Faculty and Staff of the Yvonne L. Munn Center

Director
Gaurdia Banister, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

Email: gbanister@mgh.harvard.edu

Gaurdia Banister, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, is the director of the Munn Center and holds the inaugural Connell-Jones MGH Chair for Nursing and Patient Care Research. Dr. Banister has an impressive portfolio of nursing research, with interests that include innovative models for interprofessional education, transition to practice considerations for culturally-diverse nursing students, and the impact of mentoring on career success and progression. She also serves as the executive director of the Institute for Patient Care. Dr. Banister was selected as the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing distinguished alumna and in 2014 the distinguished alumna for the University of Wyoming, where she received her bachelor’s in Nursing. She was also chosen as a distinguished alumna at the University of Texas at Austin where she earned both her master’s and doctoral degrees. Dr. Banister was named as the recipient of the American Nurses Association Mary Eliza Mahoney Award and the Prism Award by the American Organization of the Nurse Executives for her outstanding achievements and leadership in promoting the integration, retention and advancement of minorities in nursing. Banister’s academic appointments include the MGH Institute for Health Professions and the University of Massachusetts of Boston, College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Dr. Banister is a former Johnson and Johnson Wharton Nurse Fellow and an alumna of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program.  Dr. Banister is also a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.

 

Director Emerita
Dorothy A. Jones, EdD, RN, FAAN, FNI
Email: djones9@mgh.harvard.edu

Dorothy A. Jones EdD, RN, FAAN, FNI is the first Director and Senior Nurse Scientist of the Munn Center and Professor of Nursing at Boston College, William F. Connell School of Nursing. Dr. Jones brings to her work a vision of the potential research and inquiry have on expanding nursing’s visibility as a significant contributor to patient care through research. Dr. Jones is the author of multiple books, and over 135 international publications. She is the recipient of many awards and honors, and has received external funding through external groups including NIH-NINR. Jones has worked closely with Jeannette Ives Erickson and Marianne Ditomassi of the MGH to develop the infrastructure essential to the advancement of patient care though nursing research. Dr. Jones has a history of organizational leadership serving as president of NANDA International, and the Eastern Nursing Research Society. She has served in academic leadership roles and holds a visiting professorship at the University of Navarra and the Clinica Universitas in Pamplona, Spain. She actively participates in the conduct of multisite research in areas including workforce evaluation, symptom management, transitional care, theory development and research within Newman’s framework of Health as Expanding Consciousness. Dr. Jones has facilitated the development of multiple instruments grounded in qualitative methodology and works with students, staff and scholars on research initiatives to advance nursing science and improve patient care.

 

Jennifer E. Cahill, PhD, RN
Email: jennifer.cahill@mgh.harvard.edu

Dr. Jennifer Cahill completed her undergraduate education at the University of Connecticut, pre-doctoral training at the National Cancer Institute, and she has a Master of Science degree in clinical investigation from the MGH Institute of Health Professions. She completed her PhD doctoral work at the University of Texas.  By way of clinical background, Dr. Cahill has broad experience in caring for adults and children with solid and liquid tumors. At MGH, Dr. Cahill is a nurse-scientist in the Yvonne L. Munn Center for Nursing Research, with comprehensive training in both basic and clinical research methods. Her research interests center on clinical trials outcome assessment, biologic basis of symptoms and toxicity in the treatment of cancer, testing interventions for symptom management, patient use of electronic medical record, and survivorship. She has presented her scholarship locally and nationally, along with publication in nursing, medical, and interdisciplinary journals.

