Rochester nursing research shines at ENRS Scientific Sessions

Nursing science is adaptive, rigorous and resilient.

More than 25 students, faculty, alumni, and University of Rochester Medicine colleagues demonstrated that as they presented recent research and clinical initiatives to colleagues at the Eastern Nursing Research Society’s 2026 Scientific Sessions in Boston.

Dean Lisa Kitko, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN, delivered the keynote address, “The Strength and Resilience of Nursing Science: Shaping Health Through Emerging Evidence, Innovative Strategies, and Policy Impact.”

At a time when nursing research faces mounting pressure from workforce strain, technological changes, and funding uncertainty, it also continues to grow and become increasingly consequential. Kitko showcased key moments in the School of Nursing’s own 100-year history, as well as advances led by nursing researchers across the profession, to exemplify nursing science’s evolution and persistence through challenging times.

"We stand in a tradition that sees nurses not only at the bedside, but at the center of how health systems are imagined, built, and improved," Kitko said.

"The strengths of nursing science — our proximity, our focus on translation, our connection to the workforce — are not accidents. They were built this way on purpose."

Faculty and students from the School of Nursing delivered the following posters, podium presentations, and workshops at the 2026 conference.

Workshops:

"Integrating Generative AI into an Undergraduate ECG Interpretation Course: Programmatic Challenges and Pedagogical Benefits"

• Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing Tara Serwetnyk, EdD, RN, FNAP, NPD-BC; Assistant Professor Dillon Dzikowicz, PhD, RN, PCCN; and incoming ABSN student Nikolas DiPaulo

"Building Nursing Science and Practice at the Confluence of Sexual Health Research and Education: An Assessment of a Sexual Health Simulation Project for Graduate Nurse Practitioner Students"

• Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing Erin Baylor, DNP, RN, PCPNP-BC, ONP, FNAP, CHSE, and Associate Professor Natalie Leblanc, PhD, MPH, RN, BSN

• "Sociodemographic and attitudinal predictors of having heard of or had cancer genetic testing in individuals with eligible cancers: Analysis of Health Information National Trends" – Assistant Professor Meghan Underhill, PhD, APRN, FAAN
• "Who to Tell, Where to Turn": HIV Disclosure Strategies and Support Across Settings" – PhD student Yahaya Abdulai
• "Exploring Perceived Barriers and Facilitators to Utilize a Nurse-led Chatbot for PrEP Uptake and Engagement"  – Assistant Professor Chen Zhang, PhD, MPH

Poster Presentations:

• "Communication and Information Needs of Patients with Cancer (PwC): A Scoping Review" – PhD student Kofi Agyei
• "Relationship Between Obesity and Depression Among Non-institutional U.S. Adults" – PhD student Emmanuel Dapilah, MN, BSc, RN
• "Developing a Sustainable Action Plan with Community Partners to Promote CPR and AED Training in Rural Schools" – DNP candidate Adrianne Edlund, MS, RN, CHFN, NPD-BC, NE-BC
• "The Influence of Social Support and Coping Strategies on the Resilience of Family Caregivers at End-of-Life: A Scoping Review" – PhD student Jacob Dogtir
• "Adolescent Condom Negotiation: A Concept Analysis to Advance Sexual Health" – PhD student Mary Antwi
• "Generative AI Improves Nursing Student Performance in an ECG Course" – Nikolas DiPaulo and Dillon Dzikowicz
• "Comparing Specialized and General Generative AI Models in Nursing ECG Education: Accuracy and Cost-Effectiveness" – Dillon Dzikowicz
• "An Exploration of Moral Agency Among Nursing Leaders" – E. Kate Valcin, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CCRN, CNL, FCCM, chief nursing executive at URochester Medicine; Tara Sacco PhD, RN, CCRN, ACCNS-AG, clinical nurse specialist; and Shelly Baker DNP, MS, RN, CNL, CCRN, NEA-BC, director of nursing

Find more photos from the conference in the School of Nursing's photo gallery. Learn more about nursing doctoral program pathways at URochester. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for updates.