NURSING@SIMMONS

Our professors are distinguished educators, practitioners, researchers, and authors who enrich their scholarship and teaching with practical experience. All are dedicated teachers committed to excellence and who take pride in mentoring their students.

To learn more about our leadership and faculty team, click on the images below or contact an Admission Counselor at 1-844-622-2872 or email us.

Assistant Professor of Practice

Family Nurse Practitioner, Simmons University

I came to Simmons University first as a family nurse practitioner student in the on-campus program and later transitioned into adjunct faculty for the pharmacology courses. I greatly enjoy the education environment and seeing students succeed in ways they were unsure they could. My clinical experience has included palliative medicine, oncology, and internal medicine.

Recipient of Award of Excellence in Clinical Practice in Primary Healthcare Nursing, 2012

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Assistant Professor of Practice
Foundational Courses Coordinator
Ph.D., M.Ed., RN

Tanya Cohn, Ph.D., M.Ed., RN, is an assistant professor of practice in the Department of Nursing at Simmons School of Nursing. She has been teaching at Simmons for the last three years, since the inception of Nursing@Simmons. Her teaching focuses on research across the life span and scholarly activities for developing best evidence. Dr. Cohn serves as the coordinator of the foundational courses for Nursing@Simmons. She also holds a voluntary faculty position with the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University in Miami, Florida.

In addition to her role in academia, Dr. Cohn works as a nurse scientist at Baptist Health South Florida in Miami, Florida. In this position she is able to assist with research development in the clinical setting with inter-professional care teams.

Dr. Cohn has completed multiple research studies individually and within inter-professional teams, which have included dissemination at the local, national, and international levels. Her research topics of interest include acute and family medicine outcomes; community risk factors; social determinants of health; cardiovascular risk in Hispanics; nursing-sensitive indicators; and healthy work environments, along with professional development.

Grafton, T., Bassett, A., & Cohn, T. (accepted for publication, 2017). The role of confidence in self-care of patients with a diagnosis of heart failure. MEDSURG Nursing.

Sherman, R. O. & Cohn, T. (2016). Improving your coaching skills. American Nurse Today, 11(5), 28–31.

Sherman, R. O. & Cohn, T. (2015). Boosting your influence. American Nurse Today, 10(12), 1–7.

Cohn, T. (2015, September). Strengthening nursing engagement in research and evidence-based practice with a successful MSN student research practicum. The Florida Nurse, 63(3), 15.

Cohn, T. & Llera-Lora, T. (2015). Using a peer-driven facilitative review process to establish feasibility and support ethical review of clinical research. Applied Clinical Research, Clinical Trials and Regulatory Affairs, 2(1), 7–11.

Thomasos, E., Forges, E., Judkins-Cohn, T., Nerey, J., Lindgren, C. L., & Spivey, S. (2015). Clinical partners’ perceptions of patient assignments according to acuity. MEDSURG Nursing, 24(1), 39–45.

Busse, J. C., Cohn, T. M., Butao, R., & Lamoureux, J. (2014). Association between severity of anemia and 30-day readmission rate: Archival data of 847 patients with acute decompensated heart failure. Advances in Nephrology, 2014, 1–6. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/261531

Arinal, M., Cohn, T., & Avila-Quintana, C. (2014). Evaluating the impact of medication cabinets in patients’ rooms on a medical-surgical telemetry unit. MEDSURG Nursing, 23(2), 77–83.

Judkins-Cohn, T., Ward, J., Owen, M., Kielwasser-Withrow, K. K. (2014). Ethical principles of informed consent: Exploring the dual role of the nurse as care provider and research. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 45(1), 35–42.

Lozano, L., Barthold, M., & Judkins-Cohn, T. (2014). Using the Clinical Information System Implementation Evaluation Scale (CISIES) as a clinical implementation strategy. Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 32(3), 138–143.

