Patrice K. Nicholas, DNSc, DHL (Hon.), MPH, RN, NP-C, FAAN
- Distinguished Teaching Professor and Director
- Center for Climate Change, Climate Justice, and Health
- Nursing
Dr. Patrice K. Nicholas completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing at Fitchburg State University, and a Master of Science in Nursing degree, and a Doctor of Nursing Science degree at Boston University. From 1996-1999, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health focusing her research on symptom management in HIV disease and global health and completing a Master of Public Health degree in International Health. In May 2010, Dr. Nicholas received a Doctor of Humane Letters degree Honoris Causa from her alma mater, Fitchburg State University. In 2007, she was selected as a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of KwaZulu-Natal focusing on adherence to HIV and TB medications. In 2008, she was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Dr. Nicholas is a Distinguished Teaching Professor in the School of Nursing, teaching in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, and was actively involved in the curriculum redesign of the DNP program. From 2006- 2019, Dr. Nicholas served as Director of Global Health and Academic Partnerships at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she also co-led the efforts in their successful American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet journey. She has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts, two texts, and many invited and peer-reviewed presentations including several manuscripts on climate change, climate justice and climate-related health consequences. Dr. Nicholas serves as director of the MGH Institute of Health Profession’s newly launched Center for Climate Change, Climate Justice, and Health.
- Certificate in Climate and Health, Yale School of Public Health, 2019
- Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa), Fitchburg State University, 2010
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, Harvard School of Public Health, 1996-1999
- Master of Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 1999
- Doctor of Nursing Science, Boston University, 1989
- Master of Science in Nursing, Boston University, 1982
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Fitchburg State University, 1977
Research Interests
Dr. Nicholas' scholarship and research efforts have focused on global health issues; HIV symptom management and quality of life; and climate change, climate justice, and health. She has published research and policy papers in these areas and has been funded as a Fulbright Senior Scholar in South Africa at the University of KwaZulu-Nata for a research and teaching award. Most recently, she leads the Center for Climate Change, Climate Justice, and Health at the MGH Institute of Health Professions.
Climate Change-Related Publications (Research, Clinical, and Policy)
(Data-based *; Peer-reviewed +)
+Bernhardt, J., Tagliareni, E., Sipe, M., O’Brien, L., Donati, C., Evans, L. A., & Nicholas, P. K. (In press, 2022). Nursing education leadership in the advancement of a center for climate change. Journal of Nursing Education.
*+White, B. P., Breakey, S., Brown, M. J., Fanuele, J. R., Tarbet, A., & Nicholas, P. K. (In revision, 2022). Mental health impacts of climate change among vulnerable populations globally: An integrative review. Annals of Global Health.
+Simmonds, K., Breakey, S., & Nicholas, P. K. (2022). Educating nurse practitioners about climate change, health, and climate justice. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 18, 429-433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2021.10.006
*+McKinnon, S., Breakey, S., Fanuele, J. R., Kelly, D., Eddy, E. Z., Tarbet, A., Nicholas, P. K., & Viamonte Ros, A. (2022). Roles of health professionals in addressing health consequences of climate change in interprofessional education: A scoping review. Journal of Climate Change and Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joclim.2021.100086
*+Simmonds, K. K., Jenkins, J., White, B., Nicholas, P. K., & Bell, J. J. (2022). Health impacts of climate change on gender diverse populations: A scoping review. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 54, 81-91. doi: 10.1111/jnu.12701
+Nicholas, P. K., Evans, L. A., Albert, M., Kelly, D., & Michelson, N. (2022). The nurse practitioner’s role in addressing chronic sequelae of Lyme disease as a climate change related disease. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 34, 579-585. DOI# 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000670
[Received the 2022 APEX Award for Publication Excellence in the Category of Climate Change and Health]
+Sabo, K., Starodub, R., Smoller, S., Quinn, L., Kelly, D., Flaherty, K., & Nicholas, P. K. (2022). Occupational heat stress: An overview for nurse practitioners. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 34, 597-603.
+Nicholas, P. K., Evans, L. A., Pusey Reid, E., & Gona, C. (2021). The intersection of climate change and health: An explication of the Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. Witness: Canadian Journal of Critical Nursing Discourse, 3 (2). https://doi.org/10.25071/2291-5796.114
+Nicholas, P. K., Breakey, S., Tagliareni, E., Simmonds, K, & Sabo, K. (2021). Climate change and population health: Incorporating stages of nursing’s political development. Nursing Outlook, 69(1), 65-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2020.08.001
*+Zang, S.M., Benjenk, I., Breakey, S., Pusey-Reid, E., B, & Nicholas, P.K. (2021). The intersection of climate change with COVID-19. Public Health Nursing, 38(2):321-335. doi: 10.1111/phn.12866.
