Jenna M. Wheeler is a postdoctoral scholar at UCF’s College of Nursing and a three-time UCF alumna. As a practicing registered nurse with 13 years of experience in the neonatal intensive care unit, she has witnessed firsthand the effect of preterm birth on families, especially mothers and fathers. Further, her time as a research assistant for and mentee of Dr. Carmen Giurgescu has helped to shape the trajectory of her work. Wheeler’s research focuses on the mother-father relationship and mental health during pregnancy among Black women utilizing a mixed methods approach. Her postdoctoral work will expand on this foundation by including fathers and examining preterm birth outcomes among this population. Wheeler’s 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

• Top Graduate Poster, Theta Epsilon Chapter, Sigma International Honor Society of Nursing, 2023
• Wiley Top Cited Article of 2021-22 in Public Health Nursing Journal
• Wiley Top Downloaded Article of 2021 in Public Health Nursing Journal
• March of Dimes Graduate Nursing Scholarship, 2022

Selected Professional Activities

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