I am a pediatric nurse practitioner specializing in the care of children with chronic conditions, including those with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). As the sibling of a child with multiple chronic conditions, I developed a passion for pediatric and family nursing and research.

My qualitative research focuses on communication between the families of children with chronic conditions and clinicians, and its effects on family management of the child’s care and the child’s well-being. My research highlighted the antecedents and communication behaviors required for parent-nurse communication to facilitate a mutual understanding of the child’s care. I created a coding scheme to quantify the communication behaviors demonstrated by parents and clinicians — a tool for identifying significant communication behaviors leading to improved care for children with chronic conditions.

My quantitative research is focused on families and children with complex chronic conditions and those who may be dependent on technology such as tracheotomy tubes, ventilators and feeding tubes. My recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) funded study identified quantitative associations between nurse and caregiver communication behaviors on family management and clinical outcomes for children with long term ventilator dependence. My previous studies led to new methods for determining the prevalence of hospitalized long-term ventilator-dependent children and risks of aspiration among children with aerodigestive disorders. I am also interested in discovering how best to partner with families as they learn to care for their child with technology dependence.