Aurelia Macabasco-O’Connell, PhD, MSN, ACNP-BC, FAHA

Aurelia Macabasco-O’Connell, PhD, MSN, ACNP-BC, FAHA, has centered her overall research focus on the interdisciplinary care and outcomes of low-income, uninsured, minority, heart failure patients. Heart failure (HF) continues to be a major and ongoing public health problem that appears to affect minority groups in a disproportionate way. It also continues to be the leading cause of hospitalizations and increasing costs with prevalence rates being higher in minorities, specifically Hispanics. This increasing problem in minorities is also accompanied by multiple, complex psychosocial and financial burdens. Thus, her research focus has included the impact of literacy on HF self-management behaviors, disease management, various psychosocial variables (e.g. depression, self-efficacy, social support, and quality of life), the validation of new methods for screening for HF using biomarkers and echocardiography, and most recently, the use of wireless technology as a method to enhance HF self-management in the home in those with limited literacy.