My program of research focuses on symptom science and management, phenotypes and genotypes of palpitations, and palpitations related cardiovascular problems in cancer survivors. My research is built based on my clinical experience, academic training on chronic conditions and symptoms, and motivation to improve symptom management.

As a clinical nurse, I cared for women with breast cancer and observed their struggles with chronic conditions and unpleasant symptoms. Given my clinical observations, I pursued my doctoral degree, researching pelvic muscle and urinary incontinence management in women without cancer. I gained extensive training and developed expertise in data management, collaboration, conducting reviews and secondary data analyses of instruments, pelvic muscle structure and function, and urinary incontinence treatment strategies. As a result, I was competitively selected for several awards for my academic and research excellence. In my postdoctoral fellowship, I am developing cutting-edge knowledge of symptom science and expertise in symptom management for breast cancer survivors through inter-university collaborations, biweekly symptom management meetings, and workshops on candidate genes/gene expression. One of the most prevalent yet understudied symptoms in breast cancer survivors is palpitations. My current and future studies intend to address this gap and better understand palpitations and test and develop interventions to improve this symptom. I was awarded a grant from the Midwest Nursing Research Society to study the associations between palpitations and inflammatory genes in breast cancer survivors. I am currently an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing as the Centennial Distinguished Dean’s Faculty Fellow.

My current work uses biobehavioral approaches to study the underlying mechanisms of palpitations in breast cancer patients to test and develop targeted interventions to relieve this symptom and improve the quality of life in breast cancer patients. My goal is to leverage management, symptom science, and precision medicine to understand palpitations in cancer patients and improve their quality of life.