People Group Archives: Expertise

Two-time alumna Amanda “Mandi” Houston is a lecturer and director of the Healthcare Simulation graduate program at the University of Central Florida College of Nursing. A certified healthcare simulation educator, her research interests focus on the intersection of evidence-based practice and nursing education. Houston’s clinical background is in a variety of settings including neuroscience, orthopedics, […]

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

Jayne Willis joined the faculty of the University of Central Florida College of Nursing 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 healthcare system. At UCF, she teaches primarily in the Nurse Executive Doctor of Nursing Practice program and […]

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 and two-time alumnus Sotos G. Djiovanis has been in continuous clinical practice in Central Florida for more a decade. He has 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. His […]

An experienced nurse educator at the undergraduate and graduate levels, Melissa “Missy” Radecki currently serves as director of the pre-licensure undergraduate programs at UCF’s College of Nursing. Her clinical background is in adult critical care. She is a National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) item writer, an expert on NCLEX preparation and the Next Generation NCLEX, […]

Vivian Schutz is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Nursing Practice at the University of Central Florida. With more than 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 to her role. Before […]

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 a UCF Pegasus Professor, 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 […]

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 […]