About LEAH Leah FitzGerald, RN, FNP-C, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the UCLA School of Nursing. Dr. FitzGerald is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). Dr. FitzGerald has 23 years of clinical research experience. She completed post-doctoral training at the UCLA Norman Cousins Center in psychoneuroimmunology, providing a strong foundation for Biobehavioral Nursing research, recognizing the benefits and risks of preventive health behaviors and the complexity underlying behavioral change. As an educator, clinician and scientist, she has the tools to make observations about the nature and progression of health/disease that stimulates basic investigation. Dr. FitzGerald recently completed curriculum development and a subsequent research study translating oral health theory into clinical practice with master level nursing students and is familiar with the proposed methodology. This foundation provides the ability to support the expertise and experience needed to implement this proposed project. B. Professional Experience 1993 – 1993 Registered Nurse, Tufts University Student Health Services, Somerville, MA 1993 – 1995 Nurse Practitioner, Santa Monica Plaza Medical Group, Santa Monica, CA 1995 – 2003 Nurse Practitioner/Clinical Research Coordinator, UCLA Neuroenteric Disease Program, University of California, Los Angles Medical Center and WLA VAMC 2003 – 2005 Post-Doctoral Fellow, Norman Cousins Center, University of California, Los Angeles 2005–present Assistant Professor of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles C. Honors and Awards 1998 – 2001 Chancellors Fellowship, UCLA 2001 Sigma Theta Tau, Nursing Research Grant Recipient 2002 – 2003 UCLA Graduate Divisions Fellowship 2003 – 2005 Postdoctoral Fellowship, Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology 2003 Norman Cousins Center for PNI PI, Seed Grant Recipient 2003 Sigma Theta Tau, Nursing Research Grant Recipient 2005 Sigma Theta Tau, Nursing Research Grant Recipient 2005 UCLA Center for Vulnerable Populations Research Grant 2005 UCLA School of Nursing Intramural Grant 2006 Center for Neurovisceral Sciences & Women’s Health Top Clinical Poster Award 2006 Faculty Senate Grant 2006 – 2008 School of Nursing Intramural Grant 2007 Faculty Senate Grant 2007 – 2009 Kaiser Foundation Grant 2007 Oppenheimer Award 2007 UCLA School of Nursing Intramural Award 2008 UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Seed Grant D. Selected Publications 1. Fitzgerald LZ, Kehoe P, Sinha K. (2009). Hypothalamic--Pituitary-- Adrenal Axis Dysregulation in Women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Response to Acute Physical Stress. Western Journal of Nursing Research. 31(7): 818-836. PMID:19858523 2. Fitzgerald LZ. (2010). Blunted Affect is associated with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) hypoactivity and elevated CSF- interleukin -1 beta (IL-1ß) in response to lumbar puncture. Biological Research for Nursing, 13(2):164-74. PMID: 21044970 3. Fitzgerald LZ, Carpenter C. (2010). Bone Mineral Density Results Influencing Health Related Behaviors in Male Athletes at Risk For Osteoporosis. Journal of Clinical Densitometry. Journal of Clinical Densitometry, 13(3), 256-262. PMID: 20670881 4. Fitzgerald LZ, Ottaviani, C, Shapiro, D. (2011). Effects of Dipping and Psychological Traits on Morning Surge in Blood Pressure in Healthy People. Journal of Human Hypertension. 26(4):228-35. PMID: 21471996 5. Fitzgerald LZ, Robbins WA, Kesner JS. (2012). Reproductive Hormones and Interleukin-6 in Serious Leisure Male Athletes. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 112(11):3765-73. PMID:22382666 6. Fitzgerald LZ, Macey P, Brecht ML (2012). Pathways to Interleukin-6 in Healthy Males and Serious Leisure Male Athletes: Physical Activity, Body Composition and Age. PLoS One, 7(7): e40513. PMCID: PMC3393690 7. FitzGerald LZ, Macey P, Brecht ML. (2014). Personality, Sex and Systemic Inflammation. Psychology. 5: 1055-1064. Psychology. Epub ahead of print Published Online July 22, 2014 in SciRes. http://www.scirp.org/journal/psych. DOI:10.4236/psych.2014.59118 8. FitzGerald LZ, Hahn, JE, (2014). Self-Reported Health Status Predicts Physical Activity in Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disability. Journal of Novel Physiotherapies. 4(2). http://dx.doi.org/:10.4172/2165-7025.1000204 9. Hahn, JE, FitzGerald LZ, Markham, YK, Glassman, PD, Guenther, N (2012). "Integrating Oral Health Care into Nursing Curriculum: Addressing Preventive Health in Aging and Disability," Nursing Research and Practice. vol. 2012; doi:10.1155/2012/157874 12. FitzGerald L, Hahn JE (2014). Self-Reported Health Status Predicts Physical Activity in Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disability. Novel Therapeutics. 13. FitzGerald L, Rorie A, Salem B (2014). Improving Secondary Prevention Screening in Clinical Encounters Using mHealth among Pre-licensure Masters’ Entry Clinical Nursing Students. Worldview on Evidence-Based Nursing.

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