2025 Sigma Grant Recipients

Esther Afolabi, PhD (Kappa Epsilon at-Large Chapter, USA)
Cervical Cancer Screening Among New American Women in Grand Rapids Communities: A Need Assessment
This study aims to explore the experiences and perceptions of participants regarding cervical cancer prevention services, by thoroughly examining the barriers and facilitators that impact cervical cancer screening among New American women in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Misun Hwang, MSN, RN (Rho Chapter, USA)
Digital Health Engagement to Support Self-Management in Older Adults with Cancer
This study aims to comprehensively explores multiple dimensions of digital health engagement and factors influencing the decision-making of older adults with cancer at various phases of digital health engagement for their self-management using quantitative and qualitative methods.

Salini K, PhD (Upsilon Xi at-Large Chapter, India)
Effectiveness of a Nurse-Led AI-Powered Cardiac Chatbot in Prevention and Early Detection of Postoperative Complications Among CABG Patients
This study aims to demonstrate the potential of AI-powered tools to enhance postoperative cardiac care.

Jing Liu, PhD (Xi Omicron at-Large Chapter, USA)
Barriers and Facilitators to Access Breast Cancer Care in the Under-served Chinese Americans
This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the barriers and facilitators to accessing care among Chinese American women with breast cancer.

Yim-wah Mak, PhD (Pi Iota Chapter, Hong Kong)
Effects and Feasibility of Dyadic-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Manage Thirst Among Patients with Heart Failure: A Mixed-Methods Study
This study aims to improve thirst management and overall well-being in heart failure patients (HF) and their family caregivers (FC) through the implementation of 4 sessions of dyadic Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Siobhan O'Connor, PhD (Phi Mu Chapter, UK)
Nursing Students Perspective on Learning About Artificial Intelligence: A Feasibility Study
This study aims to develop new AI curricula and integrate it into nursing courses on digital health so that undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students learn the fundamentals of AI.

Jude Ominyi, PhD (Phi Mu Chapter, UK)
Exploring Social Prescribing Processes in Nurse-Led Weight Management Clinics: Facilitating Engagement in Physical Activity and Weight Loss Among Minority Ethnic Women With Excess Weight
The purpose of this study is to explore how Social Prescribing (SP) as a process facilitates engagement in physical activity (PA) and weight loss programs among minority ethnic women (MEW), with excess weight and obesity in nurse-led weight management.

Nariciso Quidley-Rodriguez, PhD (Iota Xi Chapter, USA)
Companion Animals and LGBTQ+ Veterans: Exploring the Benefits and Risks of Furry Friends
This study aims to explore the benefits and drawbacks of companion dogs for LGBTQ+ veterans.

Priscilla Carmiol Rodriguez, PhD (Psi at-Large and Theta Epsilon Chapters, USA)
Insights into Hispanic Family Caregivers' Sleep: A Multimethod Study
This study aims understand and characterize the sleep patterns, quality, prevalence of sleep disturbances, and cultural practices, attitudes and beliefs about sleep among Hispanic family caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Alexander Sheshtiperov, PhD (Upsilon Xi at-Large Chapter, Israel)
Growing in the Shadow of Mental Illness: Quality of Life, Health Status, Social Functioning, and Health Care Utilization Among Adults With Parents Who Have Severe Mental Illness
This study aims to examine the connection between General self-efficacy, Resilience, Childhood traumatic experiences, and Parental attachment in childhood, and their associations with Quality of life, Healthcare service utilization, and Social functioning in young adulthood among adults who grew up in childhood to parents with severe mental illness.

Katherine Shue-McGuffin, PhD (Gamma Iota Chapter, USA)
Innovations in Training: Sim-IPE for Healthcare Professionals to Address Human Trafficking
This study aims to examine the efficacy of an interprofessional simulation (Sim-IPE) intervention, informed by HT survivors, community agency members, and clinical experts, for improving healthcare professionals’ knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and preparedness for HT care.

Dan Song, PhD (Beta Pi Chapter, USA)
Combined EMA Tools to Assess Stress and Glycemia in Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes
This preliminary study aims to evaluate the effects of Auricular Point Acupressure, in managing pain, in older people with HIV.

Aimee A. Woda, PhD (Delta Gamma at-Large Chapter, USA)
Evaluating Generative AI’s Capability to Assess Debriefer Competence
This research aims to validate the effectiveness of generative AI, specifically ChatGPT, in assessing debriefer competence using the Debriefing for Meaningful Learning Evaluation Scale.

Mengqi Xu, MSN (China)
Effects of a Health Belief Model Based Educational Programme on Medication Adherence Among Older Adults With Coronary Artery Disease: A Randomised Controlled Trial
This study aims to evaluate the effects of a newly designed health belief model based educational program on medication adherence among older adults with coronary artery disease.

Xiangming Zhan, PhD (USA)
Topic Modeling to Bridge the Gap Between Narratives of People affected by HIV and Educational Materials
This study aims to advance nursing science by developing an innovative methodological approach that bridges the gap between patient narratives and HIV educational materials through the integration of computational linguistics and nursing informatics.

Rebecca Boni, PhD (USA)
Professional Quality of Life Among Oncology Nurses in the United States
This study aims to identify the level of professional quality of life experienced among oncology nurses and to examine differences between the professional quality of life of inpatient and outpatient oncology nurses.

Elizabeth Kreuze, PhD, RN, ATC (Delta Theta Chapter, USA)
Examination of Individual- and Relationship- Level Circumstances that Precede Suicide Among Professional Nurses
The purpose of this proposed national-level study includes examining sociodemographic characteristics, socioeconomic characteristics, individual-level circumstances preceding suicide, and relationship-level circumstances preceding suicide for all professional nurses, in addition to sub-populations of RNs, CRNAs, NPs, and to make comparisons to the GP at the national level.

