Student Spotlight – Chris Smith

I am originally from Goldsboro, NC, but currently live in Winterville, NC, just a short distance from East Carolina. I currently work part time at Wilson Medical Center in day surgery, but my clinical background was primarily cardiovascular nursing. I am also employed as a research assistance for ECU’s College of Nursing. I earned an ADN degree from Wayne Community College in Goldsboro, NC, a BSN from Appalachian State University, and an MSN from Appalachian State University, where I wrote a qualitative master’s thesis on the male perspective on being a nurse in today’s healthcare environment.

I spent much of my childhood witnessing the devastation wrought by cardiovascular disease. I have a strong family history of cardiac illness and death from cardiovascular disease. My father came very close to dying when he underwent his first two angioplasty procedures in his late 30s; that was when I knew I wanted to help save others from similar experiences.

I have always had a natural curiosity and desire to understand cause and effects. I returned to school to pursue a PhD so that I can use research to discover relationships between disease and prevention. My research interests include the effects of sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality on adhering to secondary prevention strategies among persons with cardiovascular disease. I believe it is important to understand these relationships to drive evidence-based practice and develop interventions targeting this population. The southeastern U.S. leads the country in heart disease – I cannot think of a better place to be involved in cardiovascular nursing research and making a difference in people’s lives.

I considered ECU’s nursing science PhD program because several professors at App State during my master’s degree program spoke highly of ECU’s program. I connected with Dr. Elaine Scott one year before completing my master’s degree program. I was beyond impressed with her passion for knowledge discovery and advancing nursing science. We stayed in contact for the next year while I finished my master’s degree. Dr. Scott eventually introduced me to Dr. Patricia Crane. Dr Crane was equally passionate, and she spoke my language – cardiovascular nursing. Dr. Scott and Dr. Crane’s excitement about advancing the field of nursing science rubbed off on me. Dr. Scott and Dr. Crane both made me feel like I was nestled underneath the wings of two nurse scientists, who would safely guide me through doctoral preparation from the moment I met. All ECU CON faculty have been exemplary, and I am excited to be here learning, and helping advance the nursing science discipline.