Faculty and Staff

Dr. Erin Najarian has over 12 years of acute care nursing experience, with her clinical background primarily in critical care. After working as a staff nurse in the Medical Intensive Care Unit, she completed Vanderbilt University’s Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program with Intensivist focus. She maintains certification as a Critical Care Registered Nurse. As […]

N/A Areas of Research Self-management support for African American with cardiovascular and chronic diseases Nursing workforce with focus on immigrant nurses from Nigeria Education PhD, 2015, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Nursing MSN, 2010, Obafemi Awolowo University BSN, Obafemi Awolowo University External Affiliation Association Black Nursing Faculty (ABNF) National Association of Nigerian […]

Rebekah Overcash, MSN, RN, RNC-OB has a nursing background in maternity nursing. She has spent 22 years working as a maternity nurse, including postpartum, newborn, and labor and delivery, and is certified in inpatient obstetrics. During her years as a bedside nurse, she learned that I have a passion for teaching newer nurses about obstetrics […]

Dr. Parajuli joined UNC Charlotte in August 2020. She is an assistant professor in the School of Nursing and an affiliate faculty in the Gerontology Program. She has a PhD in Nursing from The Pennsylvania State (Penn State) University with a focus on aging and palliative care and a master’s degree in gerontology from Miami […]

Melinda Pierce MSN, RN, CHSE joined the UNC Charlotte School of Nursing in January, 2020. Mrs. Pierce is a Certified Simulation Healthcare Educator with simulation experience in academic and clinical environments. She volunteers for both the Society for Simulation in Healthcare and the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning. She is also an […]

Kelly Powers, PhD, RN, CNE, FNAP is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing. She has been a faculty member at UNC Charlotte since 2008 and has taught in the BSN, MSN, and DNP programs. Her current courses are focused on teaching andmentoring DNP students to conduct scholarly projects, preparing MSN students for the […]

Dr. Sheeler has been a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing for the last 4 years. Areas of Research Emergency nursing; Elderly nursing; Alcohol abuse on college campuses Education BS, 1999, East Carolina University, Communications ADN, 2005, Queens University of Charlotte MSN/ FNP, 2009, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill DNP, […]

Dr. Katherine Shue-McGuffin has been a faculty member in the School of Nursing since 2017 as the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Coordinator and a Clinical Associate Professor. Her scholarship is focused on primary prevention of disease. Dr. Shue-McGuffin has authored and co-authored publications in nursing and health-related journals based on her scholarship. She serves […]

Amanda Smith, MSN, CCRN has served as a nurse for 9 years. She works in adult medical surgical for two years and the other 7 years has been in pediatrics working with children born with congenital heart defects. For the last 6 years, Smith has been working at Levine Children’s Hospital in the CVICU. She […]

Christopher (Chris) M. Smith, PhD, MSN, RN, GCQM is an Assistant Professor in the College of Health and Human Services, School of Nursing. He is a first-generation college student who earned a PhD in Nursing Science from East Carolina University. During Dr. Smith’s doctoral studies, he earned a post-master’s certificate in Quantitative Methods for Social […]