Meet the inaugural cohort

Fellowship dates: July 1, 2020-June 30, 2023 

Kamila A. Alexander, Ph.D., M.S.N./M.P.H., R.N.

Associate Director, Ph.D. and Postdoctoral Programs
Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
Joint Appointment in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Kamila A. Alexander, Ph.D., M.S.N./M.P.H., R.N. (c) All rights reserved.Fellowship project: Place-based determinants of violence among Black young women in Baltimore

Self-selected mentor: Karin E. Tobin, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Program-appointed mentor (2020-2022): Peggy L. Chinn, R.N., Ph.D., DS.c.(Hon), F.A.A.N., Professor Emerita of Nursing, University of Connecticut

Program-appointed mentor: Carolyn M. West, Ph.D., Professor of Social, Behavioral and Human Sciences, at the University of Washington, Tacoma


Dawn M. Aycock, Ph.D., R.N., A.N.P.-B.C., F.A.H.A., F.A.A.N.

Professor, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions, Georgia State University

Dawn M. Aycock, Ph.D., R.N., A.N.P.-B.C., F.A.H.A., F.A.A.N. (c) All rights reserved.Fellowship project: Stroke counseling for risk reduction in young African American men

Self-selected mentor: Laura Salazar, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Ph.D. Program, Georgia State University School of Public Health 

Program-appointed mentor: J Taylor Harden, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., F.G.S.A., Visiting Professor, University of Texas Austin School of Nursing (Fellowship National Advisory Council member)


Fawn A. Cothran, Ph.D., R.N., G.C.N.S.-B.C., F.G.S.A.

Gail Gibson Hunt Research Director, National Alliance for Caregiving
Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing

Dates of fellowship participation: July 1, 2020 — Dec. 1, 2021

Fawn A. Cothran, Ph.D., R.N., G.C.N.S.-B.C., F.G.S.A. (c) All rights reserved.Fellowship project: Characterization of stress and resilience in African American/Black dementia family caregivers

Self-selected mentor: Ladson Hinton, M.D., Professor and Director of Geriatric Psychiatry, UC Davis Health

Program-appointed mentor: Donna Benton, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor of Gerontology, University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology


Lisa V. Duffy, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., C.P.N.P.-P.C.

Associate Professor, Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Amherst (as of September 2023)

Assistant Professor, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, Northeastern University (during fellowship dates: July 1, 2020-June 30, 2023)

Lisa V. Duffy, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., C.P.N.P.-P.C. (c) All rights reserved.Fellowship project: Therapeutic relational connection and telehealth

Self-selected mentor: Rachel Jones, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., Associate Professor, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, Northeastern University

Program-appointed mentor: Gail Powell-Cope, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., Director Emerita, Center of Innovation on Disability and Rehab Research and Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Center of Excellence, Veterans Administration (Fellowship National Advisory Council member)


Stephanie Gilbertson-White, Ph.D., A.P.R.N.-B.C., F.A.A.N.

Associate Professor, University of Iowa, College of Nursing
Director, Ph.D. in Nursing Program

Stephanie Gilbertson-White, Ph.D., A.P.R.N.-B.C., F.A.A.N. (c) All rights reserved.Fellowship project: Machine learning, multimorbidity, and symptom science: mobile app intervention development

Self-selected mentor: Keela Herr, Ph.D., R.N., A.G.S.F., F.G.S.A., F.A.A.N., Kelting Professor in Nursing, Associate Dean for Faculty, Co-Director of the Csomay Center for Gerontological Excellence, University of Iowa, College of Nursing

Program-appointed mentor: Holly Jimison, Ph.D., Joint Professor in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University


Jessica Keim-Malpass, Ph.D., R.N., C.P.N.P.-A.C., F.A.A.N.

Associate Professor of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, School of Medicine
University of Virginia School of Nursing

Jessica Keim-Malpass, Ph.D., R.N., C.P.N.P.-A.C., F.A.A.N. (c) All rights reserved.Fellowship project: Uncovering trajectories of illness for children with sepsis

Self-selected mentor: Joseph Randall Moorman, M.D., Professor, University of Virginia School of Medicine

Program-appointed mentor: Misha Pavel, Ph.D., Joint Professor in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University (Fellowship National Advisory Council member)


Sheridan Miyamoto, Ph.D., F.N.P., R.N., F.A.A.N.

