Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Science
Dedicated to advancing biological, behavioral and clinical science for adults with complex health disorders, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and more
Overview Heading link
Research and Scholarship
The Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Science, formerly the Department of Biobehavioral Health Science, is a vibrant community of accomplished educators, scholars and researchers, with numerous international, national and regional awards for teaching and research. Our faculty are leaders in professional organizations and serve on national research and professional boards, such as the Scientific Review Sections for the National Institutes of Health, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, and the Board of Scientific Advisors of the National Cancer Institute. Faculty and student scholars conduct life-changing research in areas such as:
- Health promotion and disease prevention
- Symptom measurement, management, and quality of life
- End of life and palliative care
- Innovations in health information technologies
- Health disparities and health equity
- Neurobiology of sleep and sleep disorders
- Discovering biologic mechanisms and markers
- Developing interventions to help improve or adapt/manage diverse health disorders
Academic Programs
Leading the way in Illinois in educating adult-gerontology primary and acute care nurse practitioners, our programs offer a diverse curriculum to provide care to the entire adult/older adult age spectrum and across the continuum of care from wellness to illness. The scope of practice of the adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner (AG-PCNP) or adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner (AG-ACNP) is not setting-specific but patient-centered.
The objectives of our Doctor of Nursing Practice programs are to prepare expert advanced practice nurses who can synthesize practice, research, and theory to increase the quality and utilize evidence as the basis of patient care.
Our department is home to these DNP programs: Heading link
Info for current and future preceptors
Meet the department head Heading link
Anne M. Fink, PhD RN CNE FAHA
Associate Professor
Anne M. Fink is an associate professor of Biobehavioral Nursing Science. Her research focuses on sleep neurobiology, circadian rhythms and occupational health. The findings and publications have informed clinical practice by identifying risk factors for abnormal sleep and poor health in shift-workers and hospitalized patients. As an educator, she teaches and develops innovative curricula about physiology and pharmacology for undergraduate and graduate courses, in addition to mentoring doctoral students and post-doctoral scientists.
