Dr. Cheryl Kovar joined East Carolina University College of Nursing as the Concentration Director for the MSN Leadership Concentration in February, 2015. In December 2015, she was named the Concentration Director for the Post Masters DNP Leadership program in addition to her role at the MSN level. On July 1, 2018 she stepped down as the Concentration Director for both of these programs and returned to her academic teaching position in the Advanced Nursing Practice &; Education Department. In summer 2023, she transferred to the Department of Nursing Science. In August 2023, she obtained her Certification in Public Health(CPH) and is the only faculty member in the College Of Nursing with this certification. Prior to these positions, she was the state nurse consultant for the Title X Family Planning program with the North Carolina Division of Public Health from 2007 to 2015. In addition to her current position as an associate professor, she is a consultant for the Office of Adolescent Health as well as a reviewer and panel chair for the Office of Adolescent Health and Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS) grant review process. Dr. Kovar is a national speaker on reproductive and adolescent health issues. She brings over 30 years of experience as a registered nurse with 25 years at the advanced practice level as a Maternal-Child Clinical Nurse Specialist, and over 20 of those years, specifically working in public health. Her area of research focuses on reproductive and sexual health issues, including adolescent high-risk behaviors. She served three years as the Primary Investigator for a grant through the CDC and DHHS Communicable Disease Branch leading the BILCORE-PRO project, which focused on billing, coding and seeking reimbursement from third party payers for STD services at the local health department level. The grant was funded 2015-2017 for a total amount of over $800,000. In 2020, with a researcher from Indiana University School of Medicine as CO-I, she conducted a pilot study looking at reproductive coercion among adolescents and young adult women in NC and IN. Current research as of 2024 is now looking at reproductive coercion among pregnant and/or parenting adolescent females in three counties in NC. These results will be used to support the development of a gamification intervention with this population and reproductive coercion in 2025.
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE) SE Regional Forum Organizer
I was selected to serve as the SE Regional Forum Organizer for ANHE and will connect ANHE members in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tenneessee. The regions are partially based on the federal regions for public health. This role is a crucial part of ANHE's next chapter and their advocacy work on the ground. The role will include planning events, meet-ups, and gatherings, connecting with community-based organizaitons doing environmental health and justice work in my region, and developing regional Action Alerts for local, state, and regional policy issues. 2024 - 2025
2025 APHA Annual Meeting
Selected to review abstracts for the Public Health Nursing Section. 2024
Peer reviewer for Manuscript ID JNU-04-25-275
Journal of Nursing Scholarship -Manuscript ID JNU-04-25-275 entitled "Coping, subjective burden and mental health in family carers of dependent children and adolescents: Systematic review and meta-analysis. 2024
Manuscript ID JNU-08-24-657 Peer reivew
Reviewed Manuscript ID JNU-08-24-657 entitled "Determinants of prolonged hospitalization in children and adolescents: a retrospective observational study" for the Journal of Nursing Scholarship. 2024
Reviewed Manuscript #WVN-24-616
Reviewed manuscript #WVN-24-616 titled "Effect of nursing-based mindfulness training on mindfulness awareness, perceived stress, and physiological parameters among pregnant women with preeclampsia" for Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. 2024
2024 Fall Education Conference - NCPHA
Served on the committee that selected and awarded a total of seven scholarships for the 2024 Fall Education Conference for NCPHA. 2023
APHA 2024 Annual Meeting & Expo
Served as a peer reviewer for abstracts for two sections in APHA: Public Health Nursing and Sexual/Reproductive Health. 2023
Peer reviewer for Journal of Women's Health
Reviewed Manuscript ID JWH-2024-0535 entitled "Non-use of contraception at conception due to partner objection and pregnancy-related health care utilization, postpartum health, and infant birth outcomes" for Journal of Women's Health. 2023
Peer reviewer for manuscript ID JNU-04-24-339.R1