Vuong Trung-Tran Prieto, PhD (Zeta Pi Chapter, USA)
Virtual Pediatric Nursing Simulation: Feasibility and the Virtual Registered Nurses' Experiences
The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of a pediatric virtual nursing simulation and to describe the students’ experiences of being the ViRN during the simulation. As nursing care evolves technologically, so must the simulation activities in undergraduate nursing education.

Ilana I. Logvinov, DNP (Lambda-Rho Chapter at-Large, USA)
Aspirin, Clipping, and Trust (A.C.T.): A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Patient Experiences with Open Aneurysm Surgery While on Aspirin Therapy
The purpose of this study is to describe the experiences and provide a comprehensive understanding of patients undergoing aneurysm clipping via open craniotomy while on aspirin therapy during aneurysm surgery.

Liliana Gutierrez, MSc (Upsilon Nu Chapter, Colombia)
Evaluation of the Efficacy of Guarana in Reducing Chronic Fatigue in Cancer Patients: A Pragmatic Study
This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of guarana supplementation in reducing chronic cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in patients undergoing systemic cancer treatment.

Geertien Christelle Boersema, PhD (Chi Xi Chapter, South Africa)
The Effect and Feasibility of a Telehealth and Shared Care Intervention with Ceramic dressings: a Mixed-Method study in South Africa
This study aims to improve access to wound care in South Africa, addressing health inequities and contributing to multiple domains, including the body of knowledge, the healthcare system, nursing practice, and the well-being of individuals with wounds.

Grant to be funded in January 2026.

Michele DeGrazia, PhD, RN, NNP-BC, FAAN (Theta Kappa Chapter, USA)
Evaluation and Implementation of a Nurse Screening Tool for Infant Safe Sleep in the Inpatient Setting
The primary purpose of this descriptive research study is to increase safe sleep adherence in the inpatient hospital setting through multidisciplinary education and implementation of the SAFE-T Tool V2.

Samar Mohsen Ashmawi, MSN (Upsilon Chapter, USA)
Developing a Comprehensive Sex Education Program for HIV Prevention among Adolescents and Young Women in Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study
This study aims to develop a culturally tailored sex education intervention for HIV prevention among adolescent girls and young women in Saudi Arabia.

Crystal Vaughan, MN (Canada)
Understanding Nurses' Actual and Potential Contributions to Virtual Practice Within Primary Care: A Multiple Comparative Case Study
This study aims to generate foundational knowledge to inform the evolution of virtual nursing practice in primary care in Canada.

Hesamaldin Varpaei, RN, BSN (Alpha Psi, USA)
The Effect of Sleep Disturbances and Gut Microbiota on Cognitive Function in Heart Failure Patients
This study aims provide an important opportunity to understand the relationship between gut microbiota dysbiosis and sleep in the development of cognitive impairment in heart failure.

Felicia Katzovitz, MSN, RN-BC, Captain, U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps (Beta Mu Chapter and Tau Theta Chapter, USA)
Leveraging Non-Specialty Personnel for Mental Health Support in Large-Scale Combat Operations
The objective was to identify and characterize scalable mental healthcare approaches that could support psychological health where access to specialty care or telehealth may be limited.

Kofi Agyei, RGN, MSc (Epsilon Xi Chapter, USA)
Healthcare Clinicians Practices and Perspectives Regarding Communication with Patients who have Advanced Cancer
This study aims to explore healthcare clinicians' (specialists-oncologists, general practitioners-non-oncologists, oncology nurse specialists, general nurses) practices, goals and outcomes, facilitators and barriers, and perspectives of communication with patients who have advanced cancer in Ghana.

Nicole Cistone, MSN, PhD, RNC-NIC (Epsilon Chapter, USA)
Evaluating the Validity of the Neonatal Infant Stressor Scale in the NICU
This study aims to evaluate the predictive validity of the NISS by examining the relationship between cumulative NISS stress scores representing chronic exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 3 months of corrected age (CA).

Laura Mata Lopez, MSN (Alpha Chi Chapter and Nu Beta Chapter, USA)
Hardship and Survival: The Impact of Migration-Related Trauma, Communal Coping, and Social Stressors on the Suicide and Mental Health Outcomes of Latina Immigrant Women
This study aims to identify and generate a rich understanding of the factors that contribute to suicide and shape the mental health and psychological well-being of adult Latina immigrants in the Baltimore metropolitan area.

Lizemari Hugo, PhD (South Africa)
An eLearning programme for Nursing Clinical Facilitators in Four African Countries
This study aims to develop, implement and evaluate an eLearning programme for clinical facilitators across nursing education institutions in Kenya, Namibia, South Africa and Tanzania.

Regina Wilder, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, CNE, MA-LPC (Delta Theta Chapter, USA); Leslie Jennings, PhD (Delta Theta Chapter, USA)
Psychosocial well-being, job satisfaction, and turnover ideation in new graduate nurses during the transition to practice
This study aims to cross- sectionally and longitudinally measure variables associated with psychosocial health in newly licensed registered nurses over the first year of professional practice.

Erin K. George, PhD (Beta Mu Chapter, USA)
Freestanding Birth Center to Hospital Perinatal Transfers of Care: A Multi-Method Study of Outcomes and Experiences in Arizona
The purpose of this proposed research is to analyze perinatal transfers of care outcomes from freestanding birth centers to hospitals in the state of Arizona and conduct a mixed-methods study to evaluate and explore perinatal transfers of care experiences among nurses, midwives, physicians, and paramedic/emergency medical services staff.