Tolu Oyesanya, PhD

Current occupation: Post-Doctoral Fellow; National Research Service Award (NRSA) Alum; TEAM-Science Alum; Shepherd Center, Brain Injury Research

Awarded the Certificate in Spring 2015

Research interests: Rehabilitation care of patients with traumatic brain injury and their family members

Q&A

What was your research project for the Certificate?

Knowledge and Self-Perceptions of Nurses Caring for Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury

What role did your community partner play in the project?

I developed a partnership with a hospital, where I was allowed to recruit participants for my research study.

How might this research affect the health consumer?

The findings from this study can influence the education of nurses who care for patients with traumatic brain injury, which may help to improve care.

What did you learn in the program that you didn’t expect to learn?

I learned about the importance of collaborating with community stakeholders that you intend to influence with your research findings. Taking the time to discuss research ideas, study aims and design, and implementation strategies with community stakeholders before conducting the study greatly assists with development of translational research.

Name the top things learned that you will use in your research career.

I learned effective strategies about developing and maintaining community partnerships that will be useful in my research career.

How has the certificate advanced your professional goals?

The certificate has helped me to gain skills in development of community partnerships and has given me strategies to design research that will have translational findings.

What other opportunities have you been provided as a result of the certificate program?

The certificate program has given me an opportunity to meet other collaborators and work with an interdisciplinary team.

What advice would you give current and future Certificate students?

Take advantage of the classes you are taking for the certificate and the important strategies you are learning. They will all be helpful in the near future.

Published works

Oyesanya, T.O. (accepted for publication). The experience of patients with ABI and their families during the hospital stay: A systematic review of qualitative literature. Brain Injury.

Oyesanya, T.O., Brown, R.L., & Turkstra, L.S. (accepted for publication). Caring for patients with traumatic brain injury: A survey of nurses’ perceptions. Journal of Clinical Nursing.

Oyesanya, T.O., Thomas, M.A., Brown, R.L, & Turkstra, L.S. (2016). Nurses’ beliefs about caring for patients with traumatic brain injury. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 1-25. doi: 10.1177/0193945916636629.

Oyesanya, T. O. & Ward, E. C. (2015). Mental health in women with traumatic brain injury: A systematic review on depression and hope. Health Care for Women International, 1-30. doi: 10.1080/07399332.2015.1005307

Porter, E. J., Oyesanya, T. O., & Johnson, K. A. (2013). Hoping to see the future I prefer: An element of life-world for older women living alone. Advances in Nursing Science, 36(1), 1-16.