Julie Fleury, PhD, RN, FAAN, Director, PhD in Nursing & Healthcare Innovation, Associate Dean for Research

Dr. Fleury conducts research on motivational determinates of primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease; particular emphasis on community building for prevention in vulnerable populations. Dr Fleury has received NIH and AHA funding for her work in community-based interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk in older persons. Dr. Fleury is the College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation endowed Hanner Professor of Nursing.

Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN, CPNP/NPP, FAAN, FNAP, Dean

Dean Melnyk’s focus is on interventions to enhance mental health outcomes in children/teens and parents experiencing stressful life events and transitions (hospitalization/critical care/prematurity/marital separation and divorce); interventions to improve mental and physical health in overweight teens, school-age children, and preschoolers at risk for obesity.

Bonnie Gance-Cleveland, PhD, RNC, PNP, Director,
Center for Improving Health Outcomes in Children, Teens, and Families

Dr. Gance-Cleveland brings many years of experience as a pediatric nurse practitioner in clinical, research, and academic settings. Her extensive publication record includes articles and book chapters on school-based health centers, motivational interviewing as a strategy to enhance families’ adherence to treatment regimens, faculty practice, and children with addicted parents. Her recent funding has focused on studies related to substance abuse prevention, school health, family-centered care of the infant toddler, and school-based obesity prevention.

Colleen Keller, PhD, RN-C, FNP,
Foundation Professor in Women’s Health
Director, Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence
Director, Center for Healthy Outcomes in Aging

Dr. Keller's main research interests are in physical activity, weight loss/obesity, cardiovascular risk reduction, and variables related to health behavior, especially as these issues relate to minority women and elders. She has taught courses on research methods, quantitative research methodology, health assessment, obesity in women, and mentorship.

faculty in alphabetical order:

Carol Baldwin, PhD, RN, CHTP, AHN-BC, Associate Professor, Southwest Borderlands Nursing Scholar

Dr. Baldwin’s research is (mixed-methods) on 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; anti-oxidant intake, inflammatory markers and sleep disorders; patient and provider perceptions of health and chronic illness management; culturally relevant interventions for sleep disorders and associated chronic conditions. 

Michael Belyea, PhD, Research Professor, Biostatistician

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 articles and presentations. He has also taught courses on regression, the analysis of experimental designs, longitudinal methods and analysis, and structural equation modeling.

Evelyn Cesarotti, PhD, FNP, GNP, Associate Professor

Dr. Cesarotti studies asthma in school-aged children; provision of primary care through school-based clinics; management of Alzheimer patient care by family nurse practitioners; nurse practitioner use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in management of psychosocial symptoms in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Shannon Dirksen, PhD, RN, Associate Professor

Dr. Dirksen’s research focuses on health outcomes among Hispanic women; theoretical modeling, path analysis; uncertainty management and insomnia management in women with breast cancer. Her recent funding has focused on studies related to insomnia intervention in cancer patients.

Pauline Komnenich, PhD, RN, Director, Evaluation
and Educational Research

Dr. Komnenich’s research focus is on informal caregiving of older adults in the home and in assisted living facilities. Her interests include research on the dyadic caregiving relationship exploring mutuality and reciprocity in successful caregiving relationships, resiliency of the dyad, interventions that enable caregivers to maximize use of resources, and tailoring interventions to the expressed needs of the dyadic caregiver-care receiver relationship. 

Denise Link, PhD, WHCNP, Director, ASU Health Center,
Clinical Associate Professor, Associate Dean for Clinical
Practice and Community Partnerships

Dr. Link’s research interests are outcomes of nurse practitioner care for women; cultural influences on decision making related to health promotion/disease prevention activities; NP applications of evidence-based practices/interventions; barriers to reproductive health care.

Kathy Malloch, PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN, Clinical Professor

Dr. Kathy Malloch is a recognized expert in leadership and the development of effective evidence-based processes and systems for patient care. Her expertise in the identification of organizational, clinical, productivity, and financial indicators / variables for the analysis and evaluation of futuristic healthcare systems engaged in evidence-based facility design has been useful to many organizations across the country.

Mary Z. Mays, PhD, Biostatistician

Dr. Mays advises faculty and students on research design, experimental methods, bioethics, data management, statistical analysis, and scientific writing. She has broad experience in basic and applied behavioral and biomedical research both as an investigator and as a biostatistician.  She has conducted research in areas ranging from animal learning to healthcare provider satisfaction.

Marianne McCarthy, PhD, Associate Professor

Dr. McCarthy specializes in gerontology/geriatrics; influence of philosophical perspectives on clinical reasoning among nurses; delirium (acute confusion) in older adults; dimensional analysis in curriculum development planning.

Kathie Records, PhD, RN, Associate Professor

Dr. Records studies the influence of physical and/or sexual abuse on childbearing outcomes, particularly labor, delivery, and postpartum. Cross cultural issues with childbearing women, the caregiving of adolescent mothers, and family variables pertaining to both of these areas. Instrumentation issues, particularly instrument development.

Anna Schwartz, PhD, FNP, FAAN, Professor,
Scottsdale Healthcare Chair of Nursing Research

Dr. Schwartz' research focus is on physical activity interventions for cancer patients and survivors to improve quality of life and manage acute and chronic side effects of cancer treatment (e.g., fatigue, bone loss, weight change); instrumentation development.

Nelma Shearer, PhD, RN
Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Hartford Center
of Geriatric Nursing Excellence

Dr. Shearer’s research is focused on the development, testing, and refinement of the Health Empowerment theory and relevant theory-based interventions designed to promote the use of personal and social contextual resources with the ultimate goal of enhancing well-being in homebound older women.  Dr. Shearer is also interested in the promotion of health literacy through the use of a theory-based Capacity Building Intervention (CBI), that builds upon the health empowerment theory. Dr. Shearer has received national funding for her work in theory development and testing.