The postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Iowa College of Nursing is an opportunity for nurse scientists to receive intensive mentorship to hone their research skills, network, and develop competitive research proposals to secure external funding. The two newest Iowa postdocs, Mary Beth Davis and Shandra Burton, are looking forward to doing just that.
Burton recently completed her PhD at Rush University, and her dissertation research revolved around spousal caregivers of individuals with dementia and resilience. “We know so much about the negative aspects of caregiving,” Burton says, “but I feel like there is such a need for us to be able to focus in on the positive adaptive factors that keep people going.”
The opportunity to be at a university with a strong focus on gerontology and deep historical roots in the field attracted her to Iowa. The college’s strong focus on gerontology, “makes a huge difference with faculty,” Burton says. “It’s not just one or two sprinkled in, there are several faculty members that focus on the older adult.” Burton was also attracted to the diversity of gerontological research happening at the college and the tremendous opportunities for collaboration. She will be mentored by Associate Professor Wen Liu.
Davis (05BSN, 24PhD) completed her PhD at the UI College of Nursing and has worked as a pediatric nurse for more than 19 years. An expert in pediatric central line care, she has a master’s in nursing education and is involved in vascular access organizations nationally. Davis credits her mentors, “amazing nurse leaders who really pushed for nursing-led evidence-based practice changes” with sparking her interest in research. She is excited to spend her postdoc developing her program of research and boosting her career as a nurse scientist. “Having so much clinical experience, a postdoc doesn’t make sense to most of my clinical colleagues,” she says, “so the way I describe it is dedicated time for me to develop my research skills so I can become a strong, independent researcher.” Davis will be mentored by Associate Professor Patricia Groves.
Burton, formerly an assistant professor at the Leighton School of Nursing at Marian University Indianapolis, sees herself in a faculty position after her postdoc. “This postdoc,” she says, “will just allow me to be able to give so much more not only to a university, but to the students and my community because it will increase my knowledge base and provide me with a larger network and support system.”
Davis knows the need for pediatric research in nursing is very high and says, “pediatric nursing research in Iowa is where my heart is, and I hope to continue to do that for the rest of my career.”
Previous Iowa post-docs have joined the faculty and made the University of Iowa their home. After completing her PhD at University of Missouri, Chelsea Howland spent two years at the college as a postdoc, working with co-mentors Professor Sue Gardner and Associate Professor Stephanie Gilbertson White. Howland's research focuses on chronic disease self-management in underserved rural populations and tailored interventions using mobile health technology. She joined the College of Nursing as an assistant professor in August 2024.
Andrea Strayer completed her PhD at University of Wisconsin, Madison, and then came to Iowa as a postdoc and fellow in the VA Quality Scholars program. Co-mentored by Professor Emerita Barbara Rakel and Assistant Professor Anna Krupp, Strayer's research interests include pain, complication prevention and recovery after spine surgery in older adults. She is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and a nurse practitioner at Iowa Health Care.