Doctor of Nursing Practice: Leadership & Population Health (DNP)

Miranda Knapp, PhD, DNP, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CNE, EBP-C earned her DNP from the University of Alabama and her second doctoral degree, her PhD in Nursing from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, Dr. Knapp earned a MS from Mount Carmel College of Nursing, a BS in Health Care Administration and a BSN from the University of Toledo, and an AS from Sinclair Community College. Dr. Knapp is a Clinical Nurse Specialist and APRN, a Certified Nurse Educator, and earned her certificate in EBP. These educational achievements have aided Dr. Knapp in successful involvement in DNP programs and a culmination as the DNP Program Director at Xavier University.

Dr. Knapp participates in professional organizations such as the National League for Nursing (NLN) and Sigma Theta Tau. Most recently, Dr. Knapp was awarded the Rachael Zook, RN, Memorial Faculty Innovation Scholarship and applied to a scholarship through the Rho Omicron chapter of Sigma Theta Tau to continue my research focused on nursing students’ anxieties. Dr. Knapp also received funding for projects through the Mount Carmel Foundation.
Dr. Knapp has a passion and experience with QI, EBP, and research. Dr. Knapp’s area of interests include students’ and nurses’ wellbeing including anxiety, depression, and wellness. Additional areas of interest include simulation, incivility, orthopedics, surgery, pain management, hospice, and geriatrics.

Terri Enslein EdD, MSN, RNC-OB, CNE is a Certified Nurse Educator who earned her doctoral degree from Northern Kentucky University, a MSN from Ball State University, a BSN at Wright State University, and an ADN at Miami University. Her research areas of interest are methods of promoting nursing students’ clinical judgment/reasoning, nursing informatics, infant mortality and public health nursing, and the lived experience of prelicensure nursing students. She has many years of experience as a registered nurse in the clinical setting in labor and delivery and the NICU in both Ohio and Texas. She has been in the nursing faculty role since 2012. She received the Case Competition award at the 2017 International Leadership Association annual conference in Brussels for her work in Infant Mortality. She is a member of the Beta Rho Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International.

Sandra Harris DNP, MSN, RN earned her doctoral degree from Ursuline College, a MSN from Case Western Reserve University, a BSN from Case Western Reserve University, and a Diploma in Nursing from Saint Alexis School of Nursing. She received the Teaching Excellence Award from Baldwin Wallace University in 2014 and the Doctoral Student Scholarship Award from the National League of Nursing in 2014. She has more than 40 years of experience in critical care nursing, medical-surgical nursing, nursing administration and nursing education. She also has experience as a research nurse at the Cleveland Clinic in the Department of Vascular Surgery for both NIH funded and sponsored research studies. During this time, she co-authored three research papers with the vascular surgery research team. Dr. Harris’s DNP project was the “Development & Implementation of a Pilot Evidence-Based Practice Program on a medical surgical unit in a Community Hospital”. Research and evidence-based practice interest are in the following areas: interprofessional education, nutrition & wellness, dissemination of evidence-based practice literature to nurses and allied healthcare partners, development of wellness assessment programs, and development of patient & family education programs. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society and the Midwest Nursing Research Society.

Angela R. Liggett, DHA, MSN, RN is currently the Coordinator and an Associate Professor in the graduate forensic tracks at Xavier University College of Nursing. She is a life-long resident of the Cincinnati area and graduated from Bethesda Hospital School of Nursing in 1985. Dr. Liggett graduated from the College of Mt. St. Joseph with her BSN in 2006. She was awarded her MSN in 2010 from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and received a certificate in Forensic Nursing from the Cyril Wecht Law School. Dr. Liggett received her Doctorate in Health Administration with a focus on Health Policy and Advocacy from Capella University in 2017.

Dr. Liggett’s capstone project at Duquesne was a training program, “Forensic Nursing in Trauma,” for ER staff. Her dissertation was titled, “Prevalence of Substance Abuse Screening in Adolescents by Pediatricians.” The methodology for this study was a qualitative survey, utilizing a modified Determinants of Implementation Behavior Questionnaire (DIBQ) survey tool and was based on the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).

With over 36 years of nursing experience, Dr. Liggett has worked in many clinical settings, both in rural and urban hospitals, mainly in the surgical and emergency room arenas. Her roles have included Med/Surg charge nurse, Director of Surgical Services, Perioperative Care Manager, Materials/Inventory Systems Manager, and Project Coordinator for corporate nursing. She was employed by the state, surveying health care facilities and investigating complaints and claims of harm. She was the Compliance Officer focusing on Title IX and other regulatory issues at a local college of nursing.

Dr. Liggett was a member of her previous county’s first rape/violence task force. She was also a member of the Cincinnati City Council Task Force for the Prevention of Campus Gender-Based Violence. She was a member and a previous chairperson for her community’s Board of Mental Health and Recovery and also that board’s Finance Advisory Committee. She has volunteered with a battered woman’s program and is a volunteer in her community’s Smallpox Response program and with a Disaster Medical Assistance Team.

Her journey in forensic nursing started prior to any formalized specialty. Dr. Liggett trained nurses regarding domestic violence (DV) in the late 1980’s. The physicians where she worked would call on her to consult with patients who were victims of DV, now known as interpersonal violence (IPV). While working in the ER, she became certified in trauma nursing and as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE).

Heather Moore DNP, MSN, BSN, RN, CNL is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Xavier University. Prior to arriving at Xavier University, she was an Assistant Professor at Mercy College of Ohio and Hondros College of Nursing. Preceding her full-time focus in academia, Dr. Moore began her nursing career completing a nurse residency program at Toledo Hospital, followed by many years working on the general pediatric unit, pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Toledo Children’s Hospital. She also spent time as a clinical team leader at a Retina Ophthalmology practice covering the northern Ohio area. While completing her Master’s of Science in nursing and Doctor of Science in Nursing degrees, she worked as adjunct clinical faculty at various institutions such as: Lourdes University, University of Toledo, Professional Skills Institute, and Ohio Northern University.

Dr. Moore’s areas of specialty include: pediatric and family care nursing, leadership and management, and community health. As an active member of Kappa Gamma Pi and Sigma Theta Tau International Honors society, she works to improve the nursing profession in both the clinical and academic realms.

Dr. Joe Perazzo is a teaching faculty member at Xavier University College of Nursing. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Perazzo has received the Darwin T. Turner Champion Teaching Award and has published extensively on HIV care. He is also a co-author of “Pain-Free Writing for Nurses.”

Debbie (Debra) VanKuiken, PhD, RN, AHN-BC has been at Xavier’s College of Nursing since 2010. She has taught a variety of courses at all levels including: Pathophysiology and Adv. Pathophysiology, Community Nursing, Healthcare policy, Nursing Research and has mentored DNP projects. Dr. VanKuiken has served in several leadership roles within the College and the University. Before coming to Xavier Dr. VanKuiken practiced nursing in critical care, hospice, and school nursing. She is certified in advanced holistic nursing and twice led the application for renewal of the holistic nurse endorsement for the College of Nursing. She also served as Executive Director of a shelter for families who were homeless in the 1990s and continues to be involved in community and diversity initiatives. Dr. VanKuiken’s publications include articles on guided imagery, nurse work environment, quality of life, and research methodology. Her areas of interest are in presence, self-compassion, and Holistic approaches to pain assessment and management. She is currently a member of Sigma Theta Tau and the American Holistic Nurses Association.