COVID-19 & Nurse Scientists on the Front Line: Scott Emory Moore
Scott Emory Moore
Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University
Please describe your work with the COVID-19 pandemic.
My colleague (Kelly Wierenga of IU) and I developed a survey to examine the influence of perceptions and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic on health promoting behaviors and symptoms. Due to the high importance of safety during the pandemic we developed the survey entirely online so potential participants do not have to meet in person. Using both social media and professional network-based recruitment we are hoping to reach 5000 participants in the cross-sectional phase of our study. Further, we will be following a subset of the participants who are willing over the course of the coming weeks and months to determine the longer term influences the pandemic is having on adults. We are particularly interested in those who might be considered at risk for COVID-19 or vulnerable to social disenfranchisement and disparate health outcomes. These are two groups where we believe individuals' perspectives related to social distancing practices and their responses to the pandemic may negatively impact behavioral health outcomes. The purpose of this initial study is to identify areas where we may leverage valuable intervention resources to improve health outcomes.
Please give us information about your background and history as a nurse scientist.
I am an assistant professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Originally from South Carolina, I earned my BSN from the University of South Carolina Upstate, and my Master of Science in Nursing and PhD at Clemson University. I completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing in Multiple Chronic Conditions. My program of research focuses on increasing understanding of biological, psychological, and social influences on health outcomes among sexual and gender minorities. Additionally, my research incorporates the study of sex and gender identity, sex as a biological variable, and sex-based differences in health. My clinical nursing expertise includes emergency and trauma nursing at a level 1 trauma center, acute and chronic stroke care, complex chronic diseases, and care of LGBTQ+ and other vulnerable populations.
What else would you like the public to know about your role or the role of nurse scientists in the fight against COVID-19?
With my background in emergency nursing and care of disenfranchised populations, I am well aware that the current circumstances are disturbing, and that we can often be caught up in addressing the situation now but not know how to move forward. I am studying behavioral outcomes during social distancing to help provide scientific evidence to inform the long road ahead for nurses and health policy experts as we navigate the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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