Postdoctoral scholars

Current

	Michelle Fennessy, Ph.D., A.P.R.N.-B.C. Specialty: Healthy Populations Michelle Fennessy is a Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing Postdoctoral Fellow. She conducts research in the area of secondary prevention for cardiovascular disease. Her research focuses on secondary prevention, health behaviors and comparative effectiveness models to evaluate the care of patients with chronic illness.
	Lori Miller, Ph.D., M.S., M.P.H. Specialty: Healthy Systems Lori Miller is a Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing Postdoctoral Fellow working under the mentorship of Associate Dean for Academics and Health Sciences Clinical Associate Professor Deborah Ward. Miller conducts research in the area of Healthy Systems, with emphasis on childhood obesity prevention and related ethnic/racial health disparities.
	Tasha Peart, Ph.D., M.P.H. Specialty: Health Policy for Vulnerable Populations Tasha Peart is a Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis Postdoctoral Fellow. She conducts research in the area of health policy for vulnerable populations under the guidance of Professor Mary Lou de Leon Siantz.
	Hermine Poghosyan, Ph.D., M.P.H. Specialty: Interprofessional Health-Services Research Hermine Poghosyan is a Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis Postdoctoral Fellow. She conducts interprofessional health-services research focused on access to high quality and safe care under the guidance of Associate Dean for Research and Professor Jill G. Joseph.

Past

	Casey Shillam, Ph.D., R.N. Length of service: September 2010 - May 2012 Casey Shillam served as a Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis Postdoctoral Fellow under the mentorship of Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean Heather M. Young. Shillam’s research emphasis is gerontological nursing with a focus on persistent pain in older adults and referral for pain management. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing in 2008, a Master of Science in Nursing in 2004 and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2002 from Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing. Prior to joining the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, Shillam was an assistant professor at the University of Portland School of Nursing and worked in chronic-care management for assisted living facilities in Portland. She is now a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.
	Dian Baker, Ph.D., R.N., A.P.R.N.-B.C., P.N.P. Length of service: September 2009 - September 2011 Dian Baker served for two years at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing as a Postdoctoral Fellow. She worked to translate her research and experience into health policy. Baker earned a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Nursing in fall 2009. During the span of her 30-year nursing career, Baker’s work supported highly vulnerable and underserved populations, such as children and families experiencing developmental disabilities, victims of hate crimes, communities experiencing significant gang violence, and rural communities lacking access to health care. She now serves as consulting faculty for the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.
	Debra Bakerjian, Ph.D., F.N.P., R.N. Length of service: September 2009 - September 2010 Debra Bakerjian recently completed a John A. Hartford Foundation, Claire M. Fagin Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC San Francisco in Social and Behavioral Sciences, earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Health Policy and Gerontology in 2006 and a Master in Science of Nursing in 1992, both from UC San Francisco School of Nursing. Her research is primarily focused on wound care and quality improvement issues in Northern California nursing homes; the transitions between health-care facilities, home and assisted living centers; chronic disease management; quality of care and life; and teaching. She now serves as assistant adjunt professor for the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.
	Snigdha Ghosh, Ph.D. Length of service: November 2010 - October 2011 As a postdoctoral scholar, Snigdha Ghosh served as a research project manager under the guidance of Associate Professor Holli A. DeVon. The interdisciplinary study focuses on symptom characteristics during acute coronary syndromes. Previously, Ghosh was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Human Nutrition at Ohio State University. She received a Doctor of Philosophy in Biology from Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Erlangen, Germany, where her major was immunology. She received a master’s-degree equivalent from the Department of Infectious Diseases from the University of Wurzberg in Wurzburg, Germany, and she earned a Master of Science in Biotechnology from Himachal Pradesh University, India.
	Samira Jones, Ph.D., M.P.H. Length of service: September 2009 - September 2011 Samira Jones worked for two years at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing as a Postdoctoral Fellow. She specialized in gerontology under the mentorship of Associate Vice Chancellor of Nursing and Dean Heather M. Young. Jones’ research is based on population health with an emphasis in nutrition, an interest area developed while working toward a Doctor of Philosophy in Nutritional Biology at UC Davis in 2009. Her dissertation research was directed toward the development and evaluation of an educational program that promotes eating more foods with omega-3 fatty acids such as fish among African-American women.
	Tara Sharpp, Ph.D., R.N. Length of service: September 2008 - October 2011 Tara Sharpp was a project manager for one of the school's research grants, the Influence of Social Support and Networks on Caregiver Mental and Physical Health. Previously, Sharpp was a Claire M. Fagin Fellow from 2008 to 2010, funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation. As a postdoctoral fellow, her research focused on the care older adults with dementia receive in assisted living facilities. Sharpp received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the Twin Cities School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota in 2001 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Gerontological Nursing degree from UC San Francisco.