Three Wildcat Nursing doctoral students named Jonas Scholars
Tuesday
Three University of Arizona College of Nursing students will receive grant funding, awarded to the College through the Jonas Philanthropies, worth $36,000. Stefanie Boyles, Jacquelyn “Jackie” Martin and Stephanie Lapsley were named 2024-2026 Jonas Scholars. As part of the agreement with the Jonas Scholars program, the College will match the grant funds bringing the full amount of funding for the three awardees to $72,000 over two years.
“I speak for the entire College of Nursing when I say how proud we are that our hard-working doctoral students are being recognized by the Jonas Philanthropies,” said Brian Ahn, PhD, dean of the College of Nursing. “One of our priorities at the college is to grow the number of nurses helping our most vulnerable community members and these three women exemplify that effort. Their scholarship and dedication make them worthy recipients of this honor.”
“We were elated to learn that three of our PhD students were selected as Jonas Scholars,” said Sheila M. Gephart, PhD, RN, FAAN, a professor and interim chair of the Advanced Nursing Practice and Science Division. “The College of Nursing and Jonas Philanthropies share a commitment to preparing nurses to improve health care. It is an honor to have three PhD students as Jonas Scholars, recognizing the College of Nursing as a leader in preparing nurse scientists.”
As a grant recipient, the college joins Jonas Philanthropies’ efforts to improve the quality of health care by investing in nursing scholars whose research and clinical foci specifically address the nation’s most urgent health care needs. The grant will empower and support nursing students with financial assistance, leadership development and networking to expand the pipeline of future nursing faculty, researchers and advanced-practice nurses. The Jonas Scholars program at the U of A is made possible by a grant from Jonas Nursing and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
According to the Jonas Scholars program, 63 Jonas Scholars grants were awarded nationwide this year to doctoral nursing students chosen for their passion for teaching, academic excellence and research prowess. The three U of A Jonas Scholars will receive financial support, mentorship and a curriculum tailored to provide them with the learning experiences they need to successfully transition into faculty roles.
“Our PhD program has a rich tradition of excellence in the field of nursing, and Dean Brian Ahn, PhD, APRN, ANP-BC, FAAN, and I are incredibly grateful to Ruth Taylor-Piliae, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN, our interim PhD program director, and Julienne N. Rutherford, PhD, our John and Nell Mitchell Endowed Chair for Pediatric Nursing, for spearheading the Jonas Scholars nominations,” said Gephart.
Below are brief biographies and comments from the three new U of A Jonas Scholars.
Stefanie Boyles
On being named a Jonas Scholar: I am honored to be named a Jonas Scholar. Before enrolling in the doctorate program, I heard about the Jonas Scholars initiative, but I never imagined I would be selected to join this network of inspiring scholars. I am humbled that the University of Arizona College of Nursing has partnered with Jonas Philanthropies to invest in me as a future nurse-scientist.
On how the Jonas Scholar program will help in the pursuit of a doctoral degree: The Jonas Scholars program provides multifaceted support. Financial assistance is always impactful for doctoral students. However, this program is set apart in that it also offers leadership development and networking opportunities. This dedication to holistic development is invaluable for shaping nurse-scientists who can lead, innovate and contribute significantly to healthcare.
Research focus: Broadly, I am dedicated to improving the health and well-being of mothers and aspire to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality through my research. Over the last year, I have been inspired by the midwife researchers at the college, who are dedicated to improving maternal health outcomes during the critical periods of pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. Their commitment to supporting physiologic birth deeply resonates with me. Motivated by their work, my research focuses on the physiological adaptations to pregnancy. I am particularly interested in using wearable devices to study these adaptations. Continuous, real-time monitoring can offer individualized care and address the limitations of current risk stratification methods for pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia. Integrating this data with machine learning could enable us to predict who is at risk for developing preeclampsia, identify periods of heightened risk earlier in pregnancy, and gain a deeper understanding of how complex physiological dynamics unfold.
On the College of Nursing: The faculty at the College of Nursing are world-class experts in their respective research areas and genuinely caring individuals. Every faculty member I have interacted with has positively contributed to my growth. My advisor, Aleeca Bell, PhD, RN, CNM, has been an unwavering source of encouragement and support. Moreover, the college’s support has been continuous and adaptive as I have progressed as a student. When I wanted to explore a different avenue in maternal health, Elise Erickson, PhD, CNM, FACNM, patiently guided me. She understood the type of nurse-scientist I aspire to be and was willing to develop a plan to help me achieve that goal. Both have consistently gone above and beyond to ensure I have a fulfilling PhD experience and become a highly skilled researcher, for which I am deeply grateful.