Lamoureux, J., Judkins-Cohn, T., Butao, R., McCue, V., & Garcia, F. (2013). Measuring perceptions of shared governance in clinical practice: Psychometric testing of the RN-focused Index of Professional Governance (IPNG). Journal of Research in Nursing, 19(1), 69–87.

Harris, D. & Cohn, T. (2014). Designing and opening a new hospital with a culture and foundation of Magnet^®: An exemplar in transformational leadership. Nurse Leader, 12(4), 62–68, 77. 

Allen, R., Judkins-Cohn, T., deVelasco, R., Forges, E., Lee, R., Clark, L., & Procunier, M. (2013). Moral distress among healthcare professionals at a health system. Journal of Nursing Administration’s Healthcare Law, Ethics, and Regulation, 15(3), 111–118. 

Figueroa, S., Bulos, M., Forges, E., & Judkins-Cohn, T. (2013). Stabilizing and retaining a quality nursing workforce through the use of the Married State Preceptorship Model. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 44(8), 365–373.

Judkins-Cohn, T. (2010). Verbal abuse: The words that divide: Impact on patient care nurses and their perceived solutions. Southern Online Journal of Nursing Research, 10(4), 1–14.

“I teach because I believe nurses and nurse practitioners are at the forefront of health care and in the position to lead evidence-based and patient-centered care. Therefore, I strive to incorporate clinically relevant examples in research courses to assist graduate students in strengthening their understanding and use of evidence to impact patient outcomes. It is my ultimate goal to empower my students to be change agents and scholarly leaders wherever they practice.”

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Associate Professor of Practice
BS, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC

Caitlin Levesque is a pediatric nurse practitioner from South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Professor Levesque earned her undergraduate degree in biology from Providence College in 2005. She is a proud Simmons alum, having graduated from the school’s direct entry program with her master’s in nursing in 2009. Prior to her work as a nurse practitioner, Professor Levesque worked as a pediatric nurse at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.

In 2009, Professor Levesque joined her close friend, a pediatrician, and they have been in practice together since in a small, but busy, pediatric primary care office. Professor Levesque has a strong interest in preventative medicine, particularly vaccine practices and education.

Professor Levesque has been with Nursing@Simmons since the program’s inception in 2013. She has served many roles within the program including course design and course lead, and she currently serves as the faculty advisor for the Student Advisory Committee. She has been full-time faculty since 2016. In addition to her online teaching roles, Professor Levesque enjoys the hands-on role of precepting nurse practitioner students within her office. Prior to Nursing@Simmons, Professor Levesque also worked with nursing students in simulation and hospital-based learning experiences.

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Associate Professor of Practice

Dr. Beth McVey has over 30 years of nursing experience, in which she has served in clinical, leadership, and academic roles. She joined Simmons University as Adjunct Faculty in the Fall of 2018. Currently, she serves as the Course Coordinator for NURP 450/670.

Previously, she worked as the Advanced Practice Collaborative Leader for a large Emergency Medicine Corporation in Southern California. In addition, she was the Director of a New Graduate Emergency Nurse Practitioner Program in Los Angeles California, which included program development and evaluation.

Currently, she provides primary care at a clinic in Los Angeles, California.

Professional interests include; interprofessional practice relationships to improve patient outcomes, promoting women’s health and wellness, policy and advocacy for health care and advanced practice nursing.

McVey, B. A., Lopez, R., & Padilla, B. I. (2020). Evidence-Based Approach to Healthy Food Choices for Hispanic Women. Hispanic Health Care International. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540415320921471

McVey, B. (2020). Be Alert for Kawasaki Disease. [Web exclusive]. American Nurse Today, 15(6).

