PhD
Beerstecher-Blackwell Distinguished Professor, Nursing
UNC-Chapel Hill
Cancer Prevention and Control
Area of Interest
Sheila Judge Santacroce, PhD, is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner with more than 30 years experience in clinical care and research of children with cancer and/or HIV disease and their parents.
Her research focuses on improving medical and quality of life outcomes for children, adolescents and young adults with serious chronic illness (cancer, HIV disease, stage 3-5 kidney disease) and their family members (parents, siblings). Her research interests include illness uncertainty, medical traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth, the psycho-neuro immunologic (PNI) symptom cluster, cancer survivorship, and cardiovascular outcomes of the cancer experience. Her methodological interests include designing and implementing intervention research, intervention fidelity, bio-behavioral methods and mixed methods. Her clinical background is in pediatric hematology-oncology (acute; long-term follow-up/late effects) and pediatric HIV/AIDS nursing.
Awards and Honors
- Editorial Board Writing Award, Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, 2014
- Fellow, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 2013
- Founders’ Board, The Children’s Inn at NIH, 2009
- NIH W. G. Magnuson Clinical Center Nursing Department Award for special efforts in recruitment and retention, Cancer Nursing, 1986
- Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, 1982