Ph.D. Faculty

Tatiana Davidson
Ph.D.

Bibliography

Research Interests
Improving Mental Health Care Access and Quality: Developing solutions to enhance care for trauma-affected populations.

Funded Projects
Implementing Evidence-Based Interventions: Promoting adoption and sustainability of trauma-focused interventions in health care settings.
Digital Health Innovations: Leveraging technology to expand access and improve mental health outcomes

Hannah Espeleta
Ph.D.

Bibliography

Research Interests
Trauma, maltreatment and abuse
Prevention and health promotion
Implementation science
Access to care; Integrated behavioral health
Technology-enhanced interventions

Teresa Kelechi
Ph.D., RN, FAAN

Bibliography

Research Interests
Genomics of loneliness
Chronic wound prevention
Symptom self-management
Caregiving science
Study participant recruitment

Accepting Ph.D. students
Dr. Kelechi is accepting new Ph.D. students.

Diana Layne
Ph.D., RN

Bibliography

Research Interests
Dr. Layne's research interests are centered around caregiving, with a focus on healthcare workforce dynamics and palliative care for Alzheimer's disease. Her early scholarship investigates the experiences of healthcare professionals with negative behaviors such as bullying and incivility.

Kathleen Lindell
Ph.D., RN, ATSF, FAAN
Mary Swain Endowed Chair in Palliative Care

Bibliography

Research Interests
Palliative Care
Advanced Lung Disease
Caregiving Science

Centers and Programs
Palliative Care

Accepting Ph.D. students
Dr. Lindell is accepting new Ph.D. students.

Sarah Miller
Ph.D., RN

Bibliography

Research Interests
Clinical trials
Chronic respiratory diseases (COPD and asthma)
Rural Health
Palliative Care in COPD
Airway defense mechanisms (cough and swallow)
Symptom perception and self-management
Behavioral change interventions
Intervention development

Shannon M. Phillips
Ph.D., RN, Alumnus CCRN

Bibliography

Research Interests
Access to quality care for individuals living with sickle cell disease
Self-management interventions using mHealth delivery
Implementation of guideline-based care for sickle cell disease; barriers and facilitators to access to care

Leigh Ridings
Ph.D.

Bibliography

Research Interests
Child traumatic stress
Parent/caregiver mental health after traumatic events
Digital mental health interventions
Pediatric healthcare settings
Improving service access

Ken Ruggiero
Ph.D.
SmartState Endowed Chair of the Technology Applications Center for Healthful Lifestyles (TACHL)

Bibliography

Research Interests
Leveraging technology to improve access and quality of behavioral health care via scalable and sustainable interventions

Kheri Wandji
Ph.D., MSN, MBA, NEA-BC, PMHRN-BC, CNL, VHA-CM

Research Interests
prevention and treatment of Substance Use Disorders (SUD) in the rural South, Global Health Research, particularly in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as sickle cell disease and behavioral health, and the impact of Climate Change on the Population Health, with an emphasis on the Global South and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular.