faculty profile

James Muchira   PhD, MSN

Assistant Professor

Bio

Dr. Muchira's research work focuses on intergenerational transmission of cardiovascular risk from parents to their children. Using data from multigenerational cohorts with over 70-years of follow up, Dr. Muchira has demonstrated that 1) offspring of parents with heart healthy lifestyles live nearly a decade longer without cardiovascular disease than offspring whose parents have unhealthy lifestyles; and 2) maternal heart health, compared to that of fathers, is a more robust predictor of offspring's time to onset of heart disease or stroke. His current research investigates the interaction of genomics (mainly epigenetics), behavioral, and environmental factors that contribute to parents-child transmission of cardiovascular disease. He plans to implement interventions that promote cardiovascular health for parents and young children as way of breaking the intergenerational cycle of cardiovascular disease.

Education

  • PhD, University of Massachusetts Boston
  • MSN, University of Massachusetts Boston
  • BSN, University of Eastern Africa, Baraton

Current Research/Scholarly Interests

  • Cardiovascular Health
  • Cardiovascular Epigenetics
  • Arterial Stiffness
  • Childhood Obesity
  • Disability-adjusted Life Years (DALYs)

Academic Interests

  • Genomics
  • Data science
  • Biobanking
  • Clinical trials

Current Projects

  • DNA methylation study of mothers and their children aged 1-5 years
  • 24-hour blood pressure, arterial stiffness and pulse wave velocity for mothers and children

Grants

Funded:

2020-2022: Muchira, James (PI). Turning the Tide on Early Childhood Obesity: Maternal Ideal Cardiovascular Health and Under-Five Childhood Obesity Among a Vulnerable Population. Rockefeller University Heilbrunn Family Nurse Scholar Award

2017-2018: Muchira, James (PI). Familial Aggregation of Ideal Cardiovascular Health and Cardiovascular Disease Disability-Adjusted Life Years in Parent-Offspring Dyads: Analysis of the Framingham Heart Study. The Sigma Theta Tau International Theta Alpha Chapter- The Anne Kibrick Research Award.

2015: Muchira, James (PI). Outcomes, Facilitators and Barriers in Providing a Nurse-led Cardio-metabolic Group Medical Visits in a Community Health Center in Central Kenya. Seed Grant for Student International Research Project, Office of Global Programs, University of Massachusetts Boston. 

Representative Publications

Journals

For full publication list, visit: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1RCJ53n33agQv/bibliography/public/

Muchira, JM, Heelan-Fancher L, Hayman LL. Maternal Cardiovascular Health and Adverse Childbirth Outcomes in the United States: Analysis of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. Published online April 9, 2021. doi:10.1097/JCN.0000000000000813

Briller JE, Mogos MF, Muchira JM, Piano MR. Pregnancy Associated Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: Risk Factors and Maternal Morbidity. Journal of Cardiac Failure. 2021;27(2):143-152. doi:10.1016/j.cardfail.2020.12.020

Muchira, J. M., Gona, P. N., Mogos, M. F., Stuart-Shor, E., Leveille, S. G., Piano, M. R., & Hayman, L. L. Parental cardiovascular health predicts time to onset of cardiovascular disease in offspring. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2020;(zwaa072). doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaa072

Muchira JM, Gona PN, Mogos MF, et al. Temporal Trends and Familial Clustering of Ideal Cardiovascular Health in Parents and Offspring Over the Life Course: An Investigation Using The Framingham Heart Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020;9(12):e016292. doi:10.1161/JAHA.120.016292

Muchira JM, Gona PN, Leveille S, Hayman LL. A Review of Methodological Approaches for Developing Diagnostic Algorithms for Diabetes Screening. Journal of Nursing Measurement. 2019 Dec 1;27(3):433-457. doi: 10.1891/1061-3749.27.3.433. PubMed PMID: 31871284

Healey-Walsh J, Stuart-Shor E, Muchira J. Through the Lens of Postcolonial Theory: Establishing Global North-South Partnerships. Nurs Educ Perspect. 2019;40(5):270-277. doi:10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000556

Muchira J, Stuart-Shor E, Manne-Goehler J, et al. Validity of hemoglobin A1c for diagnosing diabetes among people with and without HIV in Uganda. Int J STD AIDS. 2019;30(5):479-485. doi:10.1177/0956462418823406

Muchira JM, Stuart-Shor EM. Using Noninvasive Tools to Screen for Prediabetes and Undiagnosed Diabetes: Value Added to Cardiovascular Disease Prevention. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2016;31(6):488-491. doi:10.1097/JCN.0000000000000372

Muchira, J., Stuart-Shor, E., Kariuki, J., et al. Distribution and characteristics of risk factors for cardiovascular?metabolic disease in a rural Kenyan community. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 2015; 3, 76 81. doi:10.1016/j.ijans.2015.09.002

Fawcett, J., Aronowitz, T., AbuFannouneh, A., Al Usta, M., Fraley, H. E., Muchira, J., . . . Zhang, Y. Thoughts about the name of our discipline. Nursing Science Quarterly, 2015; 28(4), 330-333. doi:10.1177/0894318415599224 [doi

Book Chapters

Hayman, L. L & Muchira, J.M (2019). Primordial/Primary Prevention: Implications and Challenges for Families and Children (3rd edition, p.841-847). Lifestyle Medicine. Taylor & Francis Group, LLC, Boca Raton, FL, USA.

Reviewer

  • Journal of the American Heart Association 
  • British Medical Journal (BMJ) open
  • Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing
  • AIDS Care - Psychology, Health and Medicine
  • Journal of Nursing Measurement

Professional Organizations

  • American Heart Association
  • Sigma Theta Tau International
  • Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association

Honors/Awards

  • Jonas Policy Scholar, American Academy of Nursing - 2021
  • Honorable Mention, The 2021 Postdoc of the Year Award, from the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association and Office of Postdoctoral Affairs - 2021
  • Winning Abstract Award for ?Original Research? category, Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA's 27th Annual Cardiovascular Nursing Symposium) - 2021
  • 2020 Research Article of the Year Award-American Heart Association Council of Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing - 2020
  • Anne Kibrick Graduate Nursing Award Winner (Merit-based award) - 2019
  • Winning Abstract Award, Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA's 24th Annual Cardiovascular Nursing Symposium)-2018
  • PhD Nursing Program Outstanding Leadership Award - 2017
  • Merit-based Awards-Lynch Foundation Fund Nursing Fellowship - 2015 - 2019
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