Staja Booker, PhD, RN, FAAN
Assistant Professor
Department:
Biobehavioral Nursing Science
Business Phone:
(352) 273-6351
Business Email:
bookers@ufl.edu
About Staja Booker
Teaching Dr. Booker’s teaches in the PhD program as well as mentoring undergraduate and graduate nursing and health science students.
Research Dr. Booker is an accomplished nurse scientist who conducts community-engaged research and passionately studies ways to understand and reduce chronic pain in older adults. Her work has advanced our understanding of the mechanisms that drive osteoarthritis pain and is testing innovative ways to measure movement-evoked pain and manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. She uses mixed methods to chronicle the lived experience of chronic pain in older African Americans/Blacks. Her research spans the continuum of pain science: mechanisms, models, measurement, and management. In terms of translational research, significant contributions include developing the first nursing clinical practice recommendations and a model for pain assessment and pain measurement in older African Americans (Geriatr Nurs; 2015:36(1), 67-74).
Service Dr. Booker is active in several national pain, nursing, and gerontology organizations, and is an immediate past member on the Board of Directors for the United States Association for the Study of Pain (USASP). She is the current Chair for the DEIB cmte and a member on research committee for the American Society for Pain Management Nursing. She serves several editorial boards: the Journal of Gerontological Nursing, Research in Gerontological Nursing, Journal of Pain, Pain Management Nursing, and Pain Research Forum.
Accepting PhD Students: On a rolling basis Accepting Postdoctoral Fellows: On a rolling basis
Accomplishments
Fellow
2024
·
American Academy of Nursing
Excellence Award for Assistant Professors
2022
·
University of Florida
Inaugural Award for Diversity and Inclusion
2021
·
UF College of Nursing
Claudia J. Beverly Innovation Award
2020
·
National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence
Excellence in Nursing Award for Pain Management of the Older Adult
2020
·
American Society for Pain Management Nursing® Excellence in Nursing Award
Cluff Aging Research Award
2019
·
Oak Hammock Institute for Learning in Retirement/University of Florida
Springer Publishing Company Geriatric/Gerontological Nursing Award for a Distinguished Single research manuscript
2019
·
Gerontological Society of America’s Nursing Special Interest Group
1st Place Winner – 8th Annual Robert A. Levitt Prize for aging-related research
2018
·
Oak Hammock Institute for Learning in Retirement / University of Florida
Dissertation Award
2018
·
Midwest Nursing Research Society – Symptom Science Research Interest Group
Recipient
2018
·
Great 100 Nurses of Louisiana
Beacon Award for Outstanding Young Alumnus
2017
·
Grambling State University
Teaching Profile
Courses Taught
2020-2023
NUR3168 Lead and Inspire 2: Research and Evidence-Based Nursing
2020-2023
NGR7970L Adv Nursing Project
2021-2022
DEN5221 Oral Hlth Manage
2024
NGR7124 Theory Development in Nursing
2024-2025
NGR7709 Nurse Scientist and Scholar I
Research Profile
Dr. Booker’s areas of expertise are aging, pain assessment and management, pain disparities and health equity.
Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)
0000-0001-8934-1335
Publications
Academic Articles
2024
A domain-oriented approach to characterizing movement-evoked pain
PAIN Reports.
9(3)
[DOI] 10.1097/pr9.0000000000001158.
2024
A simulated patient with sepsis enhances confidence navigating clinical practice guidelines
Teaching and Learning in Nursing.
19(3)
[DOI] 10.1016/j.teln.2024.05.002.
2024
Commentary to ‘Movement-evoked pain is not associated with pain at rest or physical function in knee osteoarthritis’.
European journal of pain (London, England).
28(6):863-864
[DOI] 10.1002/ejp.2263.
[PMID] 38462956.
2024
Disparities, Inequities, and Injustices in Populations With Pain: An ASPMN Position Statement
Pain Management Nursing.
[DOI] 10.1016/j.pmn.2024.10.015.
2024
Disparities, Inequities, and Injustices in Populations With Pain: Nursing Recommendations Supporting ASPMN’s 2024 Position Statement
Pain Management Nursing.
[DOI] 10.1016/j.pmn.2024.10.016.
[PMID] 39603859.
2024
Encouraging Innovation in Evidence-Based Practice Among Undergraduate Nursing Students.
Nurse educator.
49(4)
[DOI] 10.1097/NNE.0000000000001536.
[PMID] 37856862.
