Janet D. Pierce

Dr. Janet D. Pierce serves as a Professor at the University of Kansas School of Nursing and holds joint appointments in the School of Medicine's Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. She is the Christine A. Hartley Centennial Endowed Professor and a University of Kansas Distinguished Professor with continuous research funding for over 30 years.

Education:

• BSN in Nursing from the University of Oklahoma
• MSN in Adult-Health Nursing from the University of Alabama-Birmingham
• PhD in Critical Care Nursing from the University of Alabama-Birmingham
• Post Doctoral Fellowship in Cardiovascular Surgery from Virginia Commonwealth University

Research Focus: Dr. Pierce's work centers on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and post-COVID-19 syndrome, employing clinical trials and molecular approaches to study symptom burden, bioenergetics, and antioxidant effects. Her NIH-funded research on ubiquinol/D-ribose supplementation targets myocardial function, while DOD-funded studies examine military health impacts of long COVID.

Publication Trends: Recent work (2018-2023) spans cardiovascular genomics, ovarian cancer symptom clusters, and sepsis diagnostics, reflecting interdisciplinary integration of symptom science, precision health, and biomarker discovery across cardiology, nursing, and oncology domains.

Scientific Recognition:

• Research Trailblazer Award (Kansas Chapter of American College of Cardiology)
• University of Kansas Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Classroom Teacher
• American Academy of Nursing Fellow (FAAN)
• Kemper Teaching Fellowship Award
• Phyllis Keeney Lawrence Teaching Award
• Two-time Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award recipient

Academic Leadership: Dr. Pierce mentors DNP/PhD students through courses in precision health and advanced pathophysiology while serving on NIH review panels and the Nursing Research Journal editorial board. Her grant portfolio includes NIH/NIA, DOD/TSNRP, and KUMC Research Institute awards focused on heart failure interventions and post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Professional Engagement: Following 25 years of service as a U.S. Navy Captain, she maintains active roles in academic medicine including a Visiting Professorship at the University of Canberra.