People Group Archives: Critical Care

Cassie Palik is a clinical nurse educator and critical care nurse whose expertise includes health assessment, nursing fundamentals, simulation-based education and curriculum development. With a background in intensive care nursing and service as a Marine Corps veteran, she is passionate about preparing future nurses through engaging, hands-on learning experiences that strengthen clinical judgment and confidence. […]

Cindy Thompson is a senior lecturer at UCF’s College of Nursing. With more than 20 years of experience in nursing practice, education and leadership, Thompson is dedicated to advancing student success through innovative teaching, simulation-based learning and evidence-based practice. Her background includes cardiovascular critical care nursing, staff development, curriculum design, accreditation and academic program leadership. […]

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 part of the Delphi Group, which pioneered the new definition of Nursing and Nurses at the International Council of Nurses, and past president of the […]

Lecturer Hannah D. Binding has more than 14 years of combined clinical and academic experience. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in pediatrics, adult health and critical care, clinical reasoning, and professional nursing practice, and serves as a preceptor and faculty advisor to master’s and doctoral nursing students. Her scholarly interests include nursing documentation and […]

With 17 years of experience as an emergency room nurse, including in leadership roles, Danny Hernandez has extensive knowledge of emergent and critical care. He is also keenly interested in the future of nursing education — especially the role of augmented and virtual reality — and focused on healthcare simulation while earning his MSN. Danny’s […]

Lecturer Ashley Faulkner served as an ICU nurse for eight years and an adjunct faculty member at UCF for a year prior to joining the full-time faculty in 2024. A double alumna of the UCF College of Nursing, she is excited to work with the undergraduate nursing students and UCF faculty. Education Selected Professional Activities

Instructor Sara Snyder is a healthcare professional with a background in emergency nursing and a passion for advancing healthcare practices. A certified emergency nurse, Snyder has served in emergency departments and ICUs across the country for nearly two decades. In addition to her teaching roles, Snyder is currently working toward her doctorate in nursing at […]

Frances Armstrong, clinical assistant professor and graduate simulation coordinator at UCF’s College of Nursing, is a dual-certified adult-gerontology acute care and primary care nurse practitioner with a diverse clinical background including sleep medicine, pulmonary medicine and critical care. She continues to maintains a clinical practice in critical care medicine in addition to her academic appointments […]

Assistant Professor Jennifer Crook is a nationally recognized nutritional epidemiologist and nurse scientist whose work investigates how nutritional insecurity becomes biologically embedded to drive inflammation, symptom burden and cancer disparities. Her research integrates omics‑based biomarkers, nutritional epidemiology and community‑engaged methods to develop clinically actionable tools that advance cancer outcomes. In a previous faculty role at […]