Debra Lynch Kelly

Debra Lynch Kelly, PhD, RN, OCN, CNE, FAAN

Associate Dean For Academic Affairs – Undergraduate Education And Associate Professor

Department: Family, Community and Health Systems Science
Business Phone: (352) 273-6390
Business Email: dlynchkelly@ufl.edu

About Debra Lynch Kelly

TEACHING

Dr. Lynch Kelly is recognized by the National League for Nursing as a Certified Nurse Educator. She serves as an Assistant Professor instructing in several areas of nursing including pain management and patient controlled analgesia. She has been involved with course design and development for several undergraduate courses including for the RN to BSN courses online. She currently instructs in the College of Nursing across programs. Her teaching responsibilities include Medical-Surgical instruction in the undergraduate programs Theory and Research in the DNP program and Seminar in the PhD program.

RESEARCH

Dr. Lynch Kelly’s is an Oncology Certified Nurse whose program of research focuses on elucidating the biological mechanisms underlying symptoms of Chronic Illness with a population focus in Oncology. She currently conducts research with a team of multi-disciplinary scientists from Nursing, Medicine, Psychology, Statistics, Microbiology, Metabolomics and Genetics. She has recently received NIH funding to examine the interplay among diet, inflammation and the gut microbiota on cognitive function and other psychoneurological symptoms of patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transportation (R21NR017749). Dr. Lynch Kelly’s research efforts focus on improving health outcomes for individuals living with chronic conditions to obtain and maintain optimal quality of life.

SERVICE

Dr. Lynch Kelly is active in several nursing organizations at all levels including the Southern Nursing Research Society, American Nurses Association, Oncology Nursing Society and Sigma Theta Tau. She is also a member of the Center for International Bone Marrow Transplant (CIBMTR) Late Effect Working Committee and the American Society of Transplant and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT). She serves on the Steering Committee of the ASTCT Survivorship Special Interest Group and Biobehavioral Special Interest Group and is a member of the ASTCT Palliative Care Special Interest Group. She has served as a Marshal for the University of Florida. She serves at the UF College of Nursing as the Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee. Other service areas at the CON include the PhD Program Evaluation Task Force, Innovation Task Force and the BSN Cirriculum Task Farce. Dr. Lynch Kelly has been recognized as a leader in Nursing Education and has been the recipient of several nurse educator awards including RN Excellence in Professional Development, Education and Leadership

EDUCATION

Dr. Kelly received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and PhD in Nursing, both from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Accomplishments

Dr. Molly Dougherty and Mr. Edmund Dougherty UF College of Nursing Faculty Research Enhancement Fund Award
2019 · University of Florida, College of Nursing
University Term Assistant Professor Award
2019 · University of Florida
National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Award
2018 · The National Insitutes of Health
Stokes Doctoral Fellowship Award
2014 · Virginia Commonwealth University
RN Excellence in Leadership
2010 · Virginia Commonwealth University Health System
RN Excellence in Professional Development
2009 · Virginia Commonwealth University Health System
RN Excellence in Professional Development
2008 · Virginia Commonwealth University
RN Excellence in Teaching
2007 · Virginia Commonwealth University

Teaching Profile

Courses Taught
2017-2024
NGR7970L Adv Nursing Project
2017-2021
NGR7940L Residency in Adv Nurs
2018-2023
NGR6101 Theory and Research for Nursing
2016-2020
NUR4739 Systems of Care 3: Restoration of Wellness
2019-2020
NGR7835 Nurse Scientist and Scholar II
2020-2022
NGR6850 Research Methods and Evidence-Based Practice
2018
NUR4944L Transition to Professional Practice
2017-2018
NGR7980 Research for Doctoral Dissertation
2017-2018
NGR7979 Advanced Research
2015-2016
NUR3825 Introduction to the Profession of Nursing
2015-2016
NUR3805 Professional Nursing in the Evolving Healthcare System
2023-2024
NUR3946L Individual Clinical Practice

Research Profile

Research goals are directed toward understanding the biological mechanisms and behaviors that mediate symptoms of chronic illness, with a population focus in oncology.

Dr. Lynch Kelly’s primary research goals are directed toward understanding the biological mechanisms and behaviors that mediate symptoms of chronic illness, with a population focus in oncology. She has worked closely with cancer survivors managing persistent, distressing symptoms and has studied the effects of inflammation on symptoms. Her future research plans are aimed at further describing the relationships of inflammatory and genetic markers and symptom expression in individuals with cancer. Ultimately she will explore interventions that may be used as adjuvant therapies to mitigate distress of symptoms. Her national certification is as an oncology certified nurse.

Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)

0000-0002-0017-7821

Publications

2023
Biomarkers of sleep disturbance in adults with chronic illness: A scoping review.
Chronic illness. 19(1):3-25 [DOI] 10.1177/17423953211073697. [PMID] 35179070.
2023
Comparison of serum metabolomics in women with breast Cancer Prior to Chemotherapy and at 1 year: cardiometabolic implications.
BMC women's health. 23(1) [DOI] 10.1186/s12905-023-02355-7. [PMID] 37138260.
2023
The association of wound factors and symptoms of fatigue and pain with wound healing in chronic venous leg ulcers.
International wound journal. 20(4):1098-1111 [DOI] 10.1111/iwj.13966. [PMID] 36181308.
2022
Biobehavioral Implications of Covid-19 for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Recipients.
Frontiers in immunology. 13 [DOI] 10.3389/fimmu.2022.877558. [PMID] 35865530.
2022
Blood-based biomarkers of cancer-related cognitive impairment in non-central nervous system cancer: A scoping review.
Critical reviews in oncology/hematology. 180 [DOI] 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2022.103822. [PMID] 36152911.
2022
Exploring the relationship between DNA methylation age measures and psychoneurological symptoms in women with early-stage breast cancer.
Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. 31(1) [DOI] 10.1007/s00520-022-07519-z. [PMID] 36538110.
2022
Longitudinal Analysis of Sleep Disturbance in Breast Cancer Survivors
Nursing Research. 71(3):177-188 [DOI] 10.1097/nnr.0000000000000578.
2022
Pandemic-Related Innovations in Oncology Nursing Research: Seeking the Positive.
Oncology nursing forum. 50(1):4-5 [DOI] 10.1188/23.ONF.4-5. [PMID] 37677796.
2022
Self-Efficacy for Symptom Management in Long-Term Adult Hematopoietic Stem Cell Survivors.
Transplantation and cellular therapy. 28(9):606.e1-606.e8 [DOI] 10.1016/j.jtct.2022.05.035. [PMID] 35662590.
2021
A systematic review of the association between fatigue and cognition in chronic noncommunicable diseases.
Chronic illness. 17(2):129-150 [DOI] 10.1177/1742395319836472. [PMID] 30884965.
2021
Biobehavioral Research and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Expert Review from the Biobehavioral Research Special Interest Group of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.
Transplantation and cellular therapy. 27(9):747-757 [DOI] 10.1016/j.jtct.2021.06.007. [PMID] 34139388.
2021
Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis Associated with Persistent Fatigue in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Survivors.
Transplantation and cellular therapy. 27(6):498.e1-498.e8 [DOI] 10.1016/j.jtct.2021.02.017. [PMID] 33775619.
2021
Hospital Characteristics and Mortality in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
The Journal of neuroscience nursing : journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses. 53(1):2-4 [DOI] 10.1097/JNN.0000000000000549. [PMID] 32925560.
2021
Microbiota phylogenic analysis revealed decreased abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, an anti-inflammatory commensal bacterium, in patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease.
Hematology/oncology and stem cell therapy. 14(3):263-265 [DOI] 10.1016/j.hemonc.2021.03.004. [PMID] 33785388.
2021
Multidimensional Pain Characteristics in Older Adults with Chronic Venous Leg Ulcers.
Advances in wound care. 10(10):544-556 [DOI] 10.1089/wound.2020.1355. [PMID] 33975442.
2020
Consortium Building for Nurse Scientists Interested in Symptoms Research in the Era of Precision Health.
Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. 52(2):183-191 [DOI] 10.1111/jnu.12534. [PMID] 31804774.
2020
Differential DNA methylation following chemotherapy for breast cancer is associated with lack of memory improvement at one year.
Epigenetics. 15(5):499-510 [DOI] 10.1080/15592294.2019.1699695. [PMID] 31793401.
2020
Global Metabolomics in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Recipients Discordant for Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease.
Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 26(10):1803-1810 [DOI] 10.1016/j.bbmt.2020.06.014. [PMID] 32592859.
2020
Telomere lengths in women treated for breast cancer show associations with chemotherapy, pain symptoms, and cognitive domain measures: a longitudinal study.
Breast cancer research : BCR. 22(1) [DOI] 10.1186/s13058-020-01368-6. [PMID] 33276807.
2019
Systematic review of genetic polymorphisms associated with psychoneurological symptoms in breast cancer survivors.
Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. 27(2):351-371 [DOI] 10.1007/s00520-018-4508-3. [PMID] 30343412.
2018
Lifestyle Behaviors, Perceived Stress, and Inflammation of Individuals With Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease.
Cancer nursing. 41(1):11-22 [DOI] 10.1097/NCC.0000000000000453. [PMID] 27922915.
2018
Pilot Study of Metabolomics and Psychoneurological Symptoms in Women With Early Stage Breast Cancer.
Biological research for nursing. 20(2):227-236 [DOI] 10.1177/1099800417747411. [PMID] 29258398.
2018
Putative mechanisms of cognitive decline with implications for clinical research and practice.
Nursing forum. [DOI] 10.1111/nuf.12247. [PMID] 29345733.
2018
The Effect of Tobacco Smoking on Bone Mass: An Overview of Pathophysiologic Mechanisms.
Journal of osteoporosis. 2018 [DOI] 10.1155/2018/1206235. [PMID] 30631414.
2018
The Effect of Tobacco Smoking on Musculoskeletal Health: A Systematic Review.
Journal of environmental and public health. 2018 [DOI] 10.1155/2018/4184190. [PMID] 30112011.
2017
Relationships among psychoneurological symptoms and levels of C-reactive protein over 2 years in women with early-stage breast cancer.
Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. 25(1):167-176 [PMID] 27599815.
2017
Variations in COMT and NTRK2 Influence Symptom Burden in Women Undergoing Breast Cancer Treatment.
Biological research for nursing. 19(3):318-328 [DOI] 10.1177/1099800417692877. [PMID] 28205449.
2016
Biological Basis for the Clustering of Symptoms.
Seminars in oncology nursing. 32(4):351-360 [DOI] 10.1016/j.soncn.2016.08.002. [PMID] 27776832.
2016
Relationship of systemic cytokine concentrations to cognitive function over two years in women with early stage breast cancer
Journal of Neuroimmunology. 301:74-82 [DOI] 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2016.11.002. [PMID] 27890459.
2016
The relationship of cognitive performance to concurrent symptoms, cancer- and cancer-treatment-related variables in women with early-stage breast cancer: a 2-year longitudinal study.
Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology. 142(7):1461-74 [DOI] 10.1007/s00432-016-2163-y. [PMID] 27102492.
2015
Perceptions of Distress in Women with Ovarian Cancer.
Oncology nursing forum. 42(3):292-300 [DOI] 10.1188/15.ONF.292-300. [PMID] 25901381.
2015
Randomized sham controlled trial of cranial microcurrent stimulation for symptoms of depression, anxiety, pain, fatigue and sleep disturbances in women receiving chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer.
SpringerPlus. 4 [DOI] 10.1186/s40064-015-1151-z. [PMID] 26435889.
2015
Symptoms, Cytokines, and Quality of Life in Patients Diagnosed with Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.
Oncology nursing forum. 42(3):265-75 [DOI] 10.1188/15.ONF.265-275. [PMID] 25901378.
2014
Health Promoting Life-Style Behaviors and Systemic Inflamma-tion in African American and Caucasian Women Prior to Chemo-therapy for Breast Cancer.
Health promotion perspectives. 4(1):18-26 [DOI] 10.5681/hpp.2014.003. [PMID] 25097833.

