Rebecca J. Graves, Ph.D., NP-C, FAANP
Director of Special Projects and Evaluation, Associate Professor Office of Research, Development, and Evaluation
Education
- PhD in Nursing Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 2014
- Post-MSN Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, University of South Alabama, 2009
- MSN Family Nurse Practitioner, University of South Alabama, 2006
- BSN, University of South Alabama, 2001
- BS Journalism, emphasis Public Relations, University of Southern Mississippi, 1996
Specialized Training
- Gulf States Community Research Fellow, Gulf States Health Policy Center, 2018
Research Interests
- Nursing college student wellness and obesity prevention
- Social determinants of health for low-income individuals and families
- Healthy nutrition, meal planning, and meal preparation interventions for families
- Prevention of obesity and related chronic disease
- Health and wellness of vulnerable populations including low-income individuals and
families, adults with Down syndrome, and adults with intellectual and developmental
disabilities
- Health-related quality of life of adults with Down syndrome
Ongoing Research Support
- 1UL1 TR001417 (2019-2022). National Center for Advancing Translational Research, UAB
Center for Clinical and Translational Science (Principal Investigator: Robert Kimberly).
USA Translational Research Service Center Sub-award. Role: Co-Investigator, USA Consortium,
Co-Lead
- Research and Scholarship Development Grant Internal Grant (2019-2022). University
of South Alabama. Healthy student, happy nurse: A longitudinal investigation of nursing
students' health-related behaviors to promote professional well-being. Role: Co-Investigator
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Completed Research Support
- U54MD008602 (2020). National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to
the Gulf States Collaborative Center for Health Policy Research (Principal Investigator:
Regina Benjamin). A Servant’s Love Sub-award: Impact of COVID-19 on low-income senior citizens. Role: Subaward Multiple Principal Investigator
- University of South Alabama 2017 Grant to Enhance Interprofessional Education and/or
Research across the Medical Sciences (2017). University of South Alabama interprofessional culinary medicine program. Role: Project Director
- University of South Alabama 2016 Grant to Enhance Interprofessional Education and/or
Research across the Medical Sciences (2016). University of South Alabama interprofessional culinary medicine program. Role: Project Director
- University of South Alabama Faculty Development Council Research Grant (2015). Transition from pediatric to adult healthcare for young adults with Down syndrome. Role: Principal Investigator.
- Beta Theta-at-large Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing
Research Grant (2013). The health-related quality of life of adults with Down syndrome (Doctoral dissertation, University of Tennessee Health Science Center). Role: Principal
Investigator.
- Down Syndrome Society of Mobile County Research Grant (2013). The health-related quality of life of adults with Down syndrome (Doctoral dissertation, University of Tennessee Health Science Center). Role: Principal
Investigator.
Selected Publications
- Graves, R. J., Harrell, M., Barinas, J. L., Taylor, S. E., Fruh, S. M., Williams, S. G., McDermott,
R., Hall, H. R., Hauff, C., Sittig, S., Campbell, M., Hudson, G., & Melnyk, B. M.
(in press). The impact of perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 on nursing student
well-being. Journal of Nursing Education https://www.healio.com/nursing/journals/jne
- Graves, R. J., Williams, S. G., Hauff, C., Fruh, S. M., Sims, B., Hudson, G. M., McDermott, R.
C., Sittig, S., Shaw, T., Campbell, M., Barinas, J. L., & Hall, H. R. (2020). Undergraduate
versus graduate nursing students: Differences in nutrition, physical activity, and
self-reported body mass index. Journal of American College Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1842421. PubMed PMID: 33151837 PMCID: PMC8096854
- Graves, R. J., Zlomke, K., Hall, H. R., & Graff, J. C. (2020). Adaptive behavior of adults with
Down syndrome and their health-related quality of life. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 4, 27-35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-019-00133-x
- Graves, R. J., Minchew, L. A., Smith, S., Zlomke, K., Caffey, K., Owens, B., Thies, A., Gibert,
M., & Fruh, S. (2018). Breaking the cycle: Changing sleep habits to decrease obesity.
International Public Health Journal, 10(4), 469-479.
- Graves, R. J., Graff, J. C., Esbensen, A. J., Hathaway, D. K., Wicks, M. N., & Wan, J. Y. (2016).
Measuring health-related quality of life of adults with Down syndrome. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 121(4), 312-326. https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-121.4.312 PMID: 27351699.
- Barinas, J. L., McDermott, R. C., Williams, S. G., Fruh, S. M., Hauff, C., Hudson,
G. M., Graves, R. J., & Melnyk, B. M. (in press). Positive and negative psychosocial factors related to
healthy and unhealthy weight control behaviors among nursing students. Journal of Professional Nursing, 42, 290-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2022.07.017
- Sittig, S., Hauff, C., Williams, S. G., Graves, R. J., & Fruh, S. (2022). A qualitative exploration of desired mHealth app mechanisms related
to daily life influences for college nursing students. Research Directs in Health Sciences, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.53520/rdhs2022.10441
See More
- Williams, S. G., Fruh, S., Barinas, J. L., & Graves, R. J. (2022). Self-care in nurses. Journal of Radiology Nursing, 41(1), 22-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jradnu.2021.11.001; PubMed PMID: 35431686; PubMed Central
PMCID: PMC9007545
- Fruh, S. M., Graves, R. J., Hauff, C., Williams, S. G., & Hall, H. R. (2021). Weight bias and stigma: Impact
on health. Nursing Clinics of North America 56(4), 479-493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnur.2021.07.001 PMID: 34749889 PMCID: PMC8641858
- Fruh, S. M., Taylor, S. E., Graves, R. J., Hayes, K., McDermott, R., Hauff, C., Williams, S. G., Sittig, S., Campbell, M.,
Hudson, G., Hall, H. Melynk, B. M., & Barinas, J. L. (2021). Relationships among hope,
body satisfaction, wellness habits, and stress in nursing students. Journal of Professional Nursing, 37, 640-647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2021.01.009 PMID: 34016325 PMCID: PMC8152788
- McDermott, R. C., Fruh, S. M., Williams, S., Hauff, C., Sittig, S., Wright, T., Riley,
B., Swanzy, D., Graves, R., & Hall, H. (2021). Characteristics of negative and positive mental health among
nursing students in the United States. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 21(1), 44-53. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078390319865322. PubMed PMID: 31347437; PubMed Central PMCID:
PMC7094773.