2024
From Stepping Stones to Scaling Mountains: Overcoming Racialized Disparities in Pain Management
Pain Management.
14(1):5-12
[DOI] 10.2217/pmt-2023-0098.
[PMID] 38193345.
2024
John Henryism-racial stressors among older black men with low back pain
Geriatric Nursing.
59:196-202
[DOI] 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2024.06.038.
[PMID] 39029256.
2024
Longitudinal Associations of Family Relationship Quality With Chronic Pain Incidence and Persistence Among Aging African Americans.
The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences.
79(7)
[DOI] 10.1093/geronb/gbae064.
[PMID] 38767217.
2024
Missing at Random or Not?: Evidence on Pain in Black Older Adults With Dementia and Their Caregivers.
Research in gerontological nursing.
17(4):162-164
[DOI] 10.3928/19404921-20240628-01.
[PMID] 39047227.
2024
Pain Self-Management in Individuals With Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain During Lebanon’s Overlapping Crises
Pain Management Nursing.
[DOI] 10.1016/j.pmn.2024.09.003.
2024
Pain-Affirming Care at the Intersection of Race, Aging, and Pain Management Nursing
Pain Management Nursing.
25(4):323-326
[DOI] 10.1016/j.pmn.2024.05.012.
2024
Racial disparities in septic shock mortality: a retrospective cohort study.
Lancet regional health. Americas.
29
[DOI] 10.1016/j.lana.2023.100646.
[PMID] 38162256.
2024
The Intersectionality of Chronic Pain Stigma and Racial Discrimination in Black and White Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain.
Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.).
[DOI] 10.1093/pm/pnae114.
[PMID] 39520539.
2024
Through the Lens of Movement-Evoked Pain: A Theoretical Framework of the “Pain-Movement Interface” to Guide Research and Clinical Care for Musculoskeletal Pain Conditions.
The journal of pain.
25(7)
[DOI] 10.1016/j.jpain.2024.01.351.
[PMID] 38316243.
2024
Training to use smart tablets to access reliable online health information in older adults’ post-pandemic: A focused pilot intervention study
Geriatric Nursing.
56:204-211
[DOI] 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2024.02.010.
[PMID] 38359740.
2023
A descriptive study of physical function and performance in older black men with low back pain
Geriatric Nursing.
53:78-84
[DOI] 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2023.06.021.
[PMID] 37454422.
2023
A historical review of pain disparities research: Advancing toward health equity and empowerment
Nursing Outlook.
71(3)
[DOI] 10.1016/j.outlook.2023.101965.
[PMID] 37023670.
2023
A progressive agenda toward equity in pain care.
Health psychology and behavioral medicine.
11(1)
[DOI] 10.1080/21642850.2023.2266221.
[PMID] 37818413.
2023
Antiracism CoaliTION in Pain Research (ACTION-PR): Guiding Principles for Equity in Reporting
The Journal of Pain.
24(1):19-21
[DOI] 10.1016/j.jpain.2022.11.002.
2023
Care, lead, and inspire: Infusing innovation into nursing research and evidence-based practice course.
Worldviews on evidence-based nursing.
20(3):281-284
[DOI] 10.1111/wvn.12654.
[PMID] 37194344.
2023
CE: Overcoming Movement-Evoked Pain to Facilitate Postoperative Recovery.
The American journal of nursing.
123(7):28-37
[DOI] 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000944916.30662.5c.
[PMID] 37345778.
2023
Editorial: Advancing critical discovery of novel approaches to understanding and eliminating pain inequities.
Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland).
4
[DOI] 10.3389/fpain.2023.1209573.
[PMID] 37251593.
2023
Elucidating factors contributing to disparities in pain-related experiences among adults with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis.
Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland).
4
[DOI] 10.3389/fpain.2023.1058476.
[PMID] 36910251.
2023
Experiences of Pain Management Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study
Pain Management Nursing.
24(6):603-609
[DOI] 10.1016/j.pmn.2023.09.002.
2023
Interrupting Biases in the Experience and Management of Pain Nurses can help address challenges faced by racially and ethnically diverse patients and caregivers.
Home healthcare now.
41(2):98-104
[DOI] 10.1097/NHH.0000000000001150.
[PMID] 36867483.
2023
Original Research: The Impact of COVID-19 on Pain Care Among Older Adults.
The American journal of nursing.
123(6):26-36
[DOI] 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000937180.48669.ae.
[PMID] 37166166.
2023
Pain Management for Older Adults Across the Cognitive Trajectory
Current Geriatrics Reports.
