The University of Rhode Island College of Nursing welcomes Professor Melissa Sutherland to the college for the start of the spring 2022 semester. Learn about one of the College’s newest professors:
Education: Ph.D., University of Virginia, Charlottesville; M.S., Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, with a focus on community health education and nurse practitioner; B.S. in Nursing, Binghamton University; B.A. in Psychology, Ohio State University.
Recent experience: Director, Kresge Center for Nursing Research, Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences; Professor, Binghamton University, Decker School of Nursing; Associate Professor, Boston College, Connell School of Nursing; Lecturer, University of Virginia School of Nursing.
Research focus: Dr. Sutherland is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a nurse researcher whose work has been funded by private foundations and by the National Institute of Nursing Research, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Her research generally focuses on interpersonal violence and recover from the experience of violence. Her current R01 project, funded by AHRQ, examines female college students’ experiences with intimate partner violence and sexual violence, and factors associated with violence screening in college health centers. Her interpersonal violence work has identified provider, organizational and institutional factors that influence intimate partner and sexual violence screening among college women.
Teaching focus: Dr. Sutherland is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and has taught community and public health at the undergraduate and graduate level. Among other courses at URI, Sutherland plans to teach a class in growth and development over the lifespan to undergraduate students. The course focuses on health promoition and disease prevention from newborns to older adults.
Why URI: “There is a fabulous team of people and a lot of exciting things going on at URI. And not just in the College of Nursing. There is great support throughout the university for faculty members and students in their research and scholarship.”