People Group Archives: Expertise

Amanda “Mandi” Houston is a lecturer at the University of Central Florida College of Nursing, and two-time Knight nurse alumna. She is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator and focused her PhD dissertation on the impact of simulation in undergraduate nursing education, looking specifically at knowledge retention and cognitive load. Her continued research interests focus on […]

Education MSN, University of Central Florida BSN, University of Central Florida Selected Awards & Honors Noble Knight Nurse Award, Practice Category, UCF College of Nursing, 2020 Selected Professional Activities Sigma Honor Society of Nursing American Association of Critical Care Nurses

Dr. Jayne Willis joined the faculty of the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Nursing in August 2021, following her retirement from Orlando Health after a distinguished 40-year career. Before retiring, she served as Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive for the Orlando Health system. At UCF, she teaches primarily in the Executive Doctor […]

Heather Peralta, who has been at the UCF College of Nursing for nearly a decade, is the Apopka Community Nursing Coalition coordinator and teaches undergraduate nursing students. Peralta is dedicated to mentoring future nurses and serving the community. She has participated in several study abroad trips with nursing students to Peru and spearheaded the creation […]

Lecturer Sotos Djiovanis has been in continuous clinical practice in Central Florida for over a decade. At Orlando Health, he routinely served as a clinical preceptor, education resource nurse, and member of hospital shared governance councils. His clinical expertise spans adult and geriatric populations in both acute care and home health settings. Djiovanis recently completed […]

An experienced nurse educator at the undergraduate and graduate levels, Melissa “Missy” Radecki also has significant adult critical care experience. She is a National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) item writer and an expert on NCLEX preparation and the Next Generation NCLEX. Radecki’s dissertation research focused on inclusive learning for students with disabilities, and she is […]

Dr. Vivian Schutz is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Nursing Practice at the University of Central Florida. With over 18 years of experience in nursing education—12 in Brazil and 6 in the United States—she brings a deep foundation in clinical expertise and academic leadership. Before transitioning to academia, Dr. Schutz worked as […]

Mona Shattell is the chair of the Department of Nursing Systems, the Hugh F. and Jeannette G. McKean Endowed Chair, and a professor in the UCF College of Nursing. An internationally recognized mental health and psychiatric nursing expert, Shattell is the editor of the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, and the author […]

Carmen Giurgescu is the Chatlos Foundation Endowed Chair and associate dean of research at UCF’s College of Nursing, which is named among the nation’s top nursing schools for NIH funding. Giurgescu is a world-renowned maternal health researcher who focuses her efforts on reducing preterm births to improve outcomes for new mothers and their babies. Her […]

A Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Pediatric Mental Health Specialist, Valerie C. Martinez is passionate about pediatric healthcare. She leverages her extensive nursing experience working with neonates and children with chronic medical conditions in her research, which seeks to address mental health disparities among children and families, as well as improve health outcomes for children […]