PhD in Nursing Science Program

Vera Borkowski

Research Interests: Nursing Informatics, Social determinants of health and pediatric populations, School-based services

Vera Borkowski graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor’s in Science, Nursing with Highest Distinction in 2004.  She worked in a variety of settings as a Registered Nurse for 11 years, including Neonatal Intensive Care, Pediatric Intensive Care, Post-anesthesia Care Unit, and Pediatric Transport. In 2015, Vera graduated from Georgetown University with a Master’s in Science, Family  Nurse Practitioner degree. Since 2015, she has practiced in School Based Health Centers (SBHCs) at Child and Family Agency of Southeastern   Connecticut. She is also Adjunct Online Faculty for undergraduate nursing students and works per diem with a national telehealth service. Vera has received the Health Resources and Service Administration NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Award and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Award for her work with underserved populations with limited access to healthcare.

Vera has worked on numerous projects for the SBHC program including the “National Quality Initiative Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN)” and “Enhancing the Female Adolescent Well-care Visit” with the School Based Health Alliance. She was also part of the National Project on Implementing the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), in schools, attending the 2018, 2019, and 2020 SBIRT Convenings with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Her most recent project involved implementation of an alerts system for use in her SBHC program, with publication in the Journal for Nursing Informatics in 2021. In her doctoral program at Vanderbilt, Vera hopes to explore informatics utilization for healthcare providers serving vulnerable populations, addressing social determinants of health.

Faculty Advisors: Drs. Mariann Piano and Alvin Jeffery