Office of Nursing Research
Research Collaborations
Our proximity to many of the country’s top medical institutions lends itself to a rich environment of research collaboration. We regularly team up with our partners at Washington University, including the Siteman Cancer Center, The McDonnell Genome Institute, The Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences, and even the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Our Nurse Anesthesia students refine their skills in operating rooms at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children's Hospital through a partnership with the Washington University School of Medicine.
These relationships enable our all-encompassing approach to working across disciplines and allow us to find multifaceted solutions to address some of the most pressing issues in the nursing field today.
Our Faculty Researchers
Meet our faculty researchers and learn about their areas of focus and recent accomplishments. Students who are interested in these areas of research can apply to work alongside faculty mentors through the Research Assistant program.
Sarah Farabi, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor Dr. Sarah Farabi's areas of expertise include measurement of sleep and metabolic disease. Her research focus has been on understanding the impact of sleep disruption on metabolic control in young adults with type 1 diabetes, with a particular interest in understanding the detrimental effects of sleep disruption during pregnancy. Currently, she involves the study of how treatment of sleep apnea during pregnancy may help to improve metabolic function in women.
Heidi Holtz, PhD, RN
Dr. Holtz completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. As a fellow, Dr. Holtz collaborated with and was mentored by experts in the field of nursing and bioethics researching moral resilience and moral distress in healthcare. Dr. Holtz’s observations of nurses’ adversity, along with her own experiences as a nurse led to her aspirations to support nurses in building resiliency and fostering a safe environment to practice.
Dr. Holtz’s current research is focused on providing interventions to support nurses' healing and overall well-being following moral injury and trauma experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her future goals include supporting nurses and healthcare clinicians and empowering them to be able to maintain their professional identity, protect themselves and their well-being, and prevent the frequency of burnout. Dr. Holtz currently is a KL2 Career Development Award Scholar with the Washington University Institute of Clinical Translational Sciences (ICTS).
JoAnn Jabbari, PhD, RN
JoAnn is a recent graduate of the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing PhD in Nursing Science Program. The focus of her research centers around loneliness and psychological distress and its impact on health. She is a Jonas Scholar. Launched in 2008, the Jonas Scholars program is the signature initiative of Jonas Nursing, whose mission is to enhance the nursing profession by developing nurse leaders who will address the nursing shortage by educating the future nursing workforce and by investing in the health and well-being of underserved communities.
Sarah Oerther, PhD, MEd, RN, FNP-BC, FNAP, ANEF
Sarah Oerther Ph.D., M.Ed, RN, FNP-BC, FNAP, ANEF is an Assistant Professor at Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing. Her practice spans from advanced hospital critical care to home health care and disaster medicine in the community. She holds past certifications in toxicology and substance abuse prevention.
To promote climate resilience, Dr. Oerther seeks to create culturally appropriate tools that can help individuals assess their risk and take action to protect their health. She is currently part of the 2024 cohort for Environmental Health Research Institute for Nurse and Clinician Scientists (EHRI-NCS) and was recently selected as a CHARTER fellow for 2024 with the Woodruff Health Sciences Center at Emory University.
Tamara Otey, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor Tamara Otey, PhD, RN is passionate about addressing health disparities globally. She performs community-based participatory research in Nigeria and research in St. Louis. Dr. Otey also serves in an academic partnership with a local community hospital as a research and evidence-based practice mentor for their nurses.
Dominic Reeds, MD
Dr. Dominic Reeds, Professor of Medicine; Associate Dean of Research, Goldfarb School of Nursing; Director, Barnes Jewish Hospital Nutrition Support Service, Geriatrics and Nutritional Science, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.
Dr. Reeds is a dedicated leader in clinical research and education at Washington University School of Medicine. He serves as Medical Director of the Clinical Research Unit, co-Director of the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation Program, Associate Director of the Mentored Training Program in Clinical Investigation and Director of the Washington University KL2 program. He has a focus on assisting early-stage investigators through his roles as Director of the Pilot and Feasibility Programs for the Nutrition and Obesity Research Core and the Center for Diabetes Translation Research and Director of the Longer Life Center at Washington University. He has mentored more than 20 early-stage investigators and is a regular member of several NIH study sections.
Marilyn Schallom PhD, MSN(R), RN, CCNS, CCRN, FCCM
Marilyn (Lynn) Schallom PhD, RN, CCNS, CCRN-K, FCCM holds a Joint Faculty Position in the Department of Research for Patient Care Services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University in St. Louis, MO and Barnes Jewish Goldfarb School of Nursing. With 40 years of critical care experience as a nurse, clinical nurse specialist, and researcher, Lynn collaborates with the ICUs to conduct interdisciplinary research and implement EBP and process improvement projects. She is currently studying pressure injury risk assessment and streamlining the supply retrieval process with voice user interface. Interdisciplinary studies have explored methods to reduce device related pressure injuries, end of life care and family communication in the ICUs, reduction in hospital acquired infections, early mobility, and workplace violence prevention.
Lynn's educational background includes a diploma in nursing, a BSN and MSN from St. Louis University, and a PhD in Nursing with a minor in Integrative Biology from the University of Kansas.
Contact Us
To learn more about faculty research at Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing or to explore potential collaboration opportunities, please reach out to Lynn Schalom at [email protected].