overview

• My nursing journey began in India more than 20 years ago and my pursuit for higher education and thirst to achieve higher goals brought me to the United States. Thus, my work experience in nursing includes international and homeland experiences as a clinician, educator, leader, administrator, and a novice researcher. My nursing experiences include caring for adults and children in acute care. I have taught undergraduate courses fundamentals of nursing, adult health, pediatric nursing, pharmacology and graduate courses in qualitative research methods and nursing research. The PhD Program in Nursing at Duke University provided rich experiences that have developed my research skills, leadership qualities, and equipped me with strategies for success as a nurse scientist. My post-doctoral work extended these skills and broadened my collaborations. I have presented several posters, podium, and invited presentations regionally, nationally, and internationally. ; As a researcher, I have a niche for a very significant and innovative aspect of bereavement that that includes parents’ bereavement processes, health concerns, and health outcomes after the death of a terminally ill child. Bereaved parents have expressed a “sense of abandonment” from the healthcare system. As an independent researcher, I am developing a program of research that addressed this need to advance bereavement care, as an extension of the palliative and end-of-life continuum, with a goal to improving health outcomes of bereaved parents. I have studied the challenges and health of bereaved parents during the first 6 months after their child’s death. I have also worked on a concept analysis (Continuing Bonds) that describes the continuing relationships of the bereaved with the deceased. I am an active member of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association and the Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition of North Carolina. The long-term goal of my research program is to develop and test targeted and individualized interventions to improve the health outcome of parents who have a child with a terminal illness and following the death of their child. My academic record, employment history, and research endeavors reflect my conscientiousness, determination, and ability to pursue a career as a nurse scientist. ;