Identify, Explore, and Address Your Area of Interest
As you begin your nursing program at the MGH Institute, you will identify a real-life, workplace challenge and as you progress towards your degree, you will design, implement, and evaluate an effective solution. Throughout your culminating project, a faculty mentor and experts in the field will help you implement evidence-based practices that will ultimately bring about meaningful change.
Collections of Student Projects & Scholarly Work
To provide a sense of what this experience will be like, here is a list of some projects completed by our scholars:
Angela Patterson, DNP, RN
Transition to Nurse Practitioner Practice in a Retail Clinic Setting: A Program Evaluation
Maureen Hemingway, DNP, RN, MHA, CNOR
An Exploratory Study to Assess Nurse’s Attitudes Towards Multidisciplinary Team Training
Cynthia Holle, MBA, DNP, RN
Filling Empty Seats: A Survey of CT Skilled Nursing Facility Directors of Nursing on Perceived Barriers, Incentives, and Readiness for Academic Progression
Christine Buckley, DNP
Compassion Fatigue in Special Care Nursery
Hasna Hakim, DNP, RN
Comparative Case Study to Evaluate Implementation Strategies for a Multi-Site Research Study
Timothy Quigley, DNP, MBA, RN, NEABC
Early Identification of Sepsis in an Emergency Department Setting Through the Use of a Computerized Decision Support System
Maria Ducharme, DNP, RN, NEA-BC
Influence of Nurse Leaders on Professional Practice Environment and Clinical Nurses’ Engagement in Essential Nursing Practices
Amy Fuller, DNP, WHNP-BC, RNC-OB
Facebook Inclusion as a Learning Tool in a Maternal/Child Health Course: A Feasibility Study
Antonia Makosky, DNP, MPH, ANP-BC
Creating an Inclusive Excellence Training Program for Clinical Instructors
Katie McDonough, DNP, APRN-BC
Standardizing Nurse Training Strategies to Improve Knowledge and Self-Efficacy with Tracheostomy and Laryngectomy Care
Maura McQueeney, MPH DNP NEA- BC
Interprofessional Management of Heart Failure: A Home Health Approach to Reduced Rehospitalization
Holly Randall, DNP, PMHCNS
Evaluation of Referral Process Using Refugee Health Screen-15 in Massachusetts A Quality Improvement Project
Lisa Swanson, DNP, MS, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE
The Relationship Between Social Network Position and Leader's Organizational Assessment
Kevin Whitney, RN, DNP, NEA-BC
Use and Perceptions of Nursing Peer Review: A Survey of Chief Nurse Executives
Podium Presentations
Jacqueline Dall (Associate Professor Elissa Ladd): Areas for Improvement in Postpartum Care for Indian Woman to Reduce Infant and Child Mortality
Stephanie Feely (Ladd): Incorporation of the therapeutic use of yoga in modern medicine and its relevance to healthcare in the United States
Brian Henry (Ladd): Burden of Disease, Causes, and Prevention of Traumatic Brain Injuries in BRICS Countries
Jennifer Winthrop (Ladd): Tuberculosis Management in India
Zoe Kostantinidis (Ladd): Cervical cancer burden In India: Current challenges and recommendations for future practice
Leslie Allen (Assistant Professor Rita Olans): Where are the Nurses in Global Health? An analysis of the role, contributions and visibility of Nursing in Global healthcare systems
Michelle Kelly (Instructor Susan Stevens): Interpreter Services in Mental Health Settings: Current Literature and Recommendations
Kathleen Duffy (Associate Chair Marjorie Nicholas): Lit Review: Impact of Language and Culture on Health Literacy among People Living with HIV
Sarah Ames (Professor Mertie Potter): Orlando’s Deliberative Nursing Process
Jane Falanga (Professor Margaret Beal): Is clonazepam use during pregnancy harmful to the developing fetus?
