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Elizabeth Heavey , Ph.D, CNM, RN
- Professor
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(585) 395-5308
eheavey@brockport.edu
Office: Lathrop Hall 114
Bio
Elizabeth Heavey grew up in Buffalo, New York, and is the eldest of five children. She attended Canisius College and completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics while simultaneously completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing at Niagara University. She earned the College of Nursing award and completed both degrees Summa Cum Laude.
She accepted her first nursing position in high-risk labor and delivery in Miami, Florida where she was able to see first-hand the long-lasting effects lack of health care access has in high-risk populations. She worked with a largely international population, many of whom were fleeing devastating political, social, and economic situations. It made a lasting impression on her and she will never forget how much peanut butter sandwiches and some compassion can mean to a hungry and frightened family.
She moved to Rochester when her dream of attending midwifery school was realized. She completed her Master’s Degree from the University of Rochester, graduating with the Eleanor Hall Outstanding Master’s Student Award. She worked at Strong Memorial Hospital during this time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and High-Risk Labor and Delivery. She also functioned as the HIV coordinator for the obstetrics service and received high accolades from the state for the program she developed, which significantly improved compliance and follow-up in high-risk populations. She then accepted a position as a Nurses-Midwife at the Family Birthplace at Parkridge Hospital, where she loved “catching babies” and taking care of her patients for five years. She continued her education and completed her Ph.D. in Epidemiology, with high honors, at the University of Buffalo.
She joined the faculty at SUNY Brockport in 2006, teaching community health, epidemiology, and later statistics for nursing. Recognizing a gap in available resources, she authored Statistics for Nursing: A Practical Approach, now in its fourth edition. The text is utilized in over 120 nursing programs in this country and has been translated for use throughout the world. It won the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year (2018) in the Nursing Research category. In 2008, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship in adolescent medicine at the University of Rochester. She is an ASCCP certified colposcopist and practices as a nurse-midwife in the community. Her research interests focus on adolescent health issues, infectious diseases, and public health. She also serves on the editorial board of the journal NURSING and enjoys mentoring new nurse authors.
In 2013, Dr. Heavey was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. She is the former director of the RN-BSN program and currently serves as the director of the Graduate Nursing Program. In 2017, she was awarded the Excellence in Academic Advising Award by the College. She is a campus leader in online and hybrid course development and advocates for quality, flexibility, and excellence in online and hybrid programming. In 2016 she was named a Fellow by the Open SUNY Center for Online Teaching Excellence. In 2018, was selected by AACN and Apple Computers to participate in a national professional development program recognizing innovation and excellence in online educators. She has been awarded several grants to support the use of technology to innovate and expand access to high-quality online education for adult students.
In her spare time, Beth is an avid reader and gardener. She is frequently found at basketball games and swim meets, cheering on her children and feeding everyone from what seems like an endless pot of chili! Beth is very happy to be a part of the Brockport community, where she is able to share her love of nursing and create a lasting and positive experience for all of her students.