Jonas Scholars

The Jonas Nurse Scholar program supports doctoral nursing students pursing both PhD and DNP degrees with the goal to increase the number of doctorally-prepared faculty available to teach in nursing schools nationwide, as well as the number of advanced practice nurses providing direct patient care. The Jonas Veterans Healthcare Program is a component of the Nurse Scholar Program that aims to increase the number of advanced practice nurses and faculty who are trained specifically in the unique needs of our veteran population. Supported by the Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare, both programs provide financial assistance, leadership development and networking support to expand the pipeline of future nurse faculty and advanced practice nurses.

The University of Cincinnati College of Nursing is proud of our Jonas Scholars! UC Nurses. We See Leaders.

Amy J. Costanzo earned her BSN, Magna Cum Laude, from Miami University. While attending Miami University, she was inducted as a charter member of the Omichron Chi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. Her clinical experience includes care of patients in long-term, cardiac telemetry and intensive care units. When the hospital where she was employed closed, she chose the career path of clinical education. She was a clinical instructor for community hospitals before becoming Staff Development Manager and now Director of Nursing Administration at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. She earned her MSN with a concentration in Nursing Administration at the University of Cincinnati, College of Nursing. After achieving her MSN, she began teaching as an adjunct faculty member for the Nursing Administration program at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing. In 2007, she was certified in Professional Development by the ANCC. She has co-authored three publications related to nursing continuing education. In her current role, she works closely with nurse researchers from the University of Cincinnati, College of Nursing to encourage bedside nurses to develop evidence-based practice projects. Amy studies acute care registered nurse leadership and behavior in interprofessional teams through the University of Cincinnati PhD program as a Jonas IV Nurse Leader Scholar.

Caroline Morrison is a Jonas IV Nurse Leader Scholar a part of the PhD program at the University of Cincinnati. While she holds an MSN from Xavier University and her Clinical Nurse Leader certification, Caroline also holds seven years of clinical experience in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Her dissertation research topic focuses on how adolescents and young adults manage their care and psychosocial wellbeing after discharge from the hospital following a stem cell transplant. She has also completed a research project on pediatric stem cell transplant nurses' experiences and caring practices. Caroline is a member of several professional organizations and has served on the national research committee and the chapter board as a member-at-large and chair of the advocacy committee for the Society of Pediatric Nurses.

Misty Richmond is a Jonas III Nurse Leader Alumni. She obtained her PhD from the College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati as a BSN to PhD student, where she also served as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. She earned Second Graduation Honors from the Good Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing while graduating with her diploma and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the College of Mount Saint Joseph with her BSN. She was also the recipient of a four-year Ohio First STEMM Scholarship for her PhD studies. A strong interest in research as well as a sincere dedication to personal education and scholarly interactions led to the pursuit of her doctoral degree. Her area of interest was in psychiatric/mental health nursing and she obtained her Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner’s certification as part of her studies. For her dissertation work, Misty explored the measurement of life satisfaction using the concept of authenticity as defined by Existential Psychotherapy. She currently serves as an adjunct professor at UC College of Nursing.

Jillian Weber studied as a Jonas IV Veterans Healthcare Scholar in the PhD program at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing. Her research interests include homeless veterans, chronic disease management and access to care. She originally graduated from Coastal Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in biology before continuing her education at Xavier University. At Xavier, she completed an accelerated program to achieve her masters of science in nursing and Clinical Nurse Leader certification. Jillian began her nursing career at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center working as a Clinical Nurse Leader. Later, she transitioned to the emergency department at the VA where she has spent the last five years. She received a research award from the VA, the VISN 10 Patient-Centered Care Research Initiative Program award, to support her dissertation work on homeless veterans and chronic disease management.