Associate Professor, College of Nursing
Child Maltreatment Solutions Network
Principal Investigator and Director, Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth Center (SAFE-T Center)
Penn State

Sheridan Miyamoto, Ph.D., F.N.P., R.N., F.A.A.N. (c) All rights reserved.Fellowship project: SAFE-T system: sustaining and scaling nurse-led sexual assault care

Self-selected mentor: James Pietropaolo, M.B.A., Associate Director of the Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, Penn State

Program-appointed mentor (2020-2021): Antonia Villarruel, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., Professor and Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Fellowship National Advisory Council member)

Program-appointed mentor (2021-Present): Connie Mitchell, M.D., M.P.H., Deputy Director of the Center for Family Health, California Department of Public Health


Melissa O’Connor, Ph.D., M.B.A., R.N., F.G.S.A., F.A.A.N., F.C.P.P. (c) All rights reserved.

Melissa O’Connor, Ph.D., M.B.A., R.N., F.G.S.A., F.A.A.N., F.C.P.P.

Inaugural M. Louise Fitzpatrick Endowed Professor, Villanova University, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing 
Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing
Director, Gerontology Interest Group
Chair, Board of Trustees, Visiting Nurse Association of Greater Philadelphia

Fellowship project: Home health discharge decision support (HEADS-UP)

Self-selected mentor: Kathryn Bowles, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., F.A.C.M.I., Professor of Nursing and van Ameringen Chair in Nursing Excellence, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

Program-appointed mentor: Doug Busch, Chairman of the Board, Blue Shield of California


M. Rebecca O’Connor, Ph.D., R.N.

Associate Professor, Child, Family and Population Health Nursing
University of Washington School of Nursing

M. Rebecca O’Connor, Ph.D., R.N. (c) All rights reserved.Fellowship project: Implicit bias teaching protocol

Self-selected mentors: Butch de Castro, Ph.D., M.S.N./M.P.H., R.N., F.A.A.N., Professor and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, University of Washington School of Nursing and Kenya Beard, Ed.D., C.N.E., A.G.A.C.N.P.-B.C., A.N.E.F., F.A.A.N., President, K. Beard and Associates, LLC

Program-appointed mentor: Michelle van Ryn, Ph.D., L.M.F.T., M.P.H., Professor, Oregon Health and Science University, School of Nursing


J. Nicholas Odom, Ph.D., R.N., A.C.H.P.N., F.P.C.N., F.A.A.N.

Inaugural Doreen C. Harper Endowed Professor, School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Co-Director, Caregiver and Bereavement Support Services UAB Center for Palliative and Supportive Care

J. Nicholas Odom, Ph.D., R.N., A.C.H.P.N., F.P.C.N., F.A.A.N. (c) All rights reserved.Fellowship project: Implementing caregiver support in United States Cancer Centers

Self-selected mentor: Marie Bakitas, D.N.Sc., C.R.N.P., N.P.-C., A.O.C.N., A.C.H.P.N., F.A.A.N., F.P.C.N., Professor and Associate Dean, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Program-appointed mentor: Susan Reinhard, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., Senior Vice President and Director, AARP Public Policy Institute (Fellowship National Advisory Council member)


Schenita Davis Randolph, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., C.N.E., F.A.A.N.

Associate Professor, Duke University School of Nursing
Co-Director, Duke Center for Research to Advance Healthcare Equity (REACH Equity) Community Engagement Core 

Schenita Davis Randolph, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., C.N.E., F.A.A.N. (c) All rights reserved.Fellowship project: A nurse-led, family-based mobile application to promote health among Black male adolescents and young adults

Self-selected mentor: Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, Ph.D., R.N., M.P.H., C.P.H., F.A.A.N., Associate Professor and Faculty Lead, Population Health Research, Duke University, (Fellowship National Advisory Council member)

Program-appointed mentor: Christi Zuber, Ph.D., R.N., Founder, Aspen Labs, Adjunct Faculty, Northwestern University