People Group Archives: Dissertation Chairs

Olajumoke (Jummy) Ojeleye is a nurse‑midwife, maternal and child health nurse scientist, and perinatal mental health professional, whose work spans clinical practice, academic scholarship, and community‑engaged research. Her research focuses on advancing maternal and perinatal mental health, with a particular emphasis on improving the experiences and outcomes of pregnant and parenting adolescents. Her scholarship reflects […]

Jian (Frank) Zou is an associate professor of statistics at UCF’s College of Nursing. He previously worked at the National Institute of Statistical Sciences, Duke University, Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute before joining UCF. His research interests include time series, high dimensional statistical inference, biosurveillance, spatial statistics and Bayesian analysis […]

Kaitlyn Rechenberg is an associate professor at the University of Central Florida College of Nursing and director of the Adolescent and Young Adult Anxiety Lab. She is a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner and pediatric mental health specialist with 10 years of clinical experience working with adolescents and young adults. She is an expert in conducting […]

Sergi Garcia-Retortillo is an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida’s College of Nursing. He holds a BS in Exercise Science, a BS in Physical Therapy, an MSc in Physical Activity and Health, and a Ph.D. in Exercise Science. His expertise includes exercise physiology, electrophysiology, exercise testing, and physiological network analysis. His research centers […]

Marissa “Mari” Mackiewicz is an assistant professor at UCF’s College of Nursing and a nurse scientist whose work focuses on ensuring all older adults have access to healthcare. Her research interests include substance use disorders and unmet oral health needs in older adult populations. Prior to joining UCF, Mackiewicz held post-doctoral positions at the University […]

Jenna M. Wheeler is an assistant professor at UCF’s College of Nursing. As a practicing registered nurse with nearly 15 years of experience in the neonatal intensive care unit, she has witnessed firsthand the effect of preterm birth on families. Wheeler’s research focuses on the mother-father relationship and mental health during pregnancy utilizing a mixed […]

Nurse, researcher, and educator Michael Joseph “MJ” Dino specializes in health informatics, gerotechnology, educational technologies, robotics, human-computer interaction (HCI), extended reality (XR), artificial intelligence (AI), and academic integrity. He is an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) and the first Asian to win the Nurse in the Limelight Innovator Award given by Connecting-Nurses in partnership with the […]

With over 30 years of academic, clinical, and administrative experience, she is a nationally recognized leader in interprofessional education, curricular design, and holistic nursing. Dr. Dyess is known for her solution-oriented leadership and impactful community-based participatory action research. Her work integrates caring science, human-centered design, and systems thinking to transform nursing education and promote person-centered […]

Sharon Tucker, a distinguished scholar in psychiatric mental health nursing and evidence-based practice, is the dean of the College of Nursing at the University of Central Florida. Tucker joined UCF as a professor and chair of the Department of Nursing Practice in 2024. Her leadership experience spans more than two decades and includes roles at […]

Janet Lopez is a nurse scientist who is dedicated to addressing health inequities through a comprehensive approach. She focuses on developing innovative strategies to improve health outcomes for underserved communities. After completing her post-doctoral fellowship at the Veterans Rural Health Resource Center in Gainesville, Florida, she concentrated on promoting health equity among rural veteran and […]