Yoga Little Rock Virginia

TEACHING:

I primarily teach Community Health Nursing (NURS 416) to accelerated and traditional baccalaureate nursing students. In addition to serving as course lead, I also teach a community-based clinical section in the Richmond’s Southside community.

RESEARCH:

My research focus is on metabolic syndrome, a bio-behavioral symptom cluster known to precede cardiometabolic diseases including atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes. With a concentration on African-American women, the group at highest risk for mortality related to diseases of the metabolic syndrome, I am investigating the biological, environmental, and social determinants of this condition and exploring innovative ways to prevent disease and disease progression. I am also examining the mediators of behaviors (e.g., diet & physical activity) that reduce metabolic syndrome risk including self-management/self-regulation of behaviors, stress reduction, and family- and community-based social support.

As a research fellow in the National Institute of Nursing Research, I explored the feasibility and acceptability of a novel intervention that combined the cardio-protective properties of yoga with the cultural relevance of West African cultural dance to determine if African-American women, a U.S. subpopulation with the highest rates of sedentary lifestyle, would be amenable to participating in more physical activity. Moving forward in my health promotion bio-behavioral research, I will be incorporating focus group and baseline data into a more comprehensive, community-based, lifestyle intervention.

SERVICE:

I am a member of the Black Nurses Association, and the American Public Health Association. I have served as an alternate member of the Faculty Senate and am currently a member of the VCU Service Learning Advisory Board.

EDUCATION

• B.A. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
  Anthropology
• B.S. Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
  Nursing
• MA Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
  Public Health
• Faculty Fellow, VCU ASPiRE, 2015-16
• Featured, Richmond Times Dispatch article
• “Nurses move beyond patient beside in research efforts” 2014
• DataMark Instructor of Excellence Award, (Richmond, VA) 2012
• Commonwealth of VA Nurse Educator's Scholarship, (Richmond, VA) 2010
• UVA Vice President for Research Scholarship, (Charlottesville, VA) 2009
• RN Excellence in Teaching Award, (Richmond, VA) 2009
• St. Phillip's Alumnae Scholarship, (Richmond, VA) 2007
• Lettie P. Whitehead Scholarship, (Richmond, VA) 2006

PUBLICATIONS

• Johnson CC and Taylor AG. (2011). Researchers combine evidence to foster study enrollment:
  Perspectives on putting into practice what we know for studies involving Black women. Journal of Yoga and Physical Therapy, 1 (1), e101-e103. 10.4172/2157-7595.1000e101.