Jessica Karnell (Beal): Obstetrical and Gynecological Health Care Gaps for Deaf Women
Grace Watson (Associate Professor Janice Goodman): Undertaking a Systematic Review on Anxiety Disorders in the Postpartum Period
Jamie Isaac Jefferson, Shoshana Farber, Melanie Singer (Assistant Professor Katherine Simmonds): Unintended Pregnancy Prevention and Care Curricula for Nurses
Kathryn Levasseur (Simmonds): Roca Needs Assessment: Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Services to Young Women in Chelsea, MA
Jamie Hill, Jessica Haag, Kendra Demakis (Associate Professor Nancy Terres): Early identification of at risk neonates, standardization of NAS protocols and assessing barriers to follow-up care at Massachusetts General Hospital
Eileen Cottell, Maura Connors, Kelly DeSimone (Terres): Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Program at MGH: A Descriptive Report of the Effected Population
Disha Mistri (Olans): How To Teach Sex Ed: A Model Lesson Plan for 1st and 2nd Year Students
Hoa Tran (Olans): Sudden infant death syndrome and other sleep-related infant death in US in the past 30 years and its indications for practice
Mariyan Montaque (Olans): The Key to Student Success in School
Ivette Martinez (Assistant Professor Gail Gall): Quality Improvement Project for the Lynn Community Health Center’s Healthy Living Group (HLG)
Daniela Poles (Gall): The Unique Mental Health Needs of Unaccompanied Alien Children
Michaela McGuire (Assistant Professor Malinda Teague): Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Their Effects on Loved Ones: The Development of a Website Resource for Families and Health Care Providers to Improve the Experiences of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Julie Bordua, Talia Ossowski (Director Deb Navedo): Simulations for Adolescent Health: A Critical Review of Existing Scenarios for Health Professionals
Emily Skinner (Simmonds): Sexual and Reproductive Health Care: A scholarly project to investigate the role of nurse practitioner residency programs in addressing a needs gap
Erika Fernandez, Erin Bradley, Lindsey Champa (Potter): Women’s Health in the Dominican Republic: Empowerment and Risk Reduction through Education
Pedro Hernandez, Jennifer Bowen, Liv Larsen, Aurora Stevens (Potter): Best Practices in Global Health: As Witnessed in the Dominican Republic
Kimberly Henriques, Farah Desrosiers, Charlene Julien (Assistant Dean Patricia Lussier-Duynstee): Managing Chronic illness in the Homeless Patient
Christopher Mulvey (Assistant Professor Jason Lucey): Medically-assisted treatment for opiate use disorder: A literature review
Michelle Forbes, Ryan Hines (Lucey): Motivational Interviewing in Patients that Misuse Prescription Pain Medication
Teri Linardos, Gregory Flis (Associate Professor Ruth Lopez): Practice Guidelines For Palliative Sedation
Pravin Pant (Assistant Professor Talli McCormick): Meeting the Pain Education Needs of Primary Care Providers: The Development of an Online, Case-Based Learning Tool for Physicians and Nurse Practitioners
Lydia Southworth (Nicholas): Development of Educational Materials for Patients at Risk of HIV Acquisition
Kathleen Riordan (Assistant Professor Mimi O’Donnell): Can Pre-admission Cognitive Screening Predict Cognitive Decline After CABG?: Implications For Nursing
Alissa Vigil (Assistant Professor Alex Hoyt): Business Plan for a Student Health Center at the MGH Institute of Health Professions
Todd Karalius (Assistant Professor Eileen Searle): Potential Adverse Health Effects of Extreme Aerobic Exertion and in Endurance Athletes
Nora Basile (Professor Margaret Beal): Diagnosing and Treating Obstructed Defecation
Mary Grace Treschitta (Associate Professor Janice Goodman): Mind Body Medicine in Advanced Psychiatric Nursing Care
Rosemary Paine (Assistant Professor Nancy Baker): Yoga for Improved Sleep
Jessica Duncan (Duynstee): Lyme Disease: Exploring barriers to a timely diagnosis and the implications of delayed diagnosis
