Lakeshia Cousin, PhD, APRN, AGPCNP-BC

Assistant Professor

Department: Family, Community and Health Systems Science

Business Phone: (352) 273-6318

Business Email: lakeshiacousin@ufl.edu

About Lakeshia Cousin

Teaching

Dr. Cousin’s teaching responsibilities are focused on the BSN and DNP programs and mentoring undergraduate and graduate nursing students. Her teaching and mentoring philosophy are inspired by her dedication to health equity and diversity and preparing future nurses to become leaders in social change.

Research/Scholarship

Dr. Cousin is a nurse scientist who bridges health equity, behavioral medicine, and psychosocial support to research improvements in breast cancer survivorship for underserved populations. Significant contributions to nursing science include providing preliminary evidence on gratitude’s mental and physical benefits for Blacks at risk for cardiovascular disease in the community. Dr. Cousin was the first investigator to establish the psychometric properties of a measure of dispositional gratitude (Gratitude Questionnaire-6) among Blacks. Future culturally-tailored nursing interventions will examine psychosocial support to improve lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity to reduce cardiometabolic risk among Black breast cancer survivors.

Service

Dr. Cousin is a member of the UF Health Cancer Center (Cancer Control and Population Sciences Program) and is a partner with the UF Health Cancer Center Community-Partnered Cancer Disparities Research Collaborative. She holds memberships in national and international organizations such as the American Nurses Association/Florida Nurses Association, Southern Nurses Research Society, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Oncology Nurses Society, and Society of Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Cousin also serves as an editorial board member of Seminars in Oncology Nursing, an international oncology nursing research journal.

Accomplishments

Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center REC Scholar – UF

2022-2024 · National Institute of Aging

UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute Scholar

2022-2024 · UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute/UF Health Cancer Center

UF College of Nursing Impact Award

2022 · UF College of Nursing

American Academy of Nursing Jonas Policy Scholar

2021-2022 · American Academy of Nursing

New Investigator Workshop Award

2021 · American Society of Preventive Oncology

Behavioral Oncology Postdoctoral Fellow

2020-2021 · National Cancer Institute (T32 CA090314)/Moffitt Cancer Center (Health Outcomes & Behavior)

Footsteps to Funding Award, /Geographic Management of Cancer Health Disparities Program (GMaP) Region 2

2020 · National Cancer Institute

Transdisciplinary Community-Based Participatory Research Training Award

2020 · National Cancer Institute/University of Tennessee, NCI/R13 Grant

Healthy Start – John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Community Outreach Scholarship Award

2019 · John Hopkins All Children's Hospital

International Rising Stars of Scholarship and Research Award

2019 · Sigma Theta Tau International

Summer Genetics Institute

2019 · National Institute of Nursing Research

Black Nurses Rock Tampa Scholarship Award

2018 · Black Nurses Rock, Tampa Bay Chapter

Patient-Centered Outcomes Institute (PCORI) Research Graduate Trainee Scholarship

2016 · Patient-Centered Outcomes Institute (PCORI)

McKnight Doctoral Fellow

2015-2019 · Florida Education Fund

University Graduate Fellowship Award

2015-2016 · University of South Florida College of Nursing

Kara E. Flannery Nursing award

2015 · Tampa General Hospital

Transplant Nurse of the Year

2015 · Tampa General Hospital

Spirit of Nursing Award

2013 · University of South Florida College of Nursing

Teaching Profile

Courses Taught

2022-2023

NGR6840 Applied Statistical Analysis I

2022-2023

NGR7970L Adv Nursing Project

Board Certifications

Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

American Nurses Credentialing Center

Research Profile

Dr. Cousin’s areas of expertise are cancer prevention and survivorship, cardiovascular health, psychosocial care, and health disparities research.

Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)

0000-0002-9649-8864

Areas of Interest

Cancer prevention
Cancer survivorship
Cardiovascular Disease
Health Policy
Health disparities and vulnerable populations
Health literacy
Psycho-Oncology

Publications

2022

“Be Strong My Sista'”: Sentiments of Strength From Black Women With Chronic Pain Living in the Deep South.

ANS. Advances in nursing science. [DOI] 10.1097/ANS.0000000000000416. [PMID] 35234672.

PubMed · Publisher’s Site

2022

A multilevel, low literacy dual language intervention to promote colorectal cancer screening in community clinics in Florida: A randomized controlled trial

Preventive Medicine. [DOI] 10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107021.

Publisher’s Site

2022

Defining the social determinants of health for nursing action to achieve health equity: A consensus paper from the American Academy of Nursing.

Nursing outlook. 70(1):10-27 [DOI] 10.1016/j.outlook.2021.08.003.