+Nicholas, P.K., Breakey, S., McKinnon, S., Zeman Eddy, E., Fanuele, J., & Starodub, R. (2021). A CLIMATE: A framework for assessment of climate-change related health consequences in the emergency department. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 47(4),532-542.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jen.2020.10.
+Nicholas, P. K., Breakey, S., & Blank, P. (2020). Health consequences of climate change in older adults. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners,16, 433-437.
+Brown, M. J., White, B. P., & Nicholas, P. K. (2022). Mental health impacts of climate change: Considerations for nurse practitioners. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 18, 359-363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2021.07.013
+Nicholas, P.K., Breakey, S., White, B., Brown, M.J., Fanuele, J., Starodub, R., & Viamonte Ros, A. (2020). Mental health impacts of climate change: Perspectives for the emergency department clinician. Journal of Emergency Nursing. 46(5), 590-599. doi: 10.1016/j.jen.2020.05.014
+Viamonte Ros, A., LaRocque, R., Fortinsky, R., & Nicholas, P. K. (2020). Addressing climate change communication: Effective engagement of populations for climate action in the US and globally. Annals of Global Health, 86 (1), 54. https://www.annalsofglobalhealth.org/articles/10.5334/aogh.2900/
+Nicholas, P. K., & Breakey, S. (2019). The economics of climate change and the intersection with conflict, violence, and migration. Nursing Economics 37(1). 23-34.
+Nicholas, P. K., Rosa, W. E., & Breakey, S. (2019). The imperative for climate action to protect health (Letter to the Editor). New England Journal of Medicine,380(17), e29. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc1902963
+Rosa, W. E., Schenk, E., Travers, J. L., & Nicholas, P. K. (2019). Climate change and health consequences: Engaging public health nursing within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Public Health Nursing, 36(2), 107-108.
+Neal-Boylan, L., Breakey, S., & Nicholas, P. K. (2019). Integrating climate change topics into nursing curricula. Journal of Nursing Education, 58, 364-368.
+Nicholas, P. K., Breakey, S., Tagliareni, E., Tuck, I., Neal-Boylan, L., Ladd, E., Corless, I. B., Reynolds, R. Y., Simmonds, K., & Lussier-Duynstee, P. (2019). Advancing a school of nursing center for climate change, climate justice, and health. Annual Review of Nursing Research, 38 (1), 145-158. doi: 10.1891/0739-6686.38.145.
*+ Lilienfeld, E., Nicholas, P. K., Breakey, S., & Corless, I. B. (2018). Addressing climate change through a nursing lens within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: A scoping review. Nursing Outlook, 66 (5), 482-494. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2018.06.010
+Nicholas, P. K., & Breakey, S. (2017). Climate change, climate justice, and environmental health: Implications for the nursing profession. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 49(6):606-616. doi: 10.1111/jnu.12326
+Leffers, J., McDermott-Levy, R., Nicholas, P. K., & Sweeney, C. (2017). Mandate for nursing education to address climate change. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 49(6):679-687. doi: 10.1111/jnu.12331
Publications (Other)
(*Data-based) (+Peer-reviewed)
+*Leslie, C. J., Donelan, K., Nicholas, P. K., Buglione, M., & Smith, D. L. (Accepted, 2020). Health literacy profiles of early intervention providers: A study using the Health Literacy Questionnaire. Health Literacy Research and Practice.
*+Sabo, K., Chin, E., Sethares, K. A., Hunter Revelle, S. & Nicholas, P. K. (2022) Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of primary healthcare providers with assessing and supporting older informal caregivers, Geriatric Nursing.
+*Viamonte Ros, A., Markham, S. M., Wu, D., & Nicholas, P. K. (2019). A rapid scoping review of gender inequalities in the medical profession. Nursing and Health Sciences Research Journal, 2, 12-20. https://scholarlycommons.baptisthealth.net/nhsrj/vol2/iss1/5/
+* Leslie, C., Smith, D., & Nicholas, P. (2019). Health literacy understanding of early intervention providers: A scoping review. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 15(9), 640–648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2019.06.006
*+Reynolds, R., Smoller, S., Allen, A., & Nicholas, P. K. (2019). Health literacy and health outcomes in persons living with HIV disease: A systematic review. AIDS and Behavior. 23(11):3024-3043. doi: 10.1007/s10461-019-02432-9
+Atkin, K., Scannell, M., & Nicholas, P. K. (2019) Use of Dolutegravir for antiretroviral therapy for women of childbearing age. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecological, and Neonatal Nurses,19. Doi: 10.1016/j.jogn.2019.08.003
+Stevens, S., Acker, S., Green, K., Swales, S., Fulmer, H. M., Fortinsky, R. & Nicholas, P. K. (2019). Understanding the mental health impact of human trafficking Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. doi: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000225