EFFECTIVENESS OF DIGITAL INTERVENTIONS TO REDUCE SCHOOL-AGE ADOLESCENT SEXUAL RISKS: A SYSTEMIC REVIEW." for the Journal of Nursing Scholarship. 2023
Peer reviewer for manuscript ID WVN-24-251
Reviewed Manuscript ID WVN-24-251 titled "Evaluating the Impact of Evidence-Based Nurse-Led Education versus Telehealth Interventions on Outpatient Management: A Quasi-Experimental Study" for Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. 2023
Peer reviewer for manuscript ID- JNU-04-24-339
Reviewed manuscript entitlted "EFFECTIVENESS OF DIGITAL INTERVENTIONS TO REDUCE SCHOOL-AGE ADOLESCENT AFFECTIVE-SEXUAL RISKS: A SYSTEMIC REVIEW" for the Journal of Nursing Scholarship 2023
APHA 2024 Annual Meeting
Selected as peer reviewer to review abstracts for Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and Public Health Nursing (PHN) sections. 2023
Peer Reviewer - WVN-24-081
Reviewed WVN-24-081 "The effectiveness of picture books on preoperative anxiety in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials?" for Worldviews on Evidence-based Nursing 2023
Peer reviewer for Manuscript ID JNU-02-24-137
Reviewed manuscript entitled, "Lived Experiences of Lymphoma Patients with Sexual Dysfunction and Related Sexual Distress During Cancer Treatment" for the Journal of Nursing Scholarship 2023
Review Manuscript ID WVN-23-412
Reviewed a manuscript titled, "Effects of Interventions to Promote Breast Self-Examination Behaviour Among University Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" for Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. 2023
manuscript # JNU-07-23-477
Peer reviewer for manuscript entitled "The role of peer relationships in psychological distress and quality of life among adolescents with type 1 diabetes: A longitudinal study" for the Journal of Nursing Scholarship 2023
APHA 2023 Annual Meeting
Reviewer for oral and poster abstracts for APHA 2023 Annual Meeting for Sexual &; Reproductive Health and Public Health Nursing Section 2022
Peer reviewer for Manuscript ID PHN-23-0443 -
reviewed Reviewed PHN Manuscript PHN-23-0443 ("The Status and Challenges of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Program in China: Proposed Solutions for Optimal Policy and Promotion") for Public Health Nursing 2022
Peer reviewer for Manuscript ID WVN-23-192
Manuscript ID WVN-23-192 titled "Real experience of vulnerable groups after disasters: A qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis" for Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. 2022
review Manuscript ID JNU-05-23-327
Reviewed manuscript entitled "Prevalence and predisposing factors of peer bullying and cyberbullying among adolescents: A cross-sectional study" for the Journal of Nursing Scholarship. 2022
Manuscript # JNU-08-22-623.R1
Peer reviewed manuscripted entitled "Sexual Risk Behaviors among the Transgender and Gender Diverse Population: A Concept Analysis," for the Journal of Nursing Scholarship. 2022
Peer Reviewer
Manuscript # WVN-23-072 titled "PHYSICAL PROBLEMS, FATIGUE, AND HEALTHY LIFE STYLE BEHAVIORS EXPERIENCED BY WOMEN IN POSTPARTUM PERIOD" for Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. 2022
Reviewed manuscript # JNU-08-22-623
Reviewed manuscript entitled "Sexual Risk Behaviors among the Transgender and Gender Diverse Population: A Concept Analysis" for the Journal of Nursing Scholarship 2022
manuscript # WVN-22-198
Peer reviewer for manuscript entitled "Effects of a theory-based educational program on health behaviors and cardiovascular health outcomes among postmenopausal women: A randomized controlled trial" for Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. 2022
manuscript # JNU-05-22-369.R1
Peer reviewer for manuscript entitled "Socioeconomic and ethnic disparities along five waves of the COVID-19 pandemic:Lessons we have not yet learnt" for the Journal of Nursing Scholarship 2021
APHA 2022 Annual Meeting
Reviewer for oral and poster abstracts for APHA 2022 Annual Meeting for Sexual & Reproductive Health and Public Health Nursing Sections 2021
Presenter
Staff presentation on sexually transmitted infections and reproductive coercion to staff at the Poe Center 2020
APHA 2021 Annual Meeting
Reviewer for oral and poster abstracts for APHA 2021 Annual Meeting for Public Health Nursing and Sexual & Reproductive Health Sections 2020
APHA 2020 Annual Meeting
Reviewer for oral and poster abstracts for APHA 2020 Annual Meeting for Public Health Nursing and Sexual & Reproductive Health Sections 2019
Dove Medical Press
Past volunteer peer-reviewer for an online publisher. ; The titles of the journals reviewed manuscripts for are: ; International Journal of Adolescent Health and International Journal of Women's Health. ; 2012 - 2014