Chia-Hui(Kate) Chen, PhD, RN, FNP-BC

Chia-Hui (Kate) Chen, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, is an Assistant Professor of Nursing, critical care nurse practitioner, and scholar whose research focuses on end-of-life communication, palliative care, and simulation-based nursing education. She is committed to advancing equitable, patient-centered care and preparing the next generation of nurses and nurse practitioners.

• PhD, Nursing, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 2021
• Master of Science, Family Nurse Practitioner, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 2011
• Bachelor of Science, Nursing, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 2008
  • Degree Honors: Summa Cum Laude

• The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International Invitation (2008)
• Kaleida Health Foundation Nursing Scholarship Award (2015)
• Presidential Fellowship, School of Nursing, University at Buffalo (2016)
• Eastern Nursing Research Society Student Travel Scholarship Award (2019)
• Sigma Xi Prize, Poster Award, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York (2019)​​​​​​​

My long-term research interests focus on end-of-life (EOL) care, palliative care communication, and nursing education strategies that improve patient-centered care in critical care settings. I am particularly interested in enhancing goals-of-care communication and addressing disparities in unmet palliative care needs among African American, Asian, and Hispanic/Latino populations. With specialized training in EOL and critical care research, I have conducted and published studies exploring family experiences with ventilated COVID-19 patients and testing nurse-led communication interventions among ICU surrogates. My current research evaluates communication education designed to improve nurse practitioner students’ preparedness and confidence in conducting goals-of-care and EOL discussions with critically ill patients and families. In addition, my emerging program of research examines innovative educational strategies, including simulation-based education (SBE). I am currently conducting a longitudinal mixed-method study exploring how replacing clinical hours with SBE influences newly graduated nurses’ competence and transition to practice. Findings from this work may provide evidence regarding the long-term effectiveness of simulation in improving clinical preparedness, reducing transition-related stress, and supporting workforce retention. 

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