College of Nursing faculty earn Emmons Pilot Awards to advance well-being and rural care
Two College of Nursing faculty members have received Emmons Pilot Awards for projects that advance well-being in nursing education and expand access to high-quality care in rural and medically underserved communities. The award supports full-time faculty in conducting formative, faculty-driven research that addresses critical challenges in academic and clinical settings through innovation and collaboration, with the goal of improving health outcomes across Arizona and strengthening extramural research proposals.
Cheryl Lacasse, PhD, RN, AOCNS, NC-BC, CNE, clinical professor, and Deb Gorombei, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CNS, CFRN, LNCC, assistant clinical professor, were selected for their distinct yet complementary projects focused on faculty and student wellness in nursing education and on the use of artificial intelligence and telehealth to enhance rural wound care.
“These awards highlight how our faculty translate ideas into action,” said Brian Ahn, PhD, dean of the College of Nursing. “By investing in early-stage, innovative research, we are empowering faculty to explore new approaches, build strong collaborations, and generate evidence that can lead to meaningful change in nursing education and health care delivery statewide.”
“These projects demonstrate how faculty scholarship can directly improve well-being, expand access to care, and prepare nurses to meet complex health challenges,” said Lindsay Bouchard, DNP, PMHNP-BC, DNP program director and interim chair. “The Emmons Pilot Awards provide important early support for research that has the potential to create lasting impact.”
Cheryl Lacasse: Advancing Faculty–Student Well-Being in Nursing Education
Lacasse received an Emmons Pilot Award for her project, WiN Well (Wildcat Nurse Wellness): Exploring the Relationship Between Student and Faculty Wellness in Academic Settings. The pilot study examines the concurrent wellness of nursing faculty and students in academic teaching and learning environments.
While existing research has often focused on student or faculty well-being in isolation, there is limited understanding of how the two are connected. Lacasse’s study addresses this gap by examining the faculty–student relationship and its potential influence on well-being and student success.
Using a convergent mixed-methods design, the project compares wellness levels among DNP faculty and DNP students and examines how each group defines and experiences well-being in nursing education. Findings will inform the development of evidence-based well-being resources for integration into both synchronous and asynchronous courses.
“The WiN Well study will explore a unique perspective on the nursing faculty-student relationship, including a deeper understanding of the potential impact of faculty on the relationship between student well-being and student success,” Lacasse said. “Understanding the relationship between nursing faculty and student well-being will provide insight into the shared experience in academic settings.”
The project also creates opportunities to embed wellness education directly in online classrooms, with the goal of supporting positive teaching and learning experiences and mitigating burnout among faculty and students. Lacasse is collaborating on the study with Cindy Rishel, PhD, RN, OCN, NEA-BC, and Janay Young, DNP, PMHNP-BC. She noted that the Emmons Pilot Award recognizes the team’s ongoing scholarship and will help translate research findings into practical resources that support well-being across academic nursing environments.
Deb Gorombei: Expanding Rural Wound Care Through AI and Telehealth
Gorombei also received an Emmons Pilot Award for her project, Enhancing Rural Telehealth Capacity by Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Timely Wound Care Education, Monitoring, Management, and Patient Activation. The pilot aims to improve wound care delivery in rural and medically underserved areas of Arizona by integrating artificial intelligence and telehealth technologies.
The initiative begins with a comprehensive needs assessment to identify priorities in wound care education, disparities in access to care, and opportunities for collaboration among health care systems and community partners. Beyond clinical management, the project emphasizes holistic assessment, patient activation, and quality of life, recognizing the broader impact of chronic wounds on individuals and families.
“This award is a foundation for shining a light on the assessment of the impact of wounds on those who are unable to leave the home or access essential holistic, patient-centered care, where the patient is the focus rather than just their wound,” Gorombei said.
Guided by community-based participatory research principles and the Circle of Caring model, the project brings together interdisciplinary and interprofessional partners from across the University of Arizona and the state. The initiative will integrate AI-assisted wound imaging, predictive analytics, and remote monitoring into interoperable electronic health record systems and leverage telehealth to connect patients and providers with wound care specialists.
Educational components of the project will strengthen clinical competencies, digital literacy, and technology adoption among health care providers, caregivers, community health workers, and patients. Gorombei is collaborating on the project with College of Nursing faculty members Christy Pacheco, DNP, FNP-BC, associate clinical professor, and Graciela E. Silva, PhD, clinical professor.
Gorombei said, “The Emmons Pilot Award supports my broader professional goals by addressing health care access challenges, fostering meaningful partnerships, and creating opportunities for student engagement in patient-centered research focused on rural health, technology, and wound care.”
Together, these Emmons Pilot Award–supported projects underscore the College of Nursing’s leadership in advancing well-being, expanding access to care, and preparing nurses to address complex health challenges through research, innovation, and collaboration.