List of Current Scholar and their interests
Dr. Maria Helena Larcher Caliri, Brazil
Dr. Caliri is currently on a three-month leave of absence from her positions as Associate Professor and Vice Coordinator of the National and International Cooperation Committee of Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. She holds a PhD in Nursing from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and her research is focused on patient safety, pressure ulcer (PU) prevention/treatment and evidence-based practice.
During her stay at the University of Michigan, Dr. Caliri will be exploring ways to develop or adapt intervention protocols for PU prevention at health institutions using a systems view since, at present, only descriptive and exploratory studies to understand the issue have been done. Dr. Caliri is also interested in the translation and dissemination of research/evidence results. In addition, while at the University of Michigan, she will be looking to develop collaborative research partnerships, both for herself and for other colleagues on the faculty at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing.
Her mentor at the University of Michigan is Dr. Janet Larson.
Dr. Caliri enjoys travelling because it allows her to meet new people and make new friends from different cultures. She also likes to read, cook and socialize with family and friends.
So far, Dr. Caliri has been too busy to see much of Ann Arbor, but she hopes to do so in the future, especially when the weather becomes warmer.
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Ms. Feng-Lien Lin, Taiwan, ROC
Ms. Lin is an RN at National Taiwan University Hospital where she is a nursing quality improvement specialist. She holds an MS degree from the National Taipei College of Nursing in Taipei, Taiwan, with an emphasis on tourism and health. Her current research interests include patient safety and nursing care quality in a hospital setting, specifically related to patient falls, hospital equipment, and infection control; complementary and alternative medicine (balneotherapy); and newly emerging infectious diseases and nursing.
During her six month stay at the university, Ms. Lin is looking at theories and research methodologies related to patient safety and nursing care quality in order to improve her understanding of research and data analysis procedures, to increase her skill at data interpretation, and to learn more about ongoing research directions currently associated with patient safety and quality indicators.
Her mentor at the University of Michigan is Dr. Huey-Ming Tzeng.
Ms. Lin’s hobbies include travelling, jogging and hiking.
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Ms. Piyanun Limruangrong, Thailand 
Dr. Limruangrong is currently on leave from her teaching position as Assistant Professor in the Obstetric and Gynecology Department of the Faculty of Nursing at Mahidol University, Thailand. She holds an M.S. in Nursing Science from Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, with a focus in maternal and child nursing.
During the current year, she is engaged in research on the effect of self-regulation programs on knowledge, self-care activities, blood glucose level, and pregnancy outcomes of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The purpose of this study is to develop an intervention program for women who have GDM. The aim of this study is to formulate recommended exercise guidelines and dietary goals which are calculated on ideal body weight. The self-regulation program includes basic knowledge about disease and training for dietary control and exercise that can be applied to real-life situations.
Her mentor at the University of Michigan is Dr. Joyce Roberts.
Ms. Limruangrong’s hobbies include collecting stamps, reading, and traveling. She says that while a senior doctoral student told her that that Ann Arbor was a beautiful and peaceful place, it was the University of Michigan’s reputation in the Nursing field that was the main reason for her coming here to work on research with our faculty.
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Ms. Soontaree Jianvitayakij, Thailand
Ms. Jianvitayakij is currently enrolled in a doctoral program in Nursing Science at Mahidol University, Thailand. She holds an M.S. in Nursing Science from Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, with a focus in adult nursing.
During the current year, she is engaged in research on the topic of smoking cessation in adult smokers. The focus of the research is to determine the predictive factors influencing long-term smoking cessation. Currently, Thailand has a strong tobacco control policy and there are many anti-smoking campaigns and several smoking cessation programs that encourage people to quit smoking. While the prevalence of smoking among adults has declined, however, there are still more than 10 million adult smokers in Thailand. Approximately 30% of smokers report that they try to quit but cannot stay smoke-free for a long period of time. It is important to examine the influencing factors that help smokers to refrain from smoking.
Her mentor at the University of Michigan is Dr. Sonia Duffy.
Ms. Jianvitayakij enjoys playing Sudoku, a logic-based number placement puzzle, because it requires the use of reason and logic to solve them. Her impressions regarding Ann Arbor are that “people here are very nice and helpful.”
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Ms. Sudarat Pianchob, Thailand
Ms. Pianchob is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Nursing Science at Mahidol University, Thailand. She has an M.S. in Nursing Science from Mahidol University, in Bangkok, Thailand, with a concentration in mental health and psychiatric nursing.
During the current year, she is engaged in research that focuses on the adjustment of families of patients with major depressive disorders since the effects of these disorders have significant impact on the equilibrium of families. The impact of these disorders is to produce stress and imbalance in families. Consequently, the families of such patients must adjust to circumstances, developing strength and capabilities that enhance the development of individual family members so that they can protect the family unit from major disruption during times of transition and change. If family members are not able to manage the stressor, they may fail to adjust to the situation at-hand.
Her mentor at the University of Michigan is Dr. Reg Williams.
Ms. Pianchob is interested in music. She finds Ann Arbor to be a beautiful place, and remarks that the “people are kind.”
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Dr. Sunghee Kim, Korea
Dr. Kim is currently on leave from the Red Cross College of Nursing in Korea, where she is a lecturer. She holds a PhD in Pediatric Nursing from Ewha Womans University, with a focus on health promotion related to school children.
During the current year, Dr. Kim is engaged in research to develop a health promotion program and a health promotion center for middle school students. Korean school children, unlike those living in western countries, encounter a unique set of health problems as they have to satisfy parent-controlled expectations of educational achievement, one of the most important personal and social values in oriental culture. As a result, Korean children are prone to neglecting their health which causes various physical and psychological health problems. Specifically, Korean school children suffer from a lack of sleep due to overworking while at school and when cramming for school, from unbalanced nutritional problems due to irregular mealtime schedules, and from persistent stress from school achievement.
Her mentor at the University of Michigan is Dr. Antonia M. Villarruel.
Dr. Kim’s hobbies include listening to music, taking walks and jogging.
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Dr. YuYu Jiang, China
Dr. Jiang is currently on leave from her teaching position as Associate Professor in the Nursing Department of the School of Pharmaceutics and Medicine, Jiangnan University, in Wuxi, China. She holds a PhD degree from Nanjing University in Traditional Chinese Medicine, with a focus in chronic pulmonary disease.
During the current year she is engaged in research on changing the behavior of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The rate of COPD is high and rapidly rising in China, with 35 million people diagnosed each year, with one million deaths a year and many more disabled as a result of the disease. The burden and cost of the disease are heavy, both for the individuals and the health care system, in terms of hospitalizations and the ongoing care involved. Dr. Jiang believes that helping patients change their behavior and life-styles can improve the quality of life for patients and their families, while reducing hospitalizations.
Her mentor at the University of Michigan is Dr. Janet Larson.
Dr. Jiang enjoys traveling, and her impressions of the U.S. while living in Ann Arbor is that “it is a calm and comfortable city, with an academic atmosphere.”
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University of Michigan School of Nursing
Office of International Affairs
SNB, Room 3216
400 North Ingalls
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482
Contact: Shaké
Ketefian, EdD, RN, FAAN,
Professor and Director of OIA
Tel: 734-763-6669
Fax: 734-615-3798
Email: ketefian@umich.edu
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