Jenna M. Wheeler, PhD, RN, CBC, is a postdoctoral scholar at UCF’s College of Nursing under the mentorship of Professor and Associate Dean of Research Carmen Giurgescu. As a practicing registered nurse with 13 years of experience in the neonatal intensive care unit, Wheeler has witnessed firsthand the effect of preterm birth on families, especially mothers and fathers. Further, working with Giurgescu has helped to shape the trajectory of her research, which focuses on the mother-father relationship and mental health during pregnancy among Black women utilizing a mixed methods approach. Wheeler’s postdoctoral expands on this foundation by including fathers and examining preterm birth outcomes among this population. Her long-term goal is to build a program of community-based participatory research that emphasizes the voice of those that may experience health disparities and develops interventions which ultimately improve birth and health outcomes among Black families.

Education

• PhD in Nursing, University of Central Florida
• BSN, University of Central Florida
• BS in Biology, University of Central Florida

Selected Awards & Honors

• Drs. Diane and Thomas Andrews Postdoctoral Research Award, 2024
• Top Graduate Poster, Theta Epsilon Chapter, Sigma International Honor Society of Nursing, 2023
• March of Dimes Graduate Nursing Scholarship, 2022
• Wiley Top Cited Article of 2021-22 in Public Health Nursing Journal
• Wiley Top Downloaded Article of 2021 in Public Health Nursing Journal

Selected Professional Activities

• National Association of Neonatal Nurses, former President Central Florida Chapter
• Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses
• Sigma International Honor Society of Nursing
• Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science
• Southern Nursing Research Society