Stephanie Lapsley
On being named a Jonas Scholar: The Jonas Scholar Award is a prestigious scholarship program that supports future nurse-scientists as they journey through their PhD program, and I feel incredibly honored and thrilled to be in the 2024-2026 cohort.
On how the Jonas Scholar program will help in the pursuit of a doctoral degree: Receiving the Jonas Scholar Award means not only financial support from both Jonas Philanthropies and from the University of Arizona College of Nursing, but also networking opportunities, mentorship and access to resources to help me succeed in both my academic and professional endeavors. The generous philanthropists Barbara and Donald Jonas created this scholarship to address the critical shortage of nursing faculty and doctoral nurses, and to promote scientific advancement in nursing. Every two years, they seek nurse-scholars whose research interests align with their goals and priorities, and I eagerly anticipate all of the valuable opportunities that this scholarship will provide.
Research focus: The focus of my research is the environmental factors that lead to a high rate of birth defects in the migrant farmworker populations of the Central Valley of California, specifically the relationship between highly nitrated groundwater and neural tube defects. Focusing on the intersection of environmental and health justice, I hope to study the disparities these marginalized communities experience in how they access clean drinking water and the negative health outcomes associated with this inadequate access.
On the College of Nursing: I chose the University of Arizona College of Nursing for my PhD program because of the tremendous academic and research achievements of their faculty, as well as the convenience of their remote program since I live and work out of California. Both Dr. Gephart and my advisor, Dr. Rutherford, had research interests that closely aligned with mine, and when I interviewed with them, I instantly knew we would work well together. Dr. Rutherford’s research on the interactions between biology, behavior and the environment and their relationship to maternal and child health outcomes has been an incredible resource thus far. Her encouragement and experience is a constant motivation for me, and being granted the privilege of working with her on her current research projects has been invaluable. The support I have received from professors Gephart and Rutherford, as well as Dean Ahn from the College of Nursing, has been immense. All three came together and worked through their weekend to help me apply for this scholarship, and I am so incredibly humbled and honored by their efforts and their belief in me. I hope that as a Jonas Scholar I can represent the University of Arizona College of Nursing in a way that makes them proud.
Jackie Martin
On being named a Jonas Nursing Scholar: I am thrilled to represent the U of A College of Nursing as a Jonas Scholar. It’s such an honor to be recognized in this way for my scholarship and research.
On how the Jonas Scholar program will help in the pursuit of a doctoral degree: The Jonas Scholar program will provide funding for my dissertation research as well as mentorship and learning opportunities, leadership training and an opportunity to connect with other nurses all over the country. It’s a very prestigious honor, and it will help make me a better researcher.
Research focus: I am getting a PhD in Nursing with a focus on health determinants science. With my research, I hope to address health disparities for Puerto Ricans living on the island and mainland U.S. In my dissertation research, I will examine the acceptability and efficacy of a meditation intervention done over Zoom to reduce psychological distress for Puerto Rican breast cancer survivors. My research interests aligned with those of associate professor Thaddeus Pace, PhD, and I was very interested in working on his study, the breast cancer SUPORT Project, and learning from him. I was impressed that the U of A is a Hispanic-serving institution and that the Health Sciences colleges are so involved in the local community. I moved from Tempe to Tucson for my PhD program so I could work more closely with Dr. Pace and get hands-on experiences, like volunteering at the Nosotros Comprometidos a Su Salud public health program.
On the College of Nursing: I am very grateful for the unwavering support I have received from my academic advisor and dissertation mentor, Dr. Pace. He has gone above and beyond to ensure I have the most enriching PhD experience and that I develop into a very well-rounded researcher. Assistant professor Julio Loya, PhD, RN, has also been fundamental in sharing his expertise with community-participatory research, and my research would not be nearly as interesting or provocative without the theoretical basis I developed with professor Pamela Reed, PhD, RN, FAAN. Drs. Gephart and Taylor-Piliae are always looking out for new funding and research opportunities for me, and Dean Ahn was a great advocate for me in being named a Jonas Scholar. Overall, the faculty have all been instrumental in my growth as a scholar and researcher, and I am very grateful.