The mentorship I received from MUSC faculty was instrumental in the publication focused on COPD and palliative care.
Palliative Care Research and Innovation
As the Mary Swain Endowed Chair in Palliative Care Health, Dr. Kathleen Lindell shines a light on the importance of nurses having a seat at the table and engaging directly with the critical work of palliative care. She is intricately involved with palliative care research, education, practice and strategy being done both at MUSC College of Nursing and on a national level. Under her mentorship, both faculty and students are inspired to pursue new avenues of collaboration and research in palliative care.
Pat Coyne, MSN, ACHPN, ACNS-BC, FAAN, FPCN, explains why embracing compassion is essential in palliative care.
Research Faculty Interests
Our Palliative Care Research Faculty focuses on advancing compassionate and evidence-based care.
Kathleen O. Lindell, Ph.D., RN, ATSF, FAAN
Chair & Professor, Department of Nursing
Mary Swain Endowed Chair in Palliative Care
Kathleen Oare Lindell, Ph.D., RN, ATSF, FAAN is an professor and the Mary Swain Endowed Chair in Palliative Care Health in the College of Nursing in the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) with joint appointments in the College of Medicine and College of Health Professions. She is a graduate of the St. Francis General Hospital Professional School of Nursing (Diploma RN), and the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing (BSN, MSN - Pulmonary Specialty, and Ph.D.).
Dr. Lindell worked at the PENN Lung Center as a Pulmonary Clinical Nurse Specialist (PCNS) where she participated in development of evidence-based programs to advance the respiratory health of patients with lung disease ultimately impacting their ability to breathe. In 2000, she became the PCNS at the inaugural University of Pittsburgh Dorothy P. & Richard P. Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Disease at UPMC where she led the patient education and support group for patients and their caregivers focused on improving their quality of life. After obtaining her Ph.D., she became the executive director of the SUPPORT program, received NIH, foundation, and intramural funding, and continued her research focus toward promoting palliative care knowledge and preparedness to improve the quality of life for patients with advanced lung disease, specifically Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and their family caregivers.
Sarah Miller, Ph.D., RN
Assistant Dean, Ph.D. Nursing Science Program
Professor, Nursing
Dr. Sarah N. Miller is a recognized nurse scientist and leader specializing in respiratory symptom science and chronic disease management. Her research focuses on developing clinically translatable, nurse-led interventions to address compromised respiratory function and improve health outcomes for individuals with chronic respiratory diseases, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Her work emphasizes improving healthcare access and outcomes for individuals in rural areas.
Teresa Kelechi, Ph.D., RN, FAAN
Associate Dean for Research & Ph.D. Studies, College of Nursing
Program Director for Recruitment, South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute SUCCESS Center
Professor and David & Margaret Clare Endowed Chair, College of Nursing
Dr. Kelechi is a gerontological clinical nurse specialist, certified wound care nurse, and nurse scientist. Her research focuses on the development, evaluation and implementation of self-management interventions to improve wound healing outcomes in populations with chronic conditions and stress reduction interventions in older caregivers.
Diana Layne, Ph.D., RN
Associate Professor, Nursing
Dr. Diana Layne, PhD, RN, CPHQ, a graduate of MUSC's College of Nursing Ph.D. program and, specializes in caregiving research. Her focus spans professional and family caregivers, initially exploring negative behaviors in healthcare settings and later expanding to faculty and student experiences.
From 2021-2023 she was a SC Clinical and Translational Research Institute (SCTR) KL2 scholar and adapted an existing nurse-led palliative care intervention for use with Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers.
She has participated in numerous dementia clinical trials training programs including the 2021 cohort of the Palliative Care Research Cooperative (PCRC) Clinical Trials Training program as well as the 2022-2023 cohort of Center for Aging and Serious Illness (CASI) Dementia Palliative Care Clinical Trials Training program.