PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Dr. Kapella received her doctorate in nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Her doctoral research was "Subjective fatigue in people with COPD." Dr. Kapella was a member of Jan Larson's research team for over 10 years and has taught and mentored undergraduate and graduate nursing students in the UIC College of Nursing. She recently received a Center for Clinical Translational Scholars Award which gives support to develop her research for 2 years. With this support and that of the Center for Reducing Risks in Vulnerable Populations, she is studying a cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep) in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Dr. Kapella says "People with COPD develop complications which can lead to changes in sleep behaviors. The changes in sleep behaviors can then lead to insomnia that becomes chronic." She will examine the impact of the cognitive behavioral therapy on sleep, fatigue, anxious and depressed moods and ability to perform daily activities in people with COPD who have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Dr. Kapella is grateful for the mentoring of Drs. David Carley, Joan Shaver and James Herdegen in the area of sleep research.
TEACHING/LEARNING
Dr. Kapella teaches "Introduction to Clinical Concepts and Processes in Nursing" and mentors graduate students working on research projects.
SERVICE/PRACTICE
Dr. Kapella is a member of the Nominating and Program committees of the American Thoracic Society Nursing Assembly. She has served as a reviewer for the journals Nursing Research, Heart & Lung, Biological Research for Nursing, and the International Journal of Nursing Studies. She is also a member of the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, the Midwest Nursing Research Society and Sigma Theta Tau.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS
"Nurse managed cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in people with COPD"
"Stigma and social changes in people with COPD"
"Fatigue, associated variables and performance in people with COPD"
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