Brief Bio

I am a certified pediatric nurse practitioner and a fellow of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners/Associates. I have a doctorate in nursing from UCLA with my focus of study in immunology and neurobiology of the young infant. My areas of interest and research include immune response, vaccines, SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), and health maintenance. I have over 40 years of experience in pediatric primary care and have been involved in the education of nurse practitioners for the past 30 years. I have worked at several universities including UCLA, and am currently a professor at Duke University School of Nursing, an affiliate of the Duke Global Health Institute, and a lecturer at University for Developmental Studies in Tamale, Ghana. As the Director of Global Educational Partnerships and Innovation I arrange global clinical experiences for graduate students. In addition to my faculty appointment, I am working on a project to start a Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Moshi, Tanzania and am involved in a distance educational project at University for Developmental Studies in Tamale, Ghana.

Academic Program Affiliations

Education

Professional Certifications

Research Interests

Approximately 70% of infants dying of SIDS have a current upper respiratory tract infection (URI) or have seen their health care provider for symptoms of cough and cold in the weeks before death. Causative mechanisms of SIDS are still unclear. Risk factors for SIDS include exposure to tobacco smoke and prone sleeping, with the most susceptible infants being between 2 and 6 months of age. I am most interested in the role of these risk factors as triggers of SIDS and have been examination their role during the development of autonomic “fight and flight” response in the infant. (If an infant is required to respond to a cardiovascular insult at the wrong time of development then it could be lethal.) My research reflects the hypothesis that upper respiratory infections alter events in the developing immune system, increasing susceptibility to the effects of later infections. A dual infection model of URI and bacterial sepsis is used to elucidate specific immunological events, pathogenesis of the critical infection period, and evaluate cytokines or other immune measures as biomarkers for SIDS risk. Recently, prenatal nicotine exposure has been added to the model, and findings indicate that this exposure increases mortality following normal infectious challenges. Research goals include establishing a mechanism for this synergistic effect, determining the relationship between SIDS death and the timing of infectious stimuli or other immune events, and elucidating the roles of various components of the developing immune system in SIDS.

Clinical Interests

I have worked in some form of clinical practice since I became a registered nurse in 1973. At present, in addition to my research and teaching activities, I am in clinical practice as a pediatric nurse practitioner at Oak Island Pediatrics in Southport, North Carolina. This rural practice specializes in the treatment of ADHD and behavioral problems as well as pediatric primary care. I provide primary care to 30 to 40 patients a day. This includes well-child care, the management of acute and chronic illnesses, and the furnishing of medications. As one of only a handful of pediatric care providers in the area, we see a large and diverse population of patients with a wide array of special needs.

Awards and Honors

• 2009 Distinguished Nursing Leader, UCLA, University of California-Los Angeles

• 1995 Distinguished Dissertation Award, Sigma Theta Tau, UCLA

• 1987 Inducted, Sigma Theta Tau, Mu Nu Chapter

• 1979 Fellow, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates and Practitioners

Areas of Expertise

• Global and Community Health
• Neonatal Nursing
• Pediatric Nursing

Representative Publications

• 2015 -- Pubmed # 25229995 Blood-Siegfried, J., Zeantoe, G. C., Evans, L. J., Bondo, J., Forstner, J. R., Wood, K. The Impact of Nurses on Neglected Tropical Disease Management. Public Health Nurs. November, 2015; 32(6); 680-701

• 2015 -- Pubmed # 26212466 Eggert, L. K., Blood-Siegfried, J., Champagne, M., Al-Jumaily, M., Biederman, D. J. Coalition Building for Health: A Community Garden Pilot Project with Apartment Dwelling Refugees. J Community Health Nurs. Jul-Sep, 2015; 32(3); 141-50

• 2015 -- Pubmed # 25870597 Blood-Siegfried, J. Animal models for assessment of infection and inflammation: contributions to elucidating the pathophysiology of sudden infant death syndrome. Front Immunol. March, 2015; 6 137

• 2014 -- Blood-Siegfried, J.. Animal models of sudden infant death syndrome. In Handbook of Laboratory Animal Science, edited by Hau, J. and Schapiro, S. 2014; pp. 127-140. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

• 2014 -- Blood-Siegfried, J. E. Help fight Ebola without health risks. News and Observer (Raleigh), p. A9. September 17, 2014;

• 2014 -- Titch, J. F., Holsinger, T., Vacchiano, C.,, Blood-Siegfried, J. Improving anesthetic depth assessment during electroconvulsive therapy with bispectral index monitoring: A pilot quality improvement project Anesthesia eJournal. 2014; 2(2);

• 2013 -- Pubmed # 24200295 Matheson, E. C., Derouin, A., Gagliano, M., Thompson, J. A., Blood-Siegfried, J. Increasing HPV vaccination series completion rates via text message reminders. J Pediatr Health Care. November, 2013; 28(4); e35-9

• 2012 -- Pubmed # 22845029 Saviñon, C., Taylor, J. S., Canty-Mitchell, J., Blood-Siegfried, J. Childhood obesity: Can electronic medical records customized with clinical practice guidelines improve screening and diagnosis? J Am Acad Nurse Pract. August, 2012; 24(8); 463-71

• 2012 -- Blood-Siegfried, J., Hawks, S., Nevidjon, B., Phillips, B., Short, N., Valiga, T., Vorderstrasse, A., Wood, K.., Conrad, R. M. Online Teaching Guide June 4, 2012;

• 2011 -- Pubmed # 21930034 Tripp, S. B., Perry, J. T., Romney, S., Blood-Siegfried, J. Providers as weight coaches: using practice guides and motivational interview to treat obesity in the pediatric office. J Pediatr Nurs. October 1, 2011; 26(5); 474-9

• 2011 -- Pubmed # 21160437 Gura, G. F., Champagne, M. T., Blood-Siegfried, J. E. Autism spectrum disorder screening in primary care. J Dev Behav Pediatr. January, 2011; 32(1); 48-51

• 2010 -- Pubmed # 20189133 Blood-Siegfried, J., Rende, E. K. The long-term effects of prenatal nicotine exposure on neurologic development. J Midwifery Womens Health. March-April, 2010; 55(2); 143-52 PMCID: PMC2998347

• 2010 -- Blood-Siegfried, J. Cediak Higashi Syndrome. In Salem Health: Genetics and Inherited Disorders, edited by Knight, J. A. May, 2010; pp. 219-221. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.

• 2010 -- Blood-Siegfried, J. Alport Syndrome. In Salem Health: Genetics and Inherited Disorders, edited by Knight, J. A. May, 2010; pp. 36-37. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.

• 2009 -- Pubmed # 19874217 Blood-Siegfried, J. The role of infection and inflammation in sudden infant death syndrome. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. December, 2009; 31(4); 516-23 PMCID: PMC2999632

• 2009 -- Pubmed # 19114412 Blood-Siegfried, J., Bowers, M. T., Lorimer, M. Is shock a key element in the pathology of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)? Biol Res Nurs. October, 2009; 11(2); 187-94 PMCID: PMC2989240

• 2009 -- Blood-Siegfried, J. How to examine ears in children. [Training Film]. 2009;

• 2009 -- Blood-Siegfried, J. Newborn examination for nurse practitioners. [Training Film]. 2009;

• 2008 -- Pubmed # 18976231 Blood-Siegfried, J. E., Short, N. M., Rapp, C. G., Hill, E., Talbert, S., Skinner, J., Campbell, A., Goodwin, L. A rubric for improving the quality of online courses. Int J Nurs Educ Scholarsh. September, 2008; 5 Article 34

• 2008 -- Pubmed # 18562573 Blood-Siegfried, J., Rambaud, C., Nyska, A., Germolec, D. R. Evidence for infection, inflammation and shock in sudden infant death: parallels between a neonatal rat model of sudden death and infants who died of sudden infant death syndrome. Innate Immun. 2008; 14(3); 145-52 PMCID: PMC2679510

• 2008 -- Blood-Siegfried, J. Boils. In Magill's Medical Guide (4th), edited by Chang, A. L. S. and Hawley, H. B. and Katz, L. M. and Piotrowski, N. A. and Rizzo, C. 2008; pp. 346-347. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.

• 2007 -- Blood-Siegfried, J. Animal models of sudden unexplained death. In Sourcebook of models for biomedical research, edited by Conn, M. 2007; revised 2011; pp. 583-590. Totowa, NJ: The Humana Press.

• 2007 -- Clinton, C. E. (director); Blood-Siegfried, J. E. (actor, hearing moderator) Mock formal harassment complaint hearing. [Training film]. 2007;

• 2006 -- Blood-Siegfried, J., Lieder, H., Deary, K. To screen or not to screen: the complexities of newborn screening in the 21st century. Journal for Nurse Practitioners. May, 2006; 2(5); 300-308

• 2004 -- Pubmed # 15325401 Blood-Siegfried, J., Nyska, A., Geisenhoffer, K., Lieder, H., Moomaw, C., Cobb, K., Shelton, B., Coombs, W., Germolec, D. Alteration in regulation of inflammatory response to influenza a virus and endotoxin in suckling rat pups: a potential relationship to sudden infant death syndrome. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 2004; 42(1); 85-93

• 2004 -- Pubmed # 15325395 Blood-Siegfried, J., Shelton, B. Animal models of sudden unexplained death. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 2004; 42(1); 34-41

• 2002 -- Pubmed # 12357040 Blood-Siegfried, J., Nyska, A., Lieder, H., Joe, M., Vega, L., Patterson, R., Germolec, D. Synergistic effect of influenza a virus on endotoxin-induced mortality in rat pups: a potential model for sudden infant death syndrome. Pediatr Res. 2002; 52(4); 481-90

• 2000 -- Pubmed # 11235438 Blood-Siegfried, J. Sudden infant death syndrome: a toxic response. AACN Clin Issues. 2000; 11(2); 300-8

• 2000 -- Pubmed # 11232205 Cheek, D. J., McHugh, J. M., Blood-Siegfried, J., McFetridge, J. F., Turner, B. S. A historical perspective on the discovery of adenyl purines. Biol Res Nurs. 2000; 1(4); 265-75

• 1998 -- Pubmed # 9475357 Blood-Siegfried, J., Crabb Breen, E., Takeshita, S., Martinez-Maza, O., Vredevoe, D. Monokine production following in vitro stimulation of the THP-1 human monocytic cell line with pertussis vaccine components. J Clin Immunol. 1998; 18(1); 81-8

• 1998 -- Pubmed # 9495943 Blood-Siegfried, J., Hoey, C., Matheson, E. The challenges of early discharge. Common newborn problems in the first few weeks of life. Adv Nurse Pract. 1998; 6(1); 36-40

Grant Funding (selected)

• The Effect of Perinatal Nicotine Exposure on the Development of Autonomic Responses  
  National Institutes of Health
  1K01-NR010910-01
  08/2008-07/2011
  Role: PI
  Project Goal: Investigate the effect of perinatal nicotine exposure on the development of autonomic responses.

• CIT Instructional Technology Faculty Fellowship  
  Duke University Center for Instructional Technology
  07/2010-06/2011
  Role: PI
  Project Goal: Group will define and develop “Best Practices” in both technology and pedagogy to be used for teaching online students and mentoring faculty about online education. The work of the Fellowship will be compiled and published as an “Online teaching orientation guide” for current and future faculty member use in the School of Nursing and other schools and programs at Duke.

• Effect of maternal nicotine exposure on mortality in suckling rat pups in an infectious model of SIDS  
  Duke University School of Nursing
  07/2004-06/2005
  Role: PI
  Investigate effect of maternal nicotine exposure on mortality in suckling rat pups in an infectious model of SIDS.

• Curricular change in online curriculum and technology  
  Duke University Center for Instructional Technology
  06/2004-05/2005
  Role: PI
  Purpose: A fellowship to support curricular change in online curriculum and technology in the School of Nursing core curriculum. Develop best practices and a rubric for evaluating online coursework.

• Partners for Quality Education  
  Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  07/2002-06/2004
  Role: Team member
  Partners for Quality Education is a grant to develop an interdisciplinary partnership to provide education for multidisciplinary learners in chronic illness care.

• Combined NNP/PNP Program for Rural Health  
  Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), Division of Nursing
  D09-HP00189-01
  07/2001-06/2004
  Role: Project Faculty
  Three-year grant to educate nurses at the Master’s level in a combined Neonatal Nurse Practitioner/Pediatric Nurse Practitioner pogram for rural health.

• Pediatric Acute Care Nurse practitioner  
  Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) Division of Nursing
  1D23-NU01339-01
  07/1999-06/2002
  Role: Project faculty
  A three year grant to educate nurses at the Master’s level.

• Duke-NIEHS Nurse Fellowship  
  National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
  07/1998-06/2000
  Role: PI
  Post doctoral research training.

• A study of normal cytokine variations in vertically exposed HIV positive and HIV negative infants  
  UCLA School of Nursing
  07/1995-06/1996
  Role: PI
  

• Descriptive study of suspected pertussis vaccine injury  
  UCLA School of Nursing
  07/1990-06/1991
  Role: PI