Grants

Apr 2022 – Sep 2023
Strengthening the UF Health Nursing Academic-Practice Partnership through Joint Demonstration Projects with College of Nursing faculty and Shands Nurses
Role: Project Manager
Funding: UF HEALTH SHANDS HOSPITAL
Sep 2018 – Jul 2021
Developing the Biobehavioral Foundation for Self-Management of Psychoneurological Symptoms in Hematopoietic Cell Transplant (HCT) Survivors
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NINR
Aug 2018 – Aug 2020
Exploring Gene Expression Biomarkers of Wound Pain and Wound Healing
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NINR
Jan 2017 – Dec 2019
RELATIONSHIP OF MITOCHONDRIAL ENZYMES WITH CANCER RELATED FATIGUE
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NINR via ONCOLOGY NURSING FOUNDATION
Aug 2015 – Jan 2017
Relationship of Mitochondrial Enzymes with Cancer Related Fatigue
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NINR via ONCOLOGY NURSING SOCIETY FOUNDATION
Feb 2015 – Oct 2023
UF Health Cancer Center Pilot Project Grants funded through the Florida Consortium of National Cancer Institute Centers Program
Role: Project Manager
Funding: UF HEALTH SHANDS HOSPITAL
Jan 2012 – Dec 2016
Institutional Research Grant
Role: Project Manager
Funding: AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

Education

PhD in Nursing
2014 · Virginia Commonwealth University
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
1996 · Virginia Commonwealth University
Associate of Arts
1995 · Northern Virginia Community College

Contact Details

Phones:
Business:
(352) 273-6390
Emails:
Addresses:
Business Mailing:
HPNP COMPLEX
PO BOX 100197
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, COLLEGE OF NURSING
GAINESVILLE FL 326100197
Business Street:
1225 CENTER DR
GAINESVILLE FL 32610