school of nursing research

Faculty Researcher: 

Christine Hoch, PHD, RN, ACNS-BC – Assistant Professor

Heart Failure symptoms significantly impact patients’ quality of life, often hindering their ability to perform daily tasks and maintain social relationships. Understanding the underlying mechanisms can lead to better management strategies and interventions, ultimately improving patient outcomes and reducing health burden. Dr. Hoch is focusing her research on the symptom of fatigue with a specific interest in cellular bioenergetics.

Faculty Researcher:

Lauren Covington, PhD, MS, RN – Assistant Professor

Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is a conduit by which to address health inequities. CBPR involves communities directly in the research process so that interventions are tailored to the community’s specific needs and are contextually and culturally relevant. As such, Dr. Covington and team are engaging with Delaware school nurses to address statewide pediatric health inequities. Through hosting annual statewide professional development days to address school nurse knowledge gaps, meeting monthly with a team of pediatric researchers and school nurses/nurse leaders from different districts and applying for a variety of funding mechanisms, we are collaboratively moving forward to address top priorities and barriers to pediatric health equity in the state.

Faculty Researcher:

Kathleen Brewer-Smyth, PHD, RN, MSN, CRRN, FAAN - Professor

Dr. Brewer-Smyth’s program of research focuses on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), abuse throughout the lifespan, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis salivary cortisol regulation, and neurological dysfunction, especially traumatic brain injury (TBI) and associated high risk behaviors and health outcomes later in life. She and her collaborators have published on how these variables are associated with mental and general health, adult obesity, sleep, HIV risk behaviors, alcohol misuse, suicide attempts, homicide, and other violent behaviors in populations at risk, including female prison inmates and homeless women. Her team has shown that supportive faith-based environments and higher forgiveness scores are associated with healthier bio-behavioral outcomes for female survivors after abuse and other trauma. Her work has been supported by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Foundations including the University of Delaware Research Foundation (UDRF).

She is the author of Adverse Childhood Experiences: The Neuroscience of Trauma, Resilience and Healing throughout the Life Course, published by Springer Nature that won four American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Book of the Year Awards. (1st place in Community/ Home Health, Creative Works, and Psych/ Mental Health and 3rd place in Consumer Health). 

Faculty researcher:

Xiaopeng Ji, PhD, MSN, MA, RN – Associate Professor

Poor sleep and circadian health impair daytime function as well as neurocognitive, mental and cardiometabolic health among adolescents and young adults. Implementing evidence-based sleep interventions, scalable from clinical to population venues, is essential to ameliorate chronic health conditions and promote well-being. Dr. Ji's program of research integrates artificial intelligence technologies with a community-based participatory approach to develop personalized and interactive sleep interventions, thus enhancing the quality and speed of the research translational process.

Faculty Researcher: 

 Elizabeth Speakman, EdD, RN, FNAP, ANEF, FAAN - Senior Associate Dean, School of Nursing

The UD-Bayhealth Scholars Project addresses critical clinical and workforce challenges by piloting an innovative model of academic-practice partnership. This research examines whether nursing students who complete immersive, year-long clinical placements at a single institution (Bayhealth) demonstrate stronger clinical knowledge, judgment, resilience, and readiness for practice compared to traditional multi-site models. Through structured mentorship by Bayhealth-employed Faculty Clinical Scholars and targeted post-graduation support, this system aims to enhance new nurse transition, improve retention, and build a sustainable future pipeline of nursing faculty, particularly within non-academic health centers. By strengthening academic-practice collaboration, the project advances the development, dissemination, and implementation of new systems and models of care to better meet workforce demands.

Faculty Researcher:

Heiddy DiGregorio, PhD, APRN, PCNS-BC, CHSE, CNE - Director, Simulation and Interprofessional Education

Simulation-based research serves as a powerful catalyst for innovation in healthcare education, driving the exploration of advanced teaching and learning methodologies. At its core, simulation facilitation plays a pivotal role in ensuring learners engage meaningfully with simulated experiences, fostering clinical reasoning and evidence-based decision-making.

Dr. DiGregorio and the Center for Simulation Innovation, Interdisciplinary Education, and Entrepreneurship (CSIIDEE) are committed to advancing research and scholarship that align with best practices and drive simulation excellence forward. Their work focuses on evidence-based facilitation strategies, equipping simulation educators with the tools necessary to deepen learning and enhance skill acquisition.

To sustain these initiatives, securing grant funding is essential. Multiple organizations support the advancement of simulation-based research and scholarship, providing resources to refine methodologies, integrate emerging technologies, and contribute meaningfully to the broader field of healthcare education. By strategically leveraging these funding opportunities, CSIIDEE continues to pioneer advancements in simulation pedagogy, ensuring its lasting impact on interdisciplinary healthcare training.