Leadership

Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from West Virginia University, her Master of Science degree with a specialization in nursing care of children and pediatric nurse practitioner from the University of Pittsburgh and her PhD in clinical research from the University of Rochester where she also completed her post-master’s certificate as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. She is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in evidence-based practice, intervention research, child and adolescent mental health and health and wellness and she is a frequent keynote speaker at national and international conferences on these topics.

Dr. Melnyk has led the EBP movement in nursing for the last two decades and consulted with hundreds of healthcare systems and colleges throughout the nation and globe on how to improve quality of care and patient outcomes through implementing and sustaining evidence-based practice. Her record includes over $33 million of sponsored funding from federal agencies and foundations as principal investigator and over 400 publications. She is co-editor of seven books, including Evidence-based Practice in Nursing & Healthcare: A Guide to Best Practice (4th Ed) and Implementing the Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Competencies in Healthcare: A Practical Guide for Improving Quality, Safety, and Outcomes, both American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award winners.

Dr. Melnyk is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Nursing, the National Academies of Practice and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She served a four-year term on the 16-member United States Preventive Services Task Force and the National Institutes of Health’s National Advisory Council for Nursing Research. She currently serves as a member of the National Quality Forum’s (NQF) Behavioral Health Standing Committee. Melnyk is editor of the journal Worldviews on Evidence-based Nursing, a board member of the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and a member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-being and Resilience.

Dr. Melnyk has received numerous national and international awards, including the Audrey Hepburn Award, Mary Tolle Wright Excellence in Leadership Award, the International Nursing Research Hall of Fame Award from Sigma Theta Tau International, the Jessie Scott Award from the American Nurses Association, the Midwest Nursing Research Society Senior Scientist award, the NIH/National Institute of Nursing Research’s inaugural director’s lectureship award and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties Lifetime Achievement Award. She also has been recognized as an Edge Runner three times by the American Academy of Nursing for founding and directing the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners’ KySS child and adolescent mental health program, her COPE Program for parents of preterm infants and critically ill children and her COPE programs for decreasing depression/anxiety and improving healthy lifestyle behaviors in children, teens and young adults.

Lynn Gallagher-Ford is senior director and clinical core director of the Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare, and clinical associate professor, College of Nursing, all at The Ohio State University, where her work is dedicated to research, education and consultation focused on the development, promotion, integration, implementation and sustainability of evidence-based practice in both academic and clinical settings. 

Dr. Gallagher-Ford’s clinical background in maternal-child health and nursing administration spans 30 years. She served in a variety of roles ranging from bedside clinician to chief nursing officer, in which she gained extensive experience and expertise in teaching and implementing evidence-based practice in real-world clinical settings. 

Dr. Gallagher-Ford is currently active as a consultant, facilitator and keynote presenter at national and international conferences and education programs. She co-edited the book Implementing the EBP Competencies in Healthcare: A Practical Guide for Improving Quality, Safety and Outcomes. Her publications include co-authorship of multiple studies that have had a dramatic impact on the current body of knowledge about evidence-based practice and influenced strategic imperatives to address new challenges. She also contributed as a lead author in the American Journal of Nursing EBP Series, which received the Sigma Theta Tau Publication Award for 2011. 

She serves as assistant editor of Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing and is the editor of the column “Implementing and Sustaining EBP in Real-World Healthcare Settings,” which features best evidence-based strategies and innovative ideas on how to promote and sustain evidence-based practices and cultures in clinical organizations.

Dr. Gallagher-Ford’s research is focused on the science behind evidence-based practice, with particular focus on the influence of nurse leaders and contextual issues.

She was inducted into the National Academies of Practice and the Nursing Academy as a Distinguished Practitioner and Fellow in 2013 and the American Academy of Nursing as a fellow in 2017.

