, and dietary assessment are used to evaluate the status of homebound and community dwelling elderly. A recent area of interest has focused on nutritional quality of food bank distributions in terms of quality rather than quantity of distributions. |
Vince Waldron, PhD
|
Examination of communication in personal and work relationships, with an emphasis on the communication practices of older persons, and the communication of forgiveness in long term relationships, use of communication technologies by older men and women, and the nature of social support in planned retirement communities. |
