Ubolrat Piamjariyakul, PhD, RN

Associate Dean for Research
Professor

Organization:

West Virginia University School of Nursing

Department:

Office of Research and Scholarly Activities

Classification:

Admin

• PhD, University of Kansas, 1996
• MSc, University of Edinburgh, 1991
• BSN, Saraburi Nursing College, 1984

Piamjariyakul, U., Young, S., Smothers, A. M., Wen, S., Navia, R. O., Sokos, G., … Smith, C. E. (2025) Study protocol of sustaining home palliative care for patients with Heart Failure (HF) and their family caregivers in rural Appalachia: a mixed methods randomized clinical trial (Vol. 24, p. 56). BMC Palliative Care.

Piamjariyakul, U., Young, S., Hendrickson, A. E., Navia, R. O., Wang, K., & Smith, C. E. (2024) Palliative Home Care Based on Clinically Relevant Scientific Measures: A Cross-Sectional Study. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10499091241304728

Wang, K., Shafique, S., Wang, N., Walter, S. M., Xie, X., Piamjariyakul, U., & Winstanley, E. L. (2024) Early-onset alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use with age at onset of hypertension: a survival analysis (Vol. 59, pp. 1129–1141). Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00127-023-02596-9

Young, S., Walter, S., Wang, K., Piamjariyakul, U., & Lewis, F. (2024) The influence of spirituality on caregiver burden and quality of life in older adult informal caregivers (Vol. 58, pp. 127–134). Geriatric Nursing. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2024.05.013

Piamjariyakul, U., Young, S., Shafique, S., Palmer, N., & Wang, K. (2024) Spiritual Well-Being in Appalachian Family Caregivers (Vol. 24, pp. 103–130). Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v24i1.757

• Sustaining Home Palliative Care for Patients with Heart Failure (HF) and Their Family Caregivers in Rural Appalachia: A Mixed Methods Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) (R01NR021630) - (September 19, 2024)
• A Team Award for 2021 Academic Innovation Summit: a Medical Solution - (May, 2022)
• The West Virginia University Provost's Research Most Valuable Faculty Players Award - (May 6, 2021)
• National Palliative Care Research Center (PCRC) Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Clinical Trials Intensive - (September 21, 2020)
• Home Care Needs of Caregivers and Patients with Heart Failure and Dementia in Rural Appalachia (R15NR018547s) - (September 1, 2020)

• Registered Professional Nurses License - WV Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses (2024)

I believe innovative programs are crucial to providing vulnerable populations with culturally relevant skills that will improve heart failure self-management, reduce re-hospitalizations and costs, and prevent and alleviate caregiver burden. My research addresses national and global priorities for translating outcomes into practice and developing comprehensive interventions for everyday use to reduce healthcare disparities and prevent untoward outcomes. I received the recent Heart Failure Translational Research award from the American Heart Association’s Council on Cardiovascular Nursing, recognizing my dedication to working with vulnerable populations. In addition, I have long-standing collaborations with other research faculty with whom I developed, translated, and tested new assessment tools for cancer therapy-related symptoms and other chronic conditions in patients and families living in Thailand, the Philippines, and China. My involvement in these studies prepared me to be aware of culturally sensitive issues in conducting research among diverse populations, and has provided me with invaluable international progressive leadership opportunities.

Teaching interests: Mentoring research faculty and graduate students.

My scholarship is based on my post-doctoral certification in Data Science and the 5-year NIH Minority Supplement Training (1 R01 HL085397S). My program of research addresses health disparities and social determinants of health factors for home care of people with complex chronic illnesses and their family. My focus is on testing nurse-led interventions for improving chronic illness and palliative home care for patients with life-limiting illnesses and the health outcomes of family caregivers, such as, functional, psychological, spiritual well-being, and caregiving burdens. I have expertise in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research. Thus, I have used those approaches to gain greater insight into the experiences of the people living with complex chronic conditions. My research and publications provide evidence-based interventions for those suffering with chronic illnesses.