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

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.

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.