HSCFN Staff

Barbara P. Mathews, MS, RN, CNAA
Executive Director
Ph: 956-5429
Fax: 956-3257
E-mail: hscfn@hawaii.edu

Ms. Mathews is the first Executive Director of the Center which became operational in 2005. In this role, she leads a new organization which was established by the Hawai’i State Legislature to address the nursing shortage and to assure that the State of Hawai’i has sufficient nursing resources to meet the healthcare needs of its people. Ms. Mathews received her BSN from UCLA and her MS in mental health/psychiatric nursing from the University of Hawai’i. She has practiced as a clinical nurse specialist in both inpatient and outpatient settings and in rural and urban environments.

Barbara has been in nursing administration in the acute care setting since 1991 and, from 2000-2005, was the Vice President of Patient Care and Chief Nursing Officer of the Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu. Her experience includes acute care operations, strategic planning, program development and implementation, policy development, regulatory oversight and the enhancement of professional nursing practice. She currently serves as the President of the Hawai’i chapter of the American Organization of Nurse Executives and was awarded the 2005 leadership award by Sigma Theta Tau. She is certified by the American Nurses’ Association in advanced nursing administration.

Sandy LeVasseur, PhD, RN
Associate Director, Research
Ph: 956-0894
Fax: 956-3257
E-mail: sandraal@hawaii.edu

Dr. LeVasseur is responsible for the research and grant writing activities of the Center.  She received her PhD in Health Services Research from the Monash Institute of Health Services Research, Monash University, Australia. She also has a Master of Gerontology from La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.

Sandra has extensive research and program evaluation experience spanning over nineteen years. Her research background includes basic clinical research in the areas of subjective and physiological responses to pain and pain management. She has conducted clinical nursing research in areas such as graduate nurses perceived clinical competencies, patient care outcomes, and quality of life in post acute stroke patients. Health services research includes piloting an advanced practice role for nurses in emergency departments, evaluating hospital in the home services for cardiac patients, evaluating the consistency of triage in emergency departments in the state of Victoria Australia, evaluating the use of patient dependency information systems by nurses in a large healthcare organization. She has numerous research papers published in peer reviewed journals.

Debra D. Mark, RN, PhD
Nurse Researcher
Ph: 956-5324
Fax: 956-3257
E-mail: debramar@hawaii.edu

Dr. Mark is responsible for the research and grant writing activities of the Center as they relate to retention of the nursing workforce and the effect of best practices on patient outcomes.  She received her PhD in Nursing from George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia and a Master’s degree in Nursing Administration from the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI.   
 
With over 35 years of nursing experience, Debra has held a variety of positions. Her clinical experience has been primarily in critical care, inclusive of staff positions in Neonatal Intensive Care, Coronary Care, Surgical Intensive Care, and Post-Anesthesia Care Units. She has also held middle management positions as a Charge Nurse, Head Nurse, and Section Supervisor. Dr. Mark taught Licensed Practical/Vocational Nursing for two years and has been a frequent presenter at national conferences. Her most recent positions have been research-focused and she has developed research skills in evidence-based practice, qualitative methodology, and quantitative methods such as correlational research designs and psychometrics. Debra’s program of research generally examines the value of nurses’ contribution to improved patient outcomes.

Meredith P. Donnelly
Administrative Assistant
Ph: 956-5211
Fax: 956-3257
E-mail: mpd@hawaii.edu

Meredith received her B.A. in Political Science from New York University.  She has worked for non profit organizations in New York City, most recently  as the Director of Membership and Administration at the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. She has been responsible for donor relations, fundraising, publications and events management.