Catherine Dingley is an associate professor and Director of the Ph.D. Program. Catherine joined the faculty at the UNLV SON in fall 2015 after completing an NINR funded post-doctoral research fellowship in Cancer, Aging, and End of Life Care at the University of Utah College of Nursing. Her areas of research include self-management, quality of life and inner strength in women surviving chronic health conditions such as cancer; health communication and cancer survivorship; and family caregiving in advanced cancer.

Based on a series of qualitative and quantitative studies, Dingley and colleagues developed the middle range theory of Inner Strength in Women and the ISQ (Inner Strength Questionnaire). Their theory and instrument has been used by researchers and scholars in the U.S. and internationally to study a variety of health issues including heart failure in Iranian women, mother/daughter dyads with hypertension, health promotion in mid-life women during menopause, PNI-based stress management in early breast cancer, chronic health conditions in Latvian women, and Salvadoran women surviving in war-torn regions.

Dingley also has research experience working with inter-professional teams and has participated in a number of studies funded by AHRQ focused on patient safety, quality, and outcomes in the acute care setting. These studies focused specifically on pressure ulcer prevention, team communication to improve patient safety, and cross-training to meet urgent patient care needs. 

Dingley’s current primary research focus is on home-based caregivers of advanced cancer patients. She has examined the process of activation in caregivers and their communication with hospice nurses and has recently expanded her investigation to include caregiver well-being and self-care. The long term goal of this research is to develop a better understanding of the needs of home-based caregivers and to develop evidence-based supportive interventions to improve end of life outcomes for family caregivers and patients.

Dingley has been PI, co-PI, and investigator on studies funded by STTI, the Colorado Health Foundation, NINR, and AHRQ. She also served as Associate Professor and Director of the National Institute of Nursing Education and Scholarship (funded by HRSA) at the University of Northern Colorado. She was previously the Coordinator of the Department of Nursing Outcomes, Research, and Evidence-based Practice at Denver Health, the state’s primary public safety net system. She is also a fellow of the AACN LANP program (Leaders in Academic Nursing) 2013-2014.

Work Habits

Expects students to be motivated, self-directed learners, able to adhere to timelines, and meet learning goals. Prefers scheduled meetings and is available to meet using Skype, Google hangouts, conference calls, and in person.