Although she has worked with research assistants for many years, both as a College of Nursing PhD student and as an assistant professor, Claire Shaw (21PhD, 17MSN, 13BSN) had never considered nominating a student for the University of Iowa Office of the Vice President of Research’s Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award. That is, until she met Lindsey Henkenius. A third-semester nursing student from Iowa City, Henkenius joined Shaw’s research team in March 2025 and is “the best undergraduate research assistant I have worked with in my career,” says Shaw. When nominations for the award opened in late 2025, Shaw did not hesitate to nominate her newest team member. In March, Henkenius was one of five UI students to receive this year’s award, which recognizes outstanding accomplishments in scholarly investigation, artistic creation, or performance by an undergraduate student, and the first nursing student to receive it.
Henkenius never thought she would do research but, wanting to keep her career options open, she decided to give it a try. Turns out—she loves it. “Honestly, it’s one of my favorite things of nursing school so far,” she says.
As a member of Shaw’s team, Henkenius is working on a study that identifies and characterizes rejection of care behaviors in hospitalized patients with dementia. She collects data through systematic observations of nursing care encounters with patients living with dementia, utilizing the Resistiveness to Care Scale—a validated instrument that requires intensive training to use. Shaw lauds Henkenius’ technical competence, noting she completes tasks with “a level of sophistication, independence, and attention to detail that I would typically expect only from advanced graduate students.” She also recognizes the corresponding interpersonal skills necessary for nursing research, calling Henkenius’ “exceptional.”
Henkenius credits Shaw’s mentorship for her success. “She never wants me just to hang out on one level,” says Henkenius. “It’s always ‘how can we do one thing more’, which I love. She’s always pushing me to go to the next challenge.” Henkenius says trying so many new things is a little scary, but Shaw guides her through the steps while allowing her to work independently.
Shaw says her long-term goal is to recruit Henkenius to the CON PhD program. “She possesses all the qualities of an outstanding nurse scientist,” she says, “intellectual curiosity, methodological rigor, compassionate clinical instincts, and commitment to improving care.” Henkenius isn’t sure what the future holds, but says, “I like research so much I think that might be a high contender.”
