Bianca Shieu, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor
Currently seeking Ph.D. students
Dr. Shieu joined the UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing in 2023. She is a 2024 NIH/NIA Butler-Williams Scholar and previously served as a Magee-Womens Research Institute Postdoctoral Fellow, completing her postdoctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing and was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholar. Dr. Shieu has extensive expertise in working with elderly individuals, including those managing obesity and dementia, both within nursing home facilities and diverse communities. Her research initiatives cover a broad spectrum, aiming to enhance the quality of life for nursing home residents (including younger ones) and improve overall care within the long-term care system. Additionally, she holds certifications in auricular therapy and auricular medicine. Currently, her research primarily focuses on non-pharmaceutical interventions (such as auricular acupressure) to address pain management in individuals affected by Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia (ADRD), alongside their caregivers in the community.
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Professional Background
Education
- 2022 - Mini-MBA - Leading People in Organizations - Katz Graduate School of Business University of Pittsburgh
- 2021 - PhD - Nursing - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- 2017 - BSN - Nursing - Oakland University
Training
- 2024 - Certificate - Auricular Therapy - American Auricular Training Institute
- 2024 - Certificate - Auricular Medicine - American Auricular Training Institute
- 2023 - Postdoctoral Fellowship - Magee-Womens Research Institute
- 2023 - Post-Doctoral Training - School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh
- 2021 - PhD Nursing Scholar - Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholars
Highlights
HONORS AND AWARDS
2024 National Institute of Health/ National Institute on Aging Butler-Williams Scholar
2023 Edith Anderson Leadership Education Grant
2023 Magee-Womens Research Institute Postdoctoral Fellow
2021 & 2022 The Gerontological Society of America Travel Award
2018-2021 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholar
2017 Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing
2014 School of Nursing Dean's List
Appointments
- 2023-present - Assistant Professor - UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing
- 2021-2023 - Post-Doctoral Associate - University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine
- 2021-2023 - Registered Nurse - UPMC Nursing Home
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Research & Grants
Grants
Currently Funded:
2024-Present Funder: Private Foundation
Title: Chronic Pain Management in Nursing Home Residents
Role: PI
2023-2025 Funder: UTHSCSA New Faculty Start-Up Fund
Title: Auricular Acupressure on Individuals with Cognitive Impairment and Mild Dementia and their caregivers
Role: PI
2023-Present Funder: Changhua Christian Hospital Dollars: 15k
Title: Examining Electronic Health Record Systems in Long-Term Care Settings in Taiwan
Role: Co-PI (PI: Y. Lee)
2022-2023 Funder: Magee-Womens Research Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
Title: Exploring Nurses' Perspectives on Medication Administration in Nursing Homes
Role: PI
2021-2024 Funder: AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) (R01) Grant # 1R01HS026943 Dollars:1.9M
Title: Developing and Testing an Evidence-Based Toolkit for Nursing Home Care of Residents with Obesity
Role: Postdoctoral Associate (PI: J. Harris)
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Service
Institutional
2021-2022 University of Pittsburgh University Senate/Postdoc representative/Library Committee
2022-2023 University of Pittsburgh University Senate/Postdoc representative/Research Committee
Service to the Profession
Abstract Reviewer The Gerontological Society of America
Reviewer Geriatric Nursing, Alzheimer's & Dementia, BMC Geriatric
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Publications
- *Shieu, B. M., Almusajin, J. A., Dictus, C., Beeber, A. S., & Anderson, R. A. (2021). Younger Nursing Home Residents: A Scoping Review of Their Lived Experiences, Needs, and Quality of Life. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 22(11), 2296–2312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2021.06.016
