I am a nursing and health services researcher in the areas of rural health and mental health service delivery. I particularly focus on shortages of providers and improving access to care. I am a methodological expert in the use of large secondary administrative and clinical data sets within health care research. Improving quality of care and patient safety within health care delivery are areas of focus in teaching, research and service.
Elizabeth Merwin, PhD, RN, FAAN
Associate Dean, Research
Madge M. Jones Professor of Nursing
Office: McLeod 5013
Phone: (434) 982-3286
Email: eim5u@Virginia.EDU
Fax: (434) 982-1809
I have held leadership and management positions in both academia and in health care delivery systems. This experience combined with a consistently funded NIH research program focusing on improving patient outcomes allows me to contribute solutions towards improving quality of care and patient safety. I am a former unit coordinator of an adolescent treatment program and a director of nursing service which provides a basis for my applied focus to research studies. I have served as a consultant to national specialty nursing organizations regarding the supply and demand of nurses. My management and leadership background has supported my pivotal roles in the evolution and growth of the management component of the master's program at UVA and also of the health services research aspects of the doctoral program at UVA. As Associate Dean for Research since 2004 I have served as the catalyst and leader to spur a dramatic growth in funded research, increased the intensity of the research environment and served as PI of the first funding of a NIH-NINR research center, the Rural Health Care Research Center at UVA.
Currently, I am the advisor for an undergraduate student who was the first nursing student to be awarded a University of Virginia Harrison Research Award for an investigator initiated study. I am currently Dissertation Chair/Advisor for 5 PhD students and am Chair for a Capstone culminating project for 1 DNP student. Recently (during the Summer of '09) I was awarded an Administrative Supplement to the NIH-NINR funded Rural Health Care Research Center for which I am PI, to develop and implement the RHCRC Summer Student Intership program. This program has provided research experiences for 2 Clinical Nurse Leader Students and 3 undergraduate students or recent graduates. One of the biggest joys of my position is to facilitate students' growth and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with students from all program levels and support their development as nursing leaders and researchers conducting studies to improve the quality of nursing and health care.
Research Focus
The NIH has consistently funded my work over the last nineteen years to conduct health outcome studies aimed at improving quality of care. I am a methodological expert in use of large clinical and administrative datasets for health care research. I am a member of the Health Systems Research study section of the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ). I am Director of the Rural Health Care Research Center (RHCRC), funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research which allows me to facilitate the growth of nursing researchers and rural health care research aimed at improving the health status and health care for individuals living in rural areas.
Clinical Focus
I work with students, community leaders and others to improve health care delivery systems with a focus on overcoming shortages of providers. Most of my work with students includes assisting them to conduct studies aimed at improving patient outcomes.
Teaching Focus
I teach a doctoral course in Health Services Research in which I teach DNP students to use data to evaluate nursing practice and I teach PhD students to design complex research quality of care, cost-effectiveness and patient safety studies. I structure class experiences to promote sucessful collaborations among DNP and PhD. I hold a Joint Appointment as a Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences in the UVA School of Medicine and teach Database Management: Analysis of Secondary Data Sets, focusing on the use of large clinical and administrative data sets within management, policy, and health care studies. As a former Program Coordinator for the Health Systems Management and HSM/MBA program, I am committed to educating nursing leaders and managers.
Awards & Honors
- Distinguished Professor, School of Nursing (2008)
- Fellow, Academy of Nursing (1994)