By Caitlin Hanbury and Sara McCloskey 

Being in close proximity to premier health science schools gives physicians and clinical practioners more opportunities to pursue research and to teach the next generation of medical professionals.  

At Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Nursing, nurse researchers are finding unique ways to further knowledge through community-engaged research and bring those lessons to not only their students, but to patients looking for new ways to treat their health problems.  

Here are just some of the clinicians offering hope to patients through their innovative research at VCU School of Nursing.  

Reshaping prenatal care those affected by substance use disorders 

Early on in her career, Amy Salisbury, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, felt limited by the treatments available to help her patients. At the time, she was working with children diagnosed with psychiatric and developmental conditions.  

“The treatments and interventions that we had were either not effective or were very slow, so I really wanted to be able to conduct my own research to figure out better ways of helping out our families,” Salisbury said.  

Now a nurse researcher and expert in maternal and fetal health, Salisbury is leveraging ultrasound technology to connect pregnant women at risk for substance use disorder with essential prenatal care. By taking this care directly to the communities where it’s needed, Salisbury aims to improve both maternal and fetal health outcomes in populations that may otherwise face barriers to care. 

Her research focuses on providing early intervention and personalized support in a way that is accessible and tailored to the needs of at-risk women. Salisbury’s work is helping ensure that these women and their babies receive the care they need, when they need it, in an approach that is showing positive results.   

Transformative research shaping the future of care for cancer survivors 

Blending her training in biochemistry and molecular biology with her clinical nursing expertise, Lathika Mohanraj, Ph.D., RN, BMTCN, is advancing blood cancer on the academic medical center campus. Her work focuses on understanding the effects of cancer treatments, identifying biomarkers that could improve the detection and monitoring of patients at risk for complications after treatment.  

As a nurse researcher and assistant professor at the School of Nursing, Mohanraj aims to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice by developing better methods for identifying and managing risks in blood cancer survivors. Her work has the potential to transform post-treatment care, offering personalized interventions that could significantly improve survival rates. 

“My goal is, is if we are able to put things in place whether it’s through biological markers or assessments but do it in a way where these things get assessed,” Mohanraj said. “That way, you can have interventions in place that will improve their outcomes; they will have better survivorship; they will have better quality of life.”  

Revolutionizing care for patients with Parkinson's disease and movement disorders 

With a focus on non-medical interventions for individuals with movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Ingrid Pretzer-Aboff, Ph.D., RN, FGSA, FAAN, researches one of the most debilitating symptoms of the condition: Freezing of gait. This sudden inability to walk is a significant challenge for many living with Parkinson's, and current treatments do not adequately address it.  

“In my observations, patients will get a diagnosis and then go home with it. Many people don’t know what to do,” she said. “I focus on function and keeping people as independent as possible... I develop and test interventions that do just that – stay independent by improving activity and keeping them functioning.”  

The nurse researcher and professor at the School of Nursing has spent over a decade developing and testing innovative wearable devices that deliver vibration to the foot and ankle, resolving this symptom and improving the quality of life for individuals living with Parkinson’s. Pretzer-Aboff’s work aims to offer a safe, affordable, and effective option for those for whom conventional treatments are not effective or accessible. 

Learn more about our innovative researchers and their projects