McVey, B. 2019, Temecula Valley Hospital-Stroke Summit. Wilson Creek Winery, Temecula, CA

McVey, B. 2018, Cardiovascular Symposium: Updates on Women and Cardiovascular Disease, Wilson Creek Winery, Temecula, CA

McVey, B. 2018, Celebrating Your Good Health, Temecula Civic Center, Temecula, CA

McVey, B., 2017, Empowering Women’s Health: Mind, Body & Spirit, Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce, South Coast Winery, Temecula, CA

McVey, B., 2017, Cardiovascular Wellness: An Ounce of Prevention, Temecula Valley Hospital, Temecula, CA

McVey, B., 2017, Women’s Heart Health, American Heart Association Event sponsored by Temecula Valley Hospital, South Coast Winery, Temecula, CA

McVey, B., 2016, Women in Business: Maintaining Health and Wellness in the Workplace, Temecula Valley Entrepreneur’s Exchange, Temecula, CA

McVey, B., 2016, Nurse Retention: A Recurrent Issue for Nurse Leaders, Temecula Valley Hospital, Temecula, CA

McVey, B., 2015, A Healthy Food Choices Program for Young Hispanic Women, TISU Clinic, Los Angeles, CA

McVey, B., 2015, Acute Vestibular Syndrome Versus Stroke, Emergent Medical Associates Presentation, Temecula Valley Hospital, Temecula, CA

McVey, B., 2013, Hypertensive Crises: Diagnosis and Management, Temecula Valley Hospital, Temecula, CA

McVey, B., 2009, Cardiomyopathy: Case Review, Beverly Hospital, Montebello, CA

McVey, B., 2000, Promoting Excellence in Advanced Practice Nursing, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA

McVey, B., 2000, HIV/AIDS Awareness Project for Latino Adolescents, Venice Teen Clinic, Venice, CA

McVey, B., 1999, Pediatric Pneumonia, Grand Rounds, Harbor-UCLA, Los Angeles, CA

McVey, B., 1999, Pancreatic Trauma, Grand Rounds, Harbor-UCLA, Los Angeles, CA

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Associate Dean, School of Nursing
DNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC

Dr. Heather Shlosser has more than 20 years of nursing experience, in which she has spent time in both clinical and academic arenas. Previously, she worked at Frontier Nursing University (FNU), as an associate professor in the FNP and PMHNP programs. At FNU, she also served as Program Director and developed and launched the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner program.

Dr. Shlosser brings a wealth of clinical experience to her role as Program Director at Nursing@Simmons. She works in full-spectrum clinical practice as a certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP). She has a clinical focus in and passion for integrated behavioral medicine within primary care, psychopharmacology, addictions medicine, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness therapy. She has spearheaded the development and implementation of integrated behavioral health programs within primary care and specialty medicine for multiple healthcare organizations. Her clinical experience includes full-scope primary care and outpatient psychiatric care.

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Professor of Nursing (Undergraduate and Graduate)
Sc.D.

Dr. Volkman is a professor at Simmons University and has been involved in preparing nursing students in the basic science content since 1989. She teaches Advanced Human Pathophysiology as well as the Integrative Sciences curriculum for the Direct Entry Program, including Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Anatomy and Physiology. She also teaches in the Nursing@Simmons program, including Biology for Nursing Professionals and Human Pathophysiology.

Dr. Volkman holds a joint appointment at the Harvard School of Public Health in Immunology and Infectious Diseases, where she is a principal research scientist. Her research focuses on using genetic approaches to understand Plasmodium falciparum, a causative agent of human malaria. She uses these approaches to understand transmission dynamics and also to identify novel mechanisms of drug resistance in this important human pathogen. She is a councilor for the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and is on the Scientific Advisory Board for the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network. Dr. Volkman works with international agencies including the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Volkman has written and contributed to numerous health care publications throughout her career. You can see the full list of Dr. Volkman’s contributions here.

Dr. Volkman is an expert on the biology of Plasmodium falciparum that causes human malaria.  Her work focuses on understanding genetic variation in this organism and how to exploit this information for developing new diagnostic tools, for understanding disease transmission dynamics, and to identify genetic loci that contribute to drug resistance in this organism.

“I teach because it is through teaching that I learn. Teaching and learning are intimately integrated, and I love to watch students mature in their understanding and increase their confidence in the scientific principles that underlie the human disease process.”

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