Poster Presentations
Mara Batzli (Beal): Certified Nurse Midwife Scope of Practice: Updates to the Nurse-Midwifery Professional Practice Index Scores, 2000-2015
Courtney Bendiksen & Joy Williams (Ladd): A Global Policy Analysis of Nurse Prescribing
Rye Blum & Courtney Kiestow (Lieba Savitt): Quality of Life Following Surgical Repair of Rectal Prolapse: Patient Experiences & Impact of Surgical Technique
Meredith Curtis (Lopez): Island infusion: satellite chemotherapy programs in geographically isolated areas
Laura Johnson (Beal): Improving breastfeeding rates among African American women: An analysis of professional and peer support breastfeeding promotion interventions
Elizabeth Juliand & Christine Roberts (Gall): Healthy Teenage Girls
Rolinda Mitchell (Duynstee): Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Concussion Evaluation, Management and Treatment Strategies for the Emergency and Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
Christopher Naitza (Gall): Resource mapping tool development for a community health center
Stephanie Nunes (Ladd): Evidence regarding the health benefits of relaxation and stress reduction has proliferated in recent years. Here, a therapeutic mind-body group that focused on the elicitation of the relaxation response is explored in terms of content, efficacy, and the writer’s first hand experience as an 8-week group observer and research assistant
Oladayo Oyedele & Morgan Johnson-Stockberger (Wood): The Expansion of Chikungunya: Establishing an Acute Intervention Algorithm
Christopher Reeves (Goodman): The Healing Hospital: A Theoretical and Evidence-based Review of Design Elements in the Acute Care Setting that Enhance Patient Health and Wellness
Elizabeth Sales (Associate Professor Patricia Reidy): Informal Breast Milk Sharing: Is Breast Really Best?
Karisa Son (Nicholas): Developing Teaching Materials for Global Nursing in the 21st Century Textbook
Melanie West (Gall): Implementing a Course on Providing Care for Patients with Limited English Proficiency
Benjamin Wright (Instructor Susan Stevens): Communicating bad news: Can improved delivery of new terminal cancer diagnoses reduce onset of psychiatric morbidities?
Corliss Kanazawa, BSN, RN and Cherman E. Pierre, LMHC, RN
Quality Improvement Initiative: Pilot Simulation of Buprenorphine Induction in the Emergency Department with Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Students.
Reader: Jason Lucey, DNP, RN, FNP
Tam Nguyen, RN
An Integrated Partnership Care Model for Older Adult Patients with Depression and Anxiety in Primary Care Settings.*
Reader: Kaveri Roy, DNP, RN
Sara Franke, RN
Barriers and Facilitators to Palliative Care Conversatins and Advanced Care Planning Communication in Patients with COPD: A Literature Review.*
Reader: Sarah Rossmassler, DNP, AGPCNP, ANP-BC, ACHPN
Brittan Morris, RN
A Scoping Review of Treatments for the Vegetative and Minimally Conscious States.
Reader: John Wong, PhD
Daniela Puorto, M.S. Ed, BSN, RN
Climate Change Explained Through Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System’s Theory:
A policy statement for pediatric providers.
Reader: Patrice K. Nicholas, DNSc, DHL (Hon), MPH, MS, RN, NP-C, FAAN
Martin Gustav Margolis, RN
Exploring the Benefits and the Risks of Combining Buprenorphine with Mutual-Support Groups for Opioid Use Disorder: Information for Nurse Practitioners.
Reader: Sheila Swales, MS, PMHNP-BC
Sarah E. Ziobro, RN
Exploring the Value and Feasibility of Near Peer Models for Clinical Education at the MGH IHP Impact Practice Center Among Advanced Practice Nursing Students.* Reader: Joan Parise, MS, RN, ANP-BC
Olivia Klenert, RN
Addressing the Need for COVID-19 Education Among Hispanic Populations.*
Reader: Antonia Makosky, DNP, MSN, MPH, ANP-BC
Margaret Su, RN
Taiwan, United States, and Brazil: Lessons learned from Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic.
Reader: Antonia Makosky, DNP, MSN, MPH, ANP-BC
*Indicates nomination for Herzlinger Award