Designed for nurses and healthcare professionals, the session demystifies research by presenting it as a structured, practical approach to answering clinical questions that arise in everyday practice. Dr. Meredith Farmer introduces learners to essential research terminology, including research questions, hypotheses, variables, populations, samples, and common sources of error. She explains why research is critical to improving neonatal outcomes, advancing professional practice, and identifying gaps in NICU care.

The session walks learners step‑by‑step through the research process: defining a problem through literature review, selecting a study design, gathering and analyzing data, and disseminating findings. Key concepts related to ethical approval, informed consent, confidentiality, and working with vulnerable neonatal populations are emphasized. Learners also gain practical guidance on evaluating research articles, selecting appropriate data collection tools, and ensuring reliability and validity.

Learning Outcomes:
Describe the purpose of neonatal research in improving patient outcomes and advancing the profession
Identify key research terminology, including research questions, hypotheses, null hypotheses, variables, and bias
Conduct a basic literature review to identify existing evidence and gaps in knowledge
Understand ethical considerations in neonatal research, including informed consent, confidentiality, and IRB approval

Presenter Information:
Dr. Meredith Farmer, DNP, APRN, NNP-BC

Meredith L. Farmer, DNP, APRN, NNP-BC

Dr. Meredith Farmer is an Assistant Clinical Professor and Director of the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Specialty at Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Health Systems Leadership from Emory University. 

She is both an academic leader and a practicing NNP, caring for infants through her work with Marietta Neonatology in Georgia as well as Locum Tenens practice across the United States. She serves as an incoming Member-at-Large on the NANN-AP Council and contributes to multiple national committees focused on APRN advocacy, workforce development, and professional mentorship. 

Her professional interests and scholarship center on the sustainability of the NNP workforce, including shift length, fatigue, recruitment, role transition, and diversity in the profession. Through her research, writing, and national leadership roles, she advocates for policies and innovations that strengthen the pipeline of NNPs and ensure safe, high-quality care for the most vulnerable infants and their families. 

Through clear explanations and real-world neonatal examples, this session demystifies quantitative research by exploring common study designs, key research concepts, and foundational statistical principles. Learners are guided to keep a clinical lens throughout, focusing on how research findings translate into meaningful outcomes for infants and families. By the end of the session, participants will be better equipped to critically evaluate research, understand study results, and thoughtfully consider whether evidence supports changes in NICU practice.

This course empowers neonatal nurses to move beyond simply following protocols to understanding the evidence that underpins them, and to confidently engage with research as informed consumers and contributors to evidence-based care.

Learning Outcomes:
Define quantitative research and describe its role in neonatal nursing practice.
Differentiate among descriptive, correlational, and experimental quantitative study designs.
Identify key components of quantitative studies, including independent and dependent variables, confounding variables, and bias.
Interpret basic descriptive and inferential statistics commonly reported in neonatal research.
Apply a clinical lens to evaluate whether quantitative research findings are both statistically and clinically meaningful for NICU practice.

Presenter Information:
Elizabeth S. Schierholz, PhD, NNP-BC

Elizabeth S. Schierholz, PhD, NNP-BC

Elizabeth Schierholz, PhD, NNP-BC has worked in the NICU for the past 20 years as a nurse and a nurse practitioner.  She obtained her PhD at the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania focused on health services research, health policy, innovation and improvement of health care systems with an emphasis on the impact of patient safety and patient outcomes.

Participants are introduced to key qualitative research approaches, like ethnography, phenomenology, narrative research, case studies, and grounded theory by Dr. Jessica Gomez. Viewers will learn how each method can be applied to real-world clinical and organizational questions. Other topics explores common qualitative data collection techniques, including interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and document analysis.

Using a step‑by‑step example focused on NICU nursing care and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), the course demonstrates how philosophical paradigms, theory, research questions, methodology, and analysis align in a cohesive qualitative study design. Learners gain insight into coding, thematic analysis, and theory development, as well as the strengths and limitations of qualitative research. The session concludes by encouraging reflective practice, curiosity, and mentorship in research and professional growth.

Learning Outcomes:
Explain the purpose and value of qualitative research
Recognize the strengths and limitations of qualitative research
Identify qualitative data collection methods
Understand basic qualitative data analysis techniques

Presenter Information:
Dr. Jessica Gomez, Ph.D., APRN, NNP-BC, IBCLC: no relevant financial disclosures

Jessica Gomez, Ph.D., APRN, NNP-BC, IBCLC

Jessica Gomez, Ph.D., APRN, NNP-BC, IBCLC, is the Advanced Practice Provider Research and Education Coordinator for the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the University of Texas McGovern Medical School in Houston, TX. 

As an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Jessica is passionate about supporting NICU mothers' breastfeeding journeys. Jessica's research centers around improving infant access to mothers' milk in the NICU and ensuring a positive breastfeeding experience for NICU mothers. 

Dr. Linda Merritt introduces learners to the defining features of mixed methods research, including integration, meta‑inference, and purposeful sampling across qualitative and quantitative phases. The product reviews the advantages and challenges of using mixed methods, such as the need for additional skills, team‑based collaboration, and extended timelines.

The session focuses on the three primary mixed-methods designs—convergent, explanatory sequential, and exploratory sequential—outlining when each is appropriate, the key steps involved, and how they can be applied in healthcare research. Practical examples from NICU and maternal‑child health research illustrate how mixed methods designs are used to better understand patient and family experiences, psychological outcomes, and care transitions.

Learning Outcomes:
Define mixed methods research and its purpose in healthcare and social science research
Identify the advantages and limitations of mixed methods research
Explain the appropriate research situations for each mixed methods design

Presenter Information:
Dr. Linda Merritt, PhD, RNC-NIC, CNE: no relevant financial disclosures

Linda A. Merritt, PhD, RNC-NIC, CNE, FAWHONN

Dr. Linda Merritt is an Associate Professor of Nursing at Quinnipiac University and a nationally recognized expert in neonatal nursing. She completed her doctoral research at Texas Woman’s University, focusing on the experiences of fathers in the NICU—a subject on which she is now recognized as an expert. Her work has been widely published and presented at local and national conferences.

In 2023, Dr. Merritt was inducted into the inaugural class of Fellows of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), honoring her leadership and contributions to the field. She holds certifications in neonatal intensive care and nursing education.

Dr. Merritt is actively involved in professional organizations including NANN, AWHONN, Sigma Theta Tau, and the Eastern Nursing Research Society. She also serves as a reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals and volunteers with Hand to Hold and the NICU Parent Support Network, reflecting her commitment to both clinical excellence and family-centered care.