12(4):220-227
[DOI] 10.1007/s13670-023-00403-6.
2022
“Be Strong My Sista'”: Sentiments of Strength From Black Women With Chronic Pain Living in the Deep South.
ANS. Advances in nursing science.
45(2):127-142
[DOI] 10.1097/ANS.0000000000000416.
[PMID] 35234672.
2022
Applying the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework to Identify Needs and Opportunities in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Research
The Journal of Pain.
23(1):25-44
[DOI] 10.1016/j.jpain.2021.06.015.
[PMID] 34280570.
2022
Author Response to Reader’s Comments to Fitzgerald Jones et al., Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Delivering Antiracist Care to Black Americans (DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2021.0502).
Journal of palliative medicine.
25(3):347-348
[DOI] 10.1089/jpm.2021.0673.
[PMID] 35230905.
2022
CE: Assessing Movement-Evoked Pain.
The American journal of nursing.
122(3):20-28
[DOI] 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000822656.14887.1f.
[PMID] 35149607.
2022
Chronic Pain Severity and Sociodemographics: An Evaluation of the Neurobiological Interface
The Journal of Pain.
23(2):248-262
[DOI] 10.1016/j.jpain.2021.07.010.
[PMID] 34425249.
2022
Confronting Racism in All Forms of Pain Research: A Shared Commitment for Engagement, Diversity, and Dissemination
The Journal of Pain.
23(6):913-928
[DOI] 10.1016/j.jpain.2022.01.008.
[PMID] 35288029.
2022
Confronting Racism in All Forms of Pain Research: Reframing Study Designs
The Journal of Pain.
23(6):893-912
[DOI] 10.1016/j.jpain.2022.01.010.
[PMID] 35296390.
2022
Confronting Racism in Pain Research: A Call to Action
The Journal of Pain.
23(6):878-892
[DOI] 10.1016/j.jpain.2022.01.009.
[PMID] 35292201.
2022
Interrupting Biases in the Experience and Management of Pain.
The American journal of nursing.
122(9):48-54
[DOI] 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000874120.95373.40.
[PMID] 36005795.
2022
Making Pain Research More Inclusive: Why and How
The Journal of Pain.
23(5):707-728
[DOI] 10.1016/j.jpain.2021.10.004.
[PMID] 34678471.
2022
Pain catastrophizing: A patient-centered approach to assessment.
Nursing.
52(4):26-30
[DOI] 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000823252.50782.45.
[PMID] 35358988.
2022
Pain hygiene: A content analysis of student nurses’ perspectives.
Nursing forum.
57(6):1415-1423
[DOI] 10.1111/nuf.12837.
[PMID] 36380507.
2022
Pain Management Nurses’ Roles During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Pain Management Nursing.
23(1):9-16
[DOI] 10.1016/j.pmn.2021.09.006.
[PMID] 34756688.
2022
The effect of music on pain sensitivity in healthy adults.
Arts & health.
14(1):66-84
[DOI] 10.1080/17533015.2020.1827278.
[PMID] 32997948.
2022
Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Delivering Antiracist Care to Black Americans.
Journal of palliative medicine.
25(3):479-487
[DOI] 10.1089/jpm.2021.0502.
[PMID] 34788577.
2021
A Mediation Appraisal of Catastrophizing, Pain-Related Outcomes, and Race in Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis
The Journal of Pain.
22(11):1452-1466
[DOI] 10.1016/j.jpain.2021.04.018.
[PMID] 34033964.
2021
A Paradigm Shift for Movement-based Pain Assessment in Older Adults: Practice, Policy and Regulatory Drivers.
Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses.
22(1):21-27
[DOI] 10.1016/j.pmn.2020.08.003.
[PMID] 32948452.
2021
A Scoping Review of Nursing’s Contribution to the Management of Patients with Pain and Opioid Misuse.
Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses.
22(1):58-68
[DOI] 10.1016/j.pmn.2020.11.007.
[PMID] 33414010.
2021
Black American older adults’ motivation to engage in osteoarthritis treatment recommendations for pain self-management: A mixed methods study
International Journal of Nursing Studies.
116
[DOI] 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.103510.
[PMID] 32169337.
2021
Exploring Associations Between Metabolites and Symptoms of Fatigue, Depression and Pain in Women With Fibromyalgia
Biological Research For Nursing.
23(1):119-126
[DOI] 10.1177/1099800420941109.
[PMID] 32677448.
