Research
Eileen Danaher Hacker, Ph.D., APRN, AOCN, FAAN
Developing the next generation of nurse scientists
Throughout her 38+ year career in clinical oncology, cancer research, and academic leadership, Hacker has developed a reputation as an expert in strategically building programs, centers, and research initiatives from the ground up.
Hacker’s research interests stem from her extensive clinical experience as an advanced practice nurse. Her formative contributions to advancing oncology nursing science include a progressive research program focused on fatigue, physical activity, exercise interventions and quality of life. She has led efforts to systematically characterize persistent fatigue in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation survivors and developed a novel methodology to examine the dynamic relationship between fatigue and physical activity. To promote functional independence, Hacker devised pragmatic physical activity and exercise interventions, strategically designed to be seamlessly integrated into clinical practice. Her research has been funded by the American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Nursing Research, and the Oncology Nursing Society.
Developing the next generation of nurse scientists is a longtime passion for Hacker as reflected in the more than 20 years that she has taught and mentored students and trainees ranging from undergraduate to post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty. As chair of the Science of Nursing Care Department at Indiana University, Hacker was directly responsible for launching an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner program. She also developed and launched the Center for Advancement of Teaching-Learning Communities while serving as associate department head within the School of Nursing at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The center was key to strengthening the culture of faculty commitment to student success and addressing the needs of a diverse student body.
She has received numerous awards including the Trish Greene Memorial Quality of Life Leadership Award from the Oncology Nursing Society, and the Symptom Science Research Interest Group Distinguished Researcher Award from the Midwest Nursing Research Society. She was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2014.
Joyce Dains, DrPH, JD, APRN, FNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN
Primary Care APRN Survey: Utilization of Cancer Screening Guidelines The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2013.
Dains has translated over 40 years of skill and expertise as a clinician and leader into unique and high-impact programs with enduring contributions that serve the public and the profession by advancing nursing practice and science. At MD Anderson Dains served as the PI for a competitively funded education project to deliver cancer screening training to nurses in rural and medically underserved areas of Texas. The program impacted the health of more than 120,000 Texans and decreased the cancer burden in those areas. Her past research on APRN practice, patient experience, and a practice model for primary care focused on the improvement of patient care.
An inaugural member of the Department of Nursing, Dains has served in multiple leadership roles. As interim department chair from 2015-2022, she established the Argyros Post Doctoral Fellowship in Oncology Nursing and built the initial infrastructure to support nursing research across the institution. In her role as co-leader for the Meyers Institute Nursing Science program, she is providing leadership to augment the research and scholarly efforts of the Department and the Division of Nursing. As Executive Director for Advanced Practice, she oversees the clinical practice, education, professional development, regulatory requirements, and self-governance for all MD Anderson APRNs.
She developed the first APRN postgraduate fellowship in oncology nursing to ensure the expert preparation of APRNs in oncology. Accredited with distinction, the fellowship has been a model for others across the country. In addition to clinical excellence, under her mentorship, APRN fellows have produced more than 75 presentations and publications that contribute to nursing science and influence the practice of oncology nursing.
Dains is an internationally recognized author of award-winning physical examination textbooks that have impacted the education and practice of hundreds of thousands of health professionals worldwide. The texts have broad circulation in both nursing and medical education and are used as a reference by practicing clinicians.
Dains maintains a clinical practice in Cancer Prevention as an APRN. She was inducted as a Fellow in the National Academies of Practice in 1995, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in 2012, and the American Academy of Nursing in 2020.
In its 6th edition, Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Diagnosis in Primary Care has a circulation of more than 30,000 copies per edition. The text has broad appeal to advanced practice nursing, and medicine, and is a key reference for practicing clinicians. The Guide to Physical Examination text, now in its 10th edition, has a circulation of more than 50,000 copies per edition and has been translated into 5 languages The text is used by multidisciplinary healthcare education programs including nursing, physical therapy, chiropractic programs, and medicine.
Anecita Fadol, Ph.D., APRN, FAANP, FAAN
Fadol’s research interests include cardiac complications of cancer therapy and symptom management of patients with cancer and heart failure. She received the 2015 James S. and Suzanne Cyrus Award for Excellence in Clinical Research. She is the principal investigator for the following funded protocols:
Principal Investigator: Symptom Burden and Health-Related Quality of Life of Cancer Patients with Concurrent Heart Failure.
The purpose of this study is to understand the symptom burden and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of cancer patients with a concurrent diagnosis of heart failure (HF). Findings from this study will provide preliminary data to develop tailored interventions to improve symptom management to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with HF and inform a later, well-powered randomized control intervention trial aimed at symptom management of cancer patients with concurrent HF. Funding: Argyros Family Foundation Pilot Study Funding Program
Principal Investigator, Recovery of Left Ventricular Dysfunction in Cancer Patients (RECAP Trial):
The purpose of this study is to investigate if cancer survivors with a history of chemotherapy-induced left ventricular dysfunction resulting in heart failure (HF) who achieved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) recovery with recommended heart failure medications will maintain their LVEF if HF medications are discontinued. Funding: Cancer Survivorship Seed Money Grant, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Principal Investigator, Cancer Patients with HearT FailURE: A Retrospective Review for Eligibility for Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CAPTURE-CRT):
The purpose of this study is to conduct a retrospective chart review to examine the prevalence of heart failure (HF) in cancer patients and cancer survivors who are potential candidates for utilization of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The findings from this study will provide baseline information to assist in the development and implementation of a practice-based protocol that will identify cancer patients and cancer survivors who meet CRT indications and ensure that they receive appropriate evaluation. Optimization of recommended therapies may improve the patient’s quality of life and allow oncologists to continue with life-saving cancer treatments that can potentially prolong survival. Funding: Medtronic, Inc.
Principal Investigator, Addressing the Symptom Management Gap in Patients with Cancer and Heart Failure using the Interactive Voice Response System: a Pilot Study:
The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate if the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory- Heart Failure (MDASI-HF) instrument preprogrammed via the interactive voice response system (IVRS) can be used to collect symptom data that will generate symptom alerts to providers based on preset severity levels. Funding: Oncology Nursing Society Foundation
Principal Investigator, Reliability and Validity Testing of the MDASI-HF: An Evaluative Instrument for Symptom Identification in Cancer Patients with Heart Failure:
This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory - Heart Failure (MDASI-HF), a 27-item self-report assessment instrument for patients with cancer and concurrent HF. Funding: Houston Area Nurse Practitioners
Principal Investigator, MDASI-HF Linguistic Validation (Spanish)
The purpose of this study is to conduct linguistic validation, cognitive debriefing, and psychometric testing of the Spanish version of the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory - Heart Failure (Spanish MDASI-HF) instrument. The goal is to bridge the language barrier and expand the use of the MDASI-HF to improve the healthcare management of Spanish-speaking patients with cancer and heart failure.