 

Diane L. Carroll, PhD, RN, FAHA, NFESC, FAAN
Email: dcarroll3@mgh.harvard.edu

Diane L. Carroll, PhD, RN, FAA N was the Yvonne L. Munn Nurse Researcher for 8 years and a Cardiovascular Clinical Nurse Specialist for 16 years at MGH. Dr. Carroll was the advisor for the Research and Evidence-Based Practice Committee and for 10 years, and served as the Chair of a Partners HealthCare Human Research Committee. Dr. Carroll maintained program of research in cardiovascular patient populations and patient safety, specifically in fall prevention and smart pump technology. She has mentored 13 studies with staff nurses on questions that were generated from clinical practice. Specifically, Dr. Carroll has mentored staff nurse research in non-pharmacologic interventions for anxiety, family visitation, presence, caregiver needs in pediatric populations, and technology assessment. Dr. Carroll has been funded from NIH, RWJ Foundation, and other nursing organizations. Dr. Carroll has over 80 publications in peer-reviewed journals, and4 book chapters; a past board member of the Eastern Nursing Research Society and Adjunct Associate Professor at Northeastern University and a Visiting Scholar to Boston College. She is a Fellow in the European Society of Cardiology and the American Heart Association and on the Editorial Board of the Heart and Lung and Clinical Pathways in Cardiology.

 

Jane M. Flanagan, Ph.D., RN, AHN-BC, ANP-BC, FNI, FNAP, FAAN
Email: jflanagan@mgh.harvard.edu

Jane Flanagan, PhD, ANP-BC is an Associate Professor and Program Director of the Adult Gerontology Graduate Program at Boston College William F. Connell School of Nursing, Chestnut Hill, MA. She is the Editor for the International Journal of Nursing Knowledge, serves as a member on the Board of Directors in the International Association of Human Caring (IAHC) and as the President of the Society of Rogerian Scholars. Dr. Flanagan also serves as the NICHE coordinator at MGH. Jane has conducted clinical research utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to investigate the patient’s perception of illness including those undergoing surgery and those with chronic illnesses such as COPD, cardiac issues, and cancer. The broad focus of her work is aimed at assessing and addressing co morbidities and unmet health needs of adults and older adults as they transition across the healthcare continuum. Currently, she is involved in research developing healing interventions aimed at improving the outcomes of older women with chronic co morbid illness who are breast cancer survivors, caregivers and initiating long-term endocrine-based therapies. Dr. Flanagan has presented and published her work broadly.

 

Sara E. Dolan Looby, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN
Email: slooby@mgh.harvard.edu

Sara E. Dolan Looby, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN is a NIH-funded researcher at MGH and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Since 2001, Dr. Looby has served as a member of a distinguished interdisciplinary research team in the Neuroendocrine Unit, known as the Program in Nutritional Metabolism (PINM). With this group, Dr. Looby conducts novel research on metabolic disorders related to HIV, specifically bone loss, lipodystrophic fat accumulation, cardiovascular risk, and reproductive abnormalities among women with HIV. During her time with PINM, Dr. Looby has published widely in top-tiered interdisciplinary journals. Notably, two of her studies were among the first to report reduced bone density associated with high bone-turnover among women with HIV, and increased cardiovascular risk related to increased abdominal fat and cardiac inflammation in this population. Dr. Looby recently completed a NIH-funded investigation of metabolic, psychological and vasomotor symptoms among the growing number of perimenopausal with HIV. Dr. Looby has presented on metabolic issues related to HIV at both national and international HIV conferences, including the NIH. In addition to her research activities, Dr. Looby is a dedicated volunteer health educator at local AIDS service organizations, and has received honors for her community work and compassionate care of individuals with HIV.

 

Grants Manager
Erik Weigand
Email: eweigand@partners.org

Erik Weigand joined Research Support Services in the summer of 2021. Prior to joining MGB, he worked as a Strength & Conditioning Coach for a private training facility in downtown Boston where he developed and applied research-based nutrition and wellness programs for his clients as well as provided mentoring to new coaches and interns. Prior to that, Erik coached collegiate athletes at Boston University and the University of Connecticut. He received his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Connecticut. In his free time, Erik enjoys Boston sports, traveling, and spending time with his family.

 

Staff Assistant
Stacianne Goodridge
Email: sgoodridge@partners.org

Stacianne Goodridge is the staff assistant to the Munn Center and the Center for Innovations in Care Delivery at MGH. She plays an important role in supporting the administrative efforts of the Munn Center, and helps coordinate Center-related projects and meetings.