2021
Grant Writing Doesn’t Have to Be a Pain: Tips for Preparation, Writing and Dissemination.
Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses.
22(5):561-564
[DOI] 10.1016/j.pmn.2021.08.009.
[PMID] 34645563.
2021
Knee pain trajectories over 18 months in non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White adults with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis.
BMC musculoskeletal disorders.
22(1)
[DOI] 10.1186/s12891-021-04284-8.
[PMID] 33952243.
2021
Living with pain in ‘age-(un)friendly’ housing environments: A qualitative study with African American older adults
Geriatric Nursing.
42(6):1294-1302
[DOI] 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2021.08.017.
[PMID] 34560523.
2021
Managing osteoarthritis pain with smart technology: a narrative review
Rheumatology Advances in Practice.
5(1)
[DOI] 10.1093/rap/rkab021.
[PMID] 33928214.
2021
Patterns and Correlates of Self-Management Strategies for Osteoarthritis-Related Pain Among Older Non-Hispanic Black and Non-Hispanic White Adults.
Arthritis care & research.
73(11):1648-1658
[DOI] 10.1002/acr.24396.
[PMID] 32741127.
2021
Population-Focused Approaches for Proactive Chronic Pain Management in Older Adults
Pain Management Nursing.
22(6):694-701
[DOI] 10.1016/j.pmn.2021.03.011.
[PMID] 33972196.
2021
Study Protocol Modeling Evoked Pain in Older African Americans With Knee Osteoarthritis
Nursing Research.
70(5):391-398
[DOI] 10.1097/nnr.0000000000000520.
2021
Taking a person centered, racially and culturally sensitive approach to reframing aging.
Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.).
42(6):A1-A2
[DOI] 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2021.10.003.
[PMID] 34740447.
2021
The Imperative for Racial Equality in Pain Science: A Way Forward
The Journal of Pain.
22(12):1578-1585
[DOI] 10.1016/j.jpain.2021.06.008.
[PMID] 34214701.
2021
Toward Understanding Movement-evoked Pain (MEP) and its Measurement: A Scoping Review.
The Clinical journal of pain.
37(1):61-78
[DOI] 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000891.
[PMID] 33093342.
2021
Voices of African American Older Adults on the Implications of Social and Healthcare-Related Policies for Osteoarthritis Pain Care.
Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses.
22(1):50-57
[DOI] 10.1016/j.pmn.2020.09.001.
[PMID] 33162338.
2020
<p>Everyday Discrimination in Adults with Knee Pain: The Role of Perceived Stress and Pain Catastrophizing</p>
Journal of Pain Research.
Volume 13:883-895
[DOI] 10.2147/jpr.s235632.
2020
Everyday Discrimination in Adults with Knee Pain: The Role of Perceived Stress and Pain Catastrophizing
Journal of Pain Research.
Volume 13:883-895
[DOI] 10.2147/jpr.s235632.
2020
Chronic pain, cardiovascular health and related medication use in ageing African Americans with osteoarthritis
Journal of Clinical Nursing.
29(13-14):2675-2690
[DOI] 10.1111/jocn.15292.
[PMID] 32301200.
2020
Neuropathic-Like Pain Symptoms in a Community-Dwelling Sample with or at Risk for Knee Osteoarthritis.
Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.).
21(1):125-137
[DOI] 10.1093/pm/pnz112.
[PMID] 31150093.
2020
Pain and Multimorbidity in Late Life
Current Epidemiology Reports.
7(1):1-8
[DOI] 10.1007/s40471-020-00225-6.
2020
Racial Differences in Pain Management for Patients Receiving Hospice Care.
Oncology nursing forum.
47(2):228-240
[DOI] 10.1188/20.ONF.228-240.
[PMID] 32078609.
2020
Surviving Multiple Pandemics-COVID-19 and Racism for African American Older Adults: A Call to Gerontological Nursing for Social Justice.
Journal of gerontological nursing.
46(9):4-6
[DOI] 10.3928/00989134-20200811-01.
[PMID] 32845341.
2020
“Bearing the Pain”: The Experience of Aging African Americans With Osteoarthritis Pain
Global Qualitative Nursing Research.
7
[DOI] 10.1177/2333393620925793.
[PMID] 32548212.
2019
Movement-evoked pain, physical function, and perceived stress: An observational study of ethnic/racial differences in aging non-Hispanic Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites with knee osteoarthritis.
Experimental gerontology.
124
[DOI] 10.1016/j.exger.2019.05.011.
[PMID] 31154005.
2019
Patterns and Perceptions of Self-Management for Osteoarthritis Pain in African American Older Adults.
Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.).
20(8):1489-1499
[DOI] 10.1093/pm/pny260.
[PMID] 30541043.
2019
Race/Ethnicity Moderates the Association Between Psychosocial Resilience and Movement-Evoked Pain in Knee Osteoarthritis.
ACR open rheumatology.
1(1):16-25
[DOI] 10.1002/acr2.1002.
[PMID] 31777776.
2019
The Reciprocal Relationship of Pain and Movement in African American Older Adults With Multi-Joint Osteoarthritis.
Research in gerontological nursing.
1-11
[DOI] 10.3928/19404921-20191202-01.
[PMID] 31834412.
2019
“Puttin’ on”: Expectations Versus Family Responses, the Lived Experience of Older African Americans With Chronic Pain
Journal of Family Nursing.
25(4):533-556
[DOI] 10.1177/1074840719884560.
2017
Culturally Responsive Pain Management for Black Older Adults.
Journal of gerontological nursing.
1-8
[DOI] 10.3928/00989134-20170224-03.
[PMID] 28253407.
2016
African Americans’ Perceptions of Pain and Pain Management: A Systematic Review.
Journal of transcultural nursing : official journal of the Transcultural Nursing Society.
27(1):73-80
[DOI] 10.1177/1043659614526250.
[PMID] 24841472.
2016
Assessing pain in nonverbal older adults.
Nursing.
46(5):66-9
[DOI] 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000480619.08039.50.
[PMID] 27096920.
2016
Assessing pain in verbal older adults.
Nursing.
46(2):65-8
[DOI] 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000473408.89671.52.
[PMID] 26760394.
2016
Assessment and Measurement of Pain in Adults in Later Life.
Clinics in geriatric medicine.
32(4):677-692
[DOI] 10.1016/j.cger.2016.06.012.
[PMID] 27741963.
2016
Chronic Pain in Older African American Grandparent Caregivers.
Home healthcare now.
34(6):316-24
[DOI] 10.1097/NHH.0000000000000402.
[PMID] 27243429.
2016
Culturally Conscientious Pain Measurement in Older African Americans.
Western journal of nursing research.
38(10):1354-73
[DOI] 10.1177/0193945916648952.
[PMID] 27174228.
2016
Evaluating pain management in older adults.
Nursing.
46(6):66-9
[DOI] 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000482868.40461.06.
[PMID] 27192078.
2016
Use of the Knowledge Tree as a Mind Map in a Gerontological Course for Undergraduate Nursing Students.
The Journal of nursing education.
55(3):182-4
[DOI] 10.3928/01484834-20160216-13.
[PMID] 26926222.
2015
Are nurses prepared to care for Black American patients in pain?
Nursing.
45(1):66-9
[DOI] 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000458944.81243.eb.
[PMID] 25532990.
2015
Lessons learned about ageing and gerontological nursing in South Africa.
Curationis.
38(1)
[DOI] 10.4102/curationis.v38i1.1216.
[PMID] 26244462.
2015
Older African Americans’ Beliefs about Pain, Biomedicine, and Spiritual Medicine.
Journal of Christian nursing : a quarterly publication of Nurses Christian Fellowship.
32(3):148-55
[PMID] 26211300.
2013
Mouth care to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia.
The American journal of nursing.
113(10):24-30; quiz 31
[DOI] 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000435343.38287.3a.
[PMID] 24037246.
Grants
Jun 2024
ACTIVE
Testing the Pain Relief of musculOskeletal conditions and Arthritis using Culturally Tailored InterVentions for Black Elders (PROACTIVE) Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NINR
Feb 2020
– Jan 2024
Investigating Movement-evoked Pain in osteoArthritic Conditions (IMPACT): An Observational Study to Inform Culturally-Tailored Intervention Development
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAMS
Education
Post-Doctoral Fellowship Dentistry (IMPART/Pain & Aging)
2017-2019
·
University of Florida
PhD Nursing (Gerontology)
2017
·
University of Iowa
MS Nursing (Gerontology/Adult Health)
2012
·
Pennsylvania State University
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Magna Cum Laude)
2010
·
Grambling State University
Contact Details
Phones:
- Business:
- (352) 273-6351
Emails:
- Business:
- bookers@ufl.edu
Addresses:
- Business Mailing:
-
PO Box 100197
GAINESVILLE FL 32610