Nicole DePasquale, PhD, joined our division last August as a Medical Instructor. To get to know more about her, we asked the following questions:
What brought you to Duke?
The mentorship and impactful research of Dr. L. Ebony Boulware. When I was working on my Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) degree at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, I became a research assistant for Dr. Boulware. She taught me how to write and publish journal articles. Thanks to our work together I entered my doctoral program at Penn State with 7 publications and a reputation for being productive. As I worked on my PhD, Dr. Boulware and I remained in touch. She generously provided me with her time and support when I applied for a Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31) from the National Institute on Aging as well as sought other academic or research endeavors.
What are your interests in the field?
Broadly speaking, I am interested in how family members impact and are impacted by a loved one’s diagnosis of chronic kidney disease and treatment for end-stage renal disease with respect to health and well-being. My goal is for the pursuit of these interests to provide nephrologists and other medical personnel treating chronic kidney disease patients with empirical findings that facilitate their delivery of family-centered health care.
Can you tell us more about your research?
I am involved in research that aims to bring a family perspective to literature on chronic kidney disease. Currently, I am working on a qualitative paper that examines the shared treatment-related experiences of African American family members of patients along the care continuum from chronic kidney disease to end-stage renal disease and through the transplantation process. I am also analyzing data with Ashley Cabacungan to produce a second qualitative paper that will describe the best and worst aspects of different renal replacement therapies according to end-stage renal disease patients and their family members. Additional projects transferred with me, one of which is the second of two dissertation studies. This particular dissertation study is a daily diary investigation of how prior-night sleep duration and quality affect next-day physical health complaints of long-term care employees with unpaid caregiving roles for children (double-duty-child caregivers) or both children and adults (triple-duty caregivers) at home.
What are your hobbies or interests outside of work?
I am a former competitive figure skater and figure skating coach; I continue to take great interest in the sport and often find myself thinking about coaching again. During graduate school, I began couponing to stretch my stipend and am now an avid couponer. I also enjoy attending NJ Devils games with my boyfriend, who is a talented hockey player in his own right. He consistently introduces me to new hobbies or interests outside of work, the most recent being gardening, repurposing furniture, and riding quads.
Any trips you've taken recently that you would like to share?
I have not taken any trips recently but am headed to D.C. for the Work and Family Researchers Network conference in June, followed by San Francisco in August for the 126th American Psychological Association Annual Convention.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I became an aunt (and godmother) last September, and am looking forward to expanding my role this September when I welcome my first nephew.
"I am excited to be a member of the Duke team and work with Dr. Boulware again. "