Publisher’s Site

2022

Equity in Genomics: A Brief Report on Cardiovascular Health Disparities in African American Adults.

The Journal of cardiovascular nursing. 37(1):58-63 [DOI] 10.1097/JCN.0000000000000725. [PMID] 32649378.

1 citation · PubMed · Publisher’s Site

2021

Cardio-Oncology Health Disparities: Social Determinants of Health and Care for Black Breast Cancer Survivors

Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. 25(5):36-41 [DOI] 10.1188/21.cjon.s1.36-41.

Publisher’s Site

2021

Characterizing Health Literacy Among Spanish Language-Preferring Latinos Ages 50-75.

Nursing research. [DOI] 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000519. [PMID] 33990120.

PubMed · Publisher’s Site

2021

Effect of gratitude on cardiovascular health outcomes: a state-of-the-science review

The Journal of Positive Psychology. 16(3):348-355 [DOI] 10.1080/17439760.2020.1716054.

Publisher’s Site

2021

Improving Multi-site Interaction Through Remote Learning Technology: Report from a Training Program to Increase Underrepresented Undergraduate and Medical Students in Health Disparities Research

Journal of Cancer Education. [DOI] 10.1007/s13187-021-01985-5.

Publisher’s Site

2021

Mindfulness-based stress reduction for breast cancer survivors (MBSR(BC)): evaluating mediators of psychological and physical outcomes in a large randomized controlled trial.

Journal of behavioral medicine. [DOI] 10.1007/s10865-021-00214-0. [PMID] 33963420.

3 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site

2021

Race Moderates the Relationship Between Perceived Social Support and Self-care Confidence in Patients With Heart Failure.

The Journal of cardiovascular nursing. [DOI] 10.1097/JCN.0000000000000822. [PMID] 34091565.

PubMed · Publisher’s Site

2021

“A Charge to Keep I Have”: Black Pastors’ Perceptions of Their Influence on Health Behaviors and Outcomes in Their Churches and Communities

Journal of Religion and Health. 60(2):1069-1082 [DOI] 10.1007/s10943-021-01190-0.

Publisher’s Site

2020

A Structural Equation Model of Gratitude, Self-efficacy, and Medication Adherence in Patients With Stage B Heart Failure.

The Journal of cardiovascular nursing. 35(6):E18-E24 [DOI] 10.1097/JCN.0000000000000721. [PMID] 32649372.

1 citation · PubMed · Publisher’s Site

2020

Effects of a Digital Self-care Intervention in Adults with COPD: A Pilot Study.

Western journal of nursing research. 42(9):736-746 [DOI] 10.1177/0193945919892282. [PMID] 31854271.

2 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site

2020

Exercise Interventions in Cardio-oncology Populations: A Scoping Review of the Literature.

The Journal of cardiovascular nursing. [DOI] 10.1097/JCN.0000000000000664. [PMID] 32195686.

2 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site

2020

Mindfulness, Anxiety Symptoms, and Quality of Life in Heart Failure.

The Journal of cardiovascular nursing. 35(4):358-363 [DOI] 10.1097/JCN.0000000000000630. [PMID] 31904692.

2 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site

2020

Psychometrics of the Gratitude Questionnaire-6 in African-Americans at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

Western Journal of Nursing Research. 42(12):1148-1154 [DOI] 10.1177/0193945920922777.

Publisher’s Site

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.

3 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site

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. [PMID] 31718470.

12 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site

2019

A Large Randomized Trial: Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for Breast Cancer (BC) Survivors on Salivary Cortisol and IL-6.

Biological research for nursing. 21(1):39-49 [DOI] 10.1177/1099800418789777. [PMID] 30079756.

18 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site

2018

Feasibility of the mobile mindfulness-based stress reduction for breast cancer (mMBSR(BC)) program for symptom improvement among breast cancer survivors.

Psycho-oncology. 27(2):524-531 [DOI] 10.1002/pon.4491. [PMID] 28665541.

39 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site

Education

Postdoctoral Fellow (National Cancer Institute T32)

2020-2021 · Moffitt Cancer Center (Health Outcomes & Behavior)

Ph.D. Nursing Science

2019 · University of South Florida College of Nursing

M.S. Adult-Gerontology Primary Care/Oncology Nursing

2017 · University of South Florida College of Nursing

B.S. Nursing

2013 · University of South Florida College of Nursing

B.S. Business Administration

2000 · Florida A&M University

Contact Details

Phones:

Business:: (352) 273-6318

Emails:

Business:: lakeshiacousin@ufl.edu

Addresses:

Business Mailing:: PO Box 100197
GAINESVILLE FL 32610