Background

Dr. Bernheisel graduated with her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Duke University in 2019. She received both a Masters in Nursing and a Bachelors in Nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University in the Family Nurse Practitioner program. She also received a Masters in Public Health from George Washington University and a Bachelors in Environmental Health from Colorado State University.

Dr. Bernheisel has a strong interest in developing interprofessional community health programs, using social innovation and entrepreneurship to support community and global health, and the use of innovative technology to support healthcare in medically underserved areas. She also has technical expertise in virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), and video production.

Teaching

Dr. Bernheisel has experience teaching undergraduate and graduate nursing courses, including Population Health, Advanced Health Assessment, Epidemiology, Informatