Heba Mohedat, MSN, RN, International Peace Scholarship

• Hometown: Irbid, Jordan
• Favorite Self-Care Activities: Reading and outdoor activities 
  
• Undergraduate Education: Bachelor of Science, Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology 
  
• Current Program: PhD

I choose the UB School of Nursing because of its high reputation. It has a rich legacy of excellence in nursing education and provides plenty of resources to engage in scientific research. In addition, the UB School of Nursing respects and supports diversity and welcomes students from different nationalities.

I am interested in cancer survivors, including their quality of life, sleep health, psychological health, and nonpharmacological symptoms management interventions.

This interest derives from my personal experience: I lost my uncle because of leukemia; from that experience, I realized the impact of this disease on the quality of life for patients and their families, as well as patients’ tremendous need to manage the disease-associated symptoms. Besides, in my master's thesis, I assessed the complaining symptoms and quality of life for cancer survivors in Jordan. I found that cancer survivors suffer from several symptoms that badly affect their quality of life.

I am currently a research assistant in the Office of Nursing Research in the School of Nursing. This helps me better understand my research interest and improve my research skills by allowing me to work with faculty who conduct extensive research in areas relevant to my interest. In addition, I am planning for my dissertation, which will focus on oncology nurses’ behaviors to improve sleep among cancer survivors in hospitals. 

My future goals include continuing research on my areas of interest to produce positive impacts on the life of cancer survivors and educating nursing students who will make a valuable influence on many patients, families and community health. 

I hope my pursuits will help empower cancer survivors and improve care for them by identifying and addressing problems that negatively affect their quality of life.

The P. E.O. International Peace Scholarship helps decrease my financial burden and enables me to pursue my education as a full-time PhD student. It gives me the opportunity to achieve my academic and professional goals and helps me focus on improving as a nurse researcher who can contribute to evidence-based nursing.