Dr. Tucker is also Grayce Sills Endowed Professor and DNP Nurse Executive Track Director at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. As a board (ANCC) certified adult psychiatric mental health clinical nurse specialist and behavioral researcher, Dr. Tucker studies interventions to promote health and wellness, prevent disease and reduce stress and risks among families, particularly among working mothers and children. Her interventions include environmental strategies, cognitive behavioral interventions and motivational interviewing, which she teaches and studies.  

Dr. Tucker is a recognized expert in evidence-based practice (EBP), implementation science and quality improvement. She served as director of research, EBP and quality for two Magnet®-designated, large hospitals in academic medical centers (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and Mayo Clinic) for 15 years prior to joining OSU in 2017. Research and EBP outcomes were recognized by the Magnet® surveyors as exemplary for both hospitals. Dr. Tucker led her team at the University of Iowa (UI) Hospitals and Clinics in the writing of a successful competitive application for the prestigious Magnet® Prize, which was awarded in 2014 for their legacy work in EBP. In partnership with the UI College of Nursing, they were also awarded recognitions for collaborative partnerships by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing in 2014 and the Midwest Nursing Research Society in 2017.  

Dr. Tucker developed and published the Evidence-Based Practice Self-Efficacy Scale in 2009, and since tracking its use beginning in 2013, the scale has been requested over 1340 times coming from 30 countries. She is co-author of two books on EBP, one published in 2008 titled Evidence-based Nursing Care Guidelines: Medical-surgical Interventions (St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier) and another published titled Evidence-based Practice in Action: Comprehensive Strategies, Tools and Tips from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (Indianapolis: Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing). She has written multiple papers and chapters on EBP and implementation aimed to advance safe, high quality clinical nursing care.  

Dr. Tucker earned her BSN from the College of Saint Teresa in Winona, Minnesota, a MSN from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire and her PhD in Nursing from Rush University in Chicago. She is an alumna of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program (2007 Cohort) and was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2014. In addition to her research and teaching responsibilities, she has been on the Board of Directors for the Midwest Nursing Research Society since 2015 and currently serves as treasurer. She is the associate editor of Worldviews in Evidence-based Nursing, a member of the Advisory Board for Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare 4th Edition (Melynk & Fineout-Overholt) and appointed member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of School Nursing. She regularly reviews conference abstracts, grants and manuscripts for several interdisciplinary and nursing journals.

Dr. Hoying is also Assistant Professor of Practice and MINDSTRONG Director, both at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. A behavioral intervention researcher, Dr. Hoying studies interventions to promote overall health and well-being, promote mental resilience and reduce stress, anxiety and depression principally among college-age young adults, health professionals and adults. Her interventions include cognitive behavioral interventions with a focus on cognitive behavioral skills building techniques, which she teaches and studies. Presently serving as co-investigator in a NIH-funded RO1, she is a recognized expert in cognitive behavioral research and trains professionals nationally to deliver the evidence-based program, MINDSTRONG.

Dr. Hoying is a senior executive leader with 25 years in healthcare administration serving in a variety of high level diverse leadership experiences including chief nursing officer, health system executive and administrative lead for evidence-based nursing practice and research. As an executive nursing leader, she led the team in a successful competitive application for the coveted designated Magnet® Recognition Award for Excellence in Nursing Service (Awarded by American Nurses Credentialing Center –ANCC). In addition, Dr. Hoying led a high-performing team to pursue evidence-based practice and receive trauma designation, becoming the First Level III Trauma designated hospital in the state of Ohio.

Dr. Hoying has published in peer reviewed journals and has presented nationally and internationally on cognitive behavior research. She regularly reviews manuscripts for several peer-reviewed journals and conference abstracts. Dr. Hoying earned her BSN from Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, and both a MS and a PhD in Nursing from The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

Dr. Hoying is enthusiastic about her role as Director of the Community Core. She has served as a leader in delivering evidence-based healthcare and meeting consumer expectations for care as well as translating research to evidence-based practice for consumers.