- *Shieu, B. M., Toles, M., Hoben, M., Schwartz, T. A., Beeber, A. S., & Anderson, R. A. (2022). A Cross-Sectional, Correlational Study Comparing Individual Characteristics of Younger and Older Nursing Home Residents using Western Canadian Resident Assessment Instrument-Minimum Data Set (RAI-MDS) 2.0. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 23(11), 1878–1882.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2022.07.027
- Harris, J. A., Kavalieratos, D., Thoonkuzhy, M., Shieu, B., & Schenker, Y. (2022). Trends in Obesity Prevalence among US Older Adults in the Last Two Years of Life, 1998-2018. Journal of pain and symptom management, S0885-3924(0822)00967-00968. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2022.11.004
- Shieu, B., Teng, C. H., Chan, Y. N., Cho, Y., Dictus, C., Wang, J., Beeber, A. S., Bryant, A., Wu, B., Plassman, B. L., & Anderson, R. A. (2023). Comparing the Experiences of Participants With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Dementia During an Oral Health Intervention. Innovation in aging, 7(9), igad123. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igad123
- Fernandez, L., Shieu, B., Trinkoff, A., Castle, N., Wolf, D. G., Handler, S., & Harris, J. (2023). Paying A Heavy Price: Costs of Care for People with Severe Obesity in Nursing Homes. The Gerontologist, gnad150. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnad15
- McMahan, C., Shieu, B., Trinkoff, A., Castle, N., Wolf, D. G., Handler, S., & Harris, J. A. (2024). Factors Associated with the Ability of US Nursing Homes to Accept Residents with Severe Obesity. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 25(5), 912–916.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2024.03.009
- Shieu, B., Lee, Y., Epps, F., Wang, M., & Harris, J. Improving medication-related safety for patients in nursing homes: A qualitative study. (In press)
- McMahan. C., Shieu, B.,Trinkoff, A., Handler, S., Wolf, D., Castle, N., Engberg, J., & Harris, J. The Academy Health 2023. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Barriers to Nursing Home Acceptance of Residents with Obesity. Academy Health, June 2023.
- Shieu, B., Fernandez L., Trinkoff, A., Handler, S., Wolf, D., Castle, N., Engberg, J., & Harris, J. International Nursing Congress 2023. Exploring Resource Barriers to Providing Care for Residents with Severe Obesity in US Nursing Homes. Sigma Theta Tau 2023 Internatioanl Nursing Congress, In-Person, July 2023.
- Shieu, B., Boateng, O., Merola, G., & Harris, J. Postdoctoral Data & Dine Symposium. Exploring Nursing Home Medication Administration Processes. In person, May 2023.
- Shieu, B., Schwartz, T., Hoben, M., Toles, M., Beeber, A., & Anderson, R. The Gerontological Society of America 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting Poster Session. Age Related Differences in Health-Related Quality of Life Among Western Canadian Nursing Home Residents. In-person, November 2022
- Harris, J., Shieu, B., Trinkoff, A., Handler, S., Castle, N., Engberg, J., & Wolf, D. (2022). The Challenge of Severe Obesity in Nursing Homes from the Perspective of Administrators. (2022). J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2022 Mar;23(3):B20. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2022.01.041. Epub 2022 Feb 23. PMCID: PMC8863561.
- Shieu, B., Teng, C., Chan, Y., Choi, Y., Dictus, C., Perez, J., Wang, J., Bartoldus. V. (2021). Qualitative Analysis of Coaching with Care Partners of People with Cognitive Impairment, Innovation in Aging, Volume 5, Issue Supplement_1, 2021, Page 170, https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igab046.651
- Shieu B, Schwartz, T., Beeber, A., Hoben, M., Toles, M., & Anderson, R. (2021). A Cross-Sectional Study Comparing Younger and Older Nursing Home Residents in Western Canada. Innovation in aging, 5(Suppl 1), 410-411. PMCID: PMC8970548.
- Wang, M. & Shieu, B. Acupuncture for Cancer Pain Management. Poster presentation, Oncology Nursing Society. Virtually. April 2020.
- Shieu, B. Health-related Quality of life in Nursing Homes Residents in Western Canada. Presentation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholars Meeting. Virtually. July 2020.
- Shieu, B., Dictus, C., Toles, M., & Anderson, R. Quality of Life among Younger Nursing Homes Residents: A Scoping Review. Poster Presentation, 44th Midwest Nursing Research Society. Virtually. April 2020.
- Shieu, B. PhD Progress Overview. Presentation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholars Meeting. Atlanta, GA. July 2019.
- Shieu, B. Quality of Life in Nursing Home Residents. Presentation at Translating Research in Elder Care Conference. Alberta, Canada. June 2019.
Selected Peer-reviewed Articles (*indicates data-based)
Selected Abstracts