- McDermott, R. C., Fruh, S. M., Williams, S., Hauff, C., Graves, R. J., Melnyk, B. M., & Hall, H. R. (2020). Nursing students’ resilience, depression, well-being,
and academic distress: Testing a moderated mediation model. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76(12), 3385-3397. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14531; PMID: 33009859; PMCID: PMC7962244
- Hayes, K., Williams, S. G., Fruh, S., Graves, R. J., Minchew, L. A., & Hall, H. R. (2020). Sleep, screen time, and family meal frequency
in preschool children: A pilot study. The Nurse Practitioner, 45(8), 35-41. http://doi.org/10.1097/01.NPR.0000681788.13417.56 PMID: 32701879; PMCID:
PMC7451921
- Fruh, S., Williams, S., Hayes, K., Hauff, C., Hudson, G. M., Sittig, S., Graves, R. J., Hall, H., & Barinas, J. (2020). A practical approach to obesity prevention: Healthy
home habits. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 33(11), 1055-1065. https://doi.org/10.1097/JXX.0000000000000556 PMID: 33534281 PMCID:
PMC8313625
- Bydalek, K., Williams, S. G., Fruh, S. M., Sims, B. M., McCardle, J., Minchew, L.
A., Graves, R. J., Elkins, J. C., Jones, L., & Sittig, S. (2020). Food insecurity among nursing students:
A mixed methods study. Nursing Forum. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12460 PMID: 32446290 PMCID: PMC8060019
- Hauff, C., Fruh, S. M., Sims, B. M., Williams, S. G., Herf, C., Golden, A., Graves, R. J., Minchew, L.A., & Hall, H. R. (2020). Nurse practitioner students’ observations of
preceptor engagement in obesity management and weight bias: A mixed methods approach. Journal of the American Association for Nurse Practitioners, 32(7), 520-529. https://doi.org/10.1097/JXX.0000000000000440; PMID: 32590444; PMCID:
PMC7451910.
- Sittig, S., Hauff, C., Graves, R. J., Williams, S., McDermott, R. C., Fruh, S., Hall, H., Campbell, M., Swanzy, D., Wright,
T., & Hudson, G. (2020). Characteristics of and factors influencing college nursing
students' willingness to utilize mHealth for health promotion. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/CIN.0000000000000600. PubMed
PMID: 32032084; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7211113.
- Hauff, C., Fruh, S. M., Graves, R. J., Sims, B. M., Williams, S. G., Minchew, L. A., Hall, H. R., Platt, T. H., & Barclay,
M. (2019). NP student encounters with obesity bias in clinical practice. The Nurse Practitioner, 44(6), 41-46. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NPR.0000558157.76596.c7 PubMed PMID: 31107807;
PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6613797.
- Fruh S., Golden, A., Graves, R., Hall, H., Minchew, L., & Williams, S. (2019). Advanced practice nursing student
knowledge in obesity management: A mixed methods research study. Nurse Education Today, 77, 59-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2019.03.006. PubMed PMID: 30954857; PubMed
Central PMCID: PMC6564685.
- Fruh, S. M., Golden, A., Graves, R. J., Minchew, L. A., Platt, T. H., Hall, H. R., Williams, S. G., Mehari, K., Sims, B. M., Hauff, C., & Cheese, C. (2019). Competency
in obesity management: An educational intervention study with nurse practitioner students.
Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 31, 734-740. https://doi.org/10.1097/JXX.0000000000000218. PubMed PMID: 31169791; PubMed Central
PMCID: PMC7094771.
- Williams, S. G., McDermott, R., Fruh, S., Graves, R., Hall, H., Wright, T., Swanzy, D., & Carter, C. (2018). Nursing student satisfaction
with daily life: A holistic approach. Journal of Nursing Education, 57, 751-755. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20181119-09. PubMed PMID: 30512113;
PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6578587.
- Garrison, F. W., Dearmon, V., & Graves, R. J. (2017). Working smarter: Building a better nurse residency program. Nursing Management, 48(3), 50-54. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NUMA.0000512898.76048.0b PMID: 28234765.
- Simpson, B. B., Dearmon, V., & Graves, R. (2017). Mitigating the impact of nurse manager large spans of control. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 41(2), 178-186. https://doi.org/10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000214 PMID: 28263276.
- Dearmon, V., Graves, R. J., Hayden, S., Mulekar, M. S., Lawrence, S., Jones, L., Smith, K. K., & Farmer, J.
E. (2013). Effectiveness of a simulation-based orientation on knowledge acquisition,
anxiety, and self-confidence in baccalaureate nursing students preparing for the first
clinical experience. Journal of Nursing Education, 52, 29-38. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20121212-02 PMID: 23230885.
- Graff, J. C., Hankins, J., Graves, R. J., Robitaille, K. Y., Roberts, R., Cejda, K., Hardy, B. T., Johnson, M., & Porter,
J. S. (2012). Exploring family communication about sickle cell disease in adolescence.
Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, 29(6), 323-336. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043454212456086 PMID: 22992426.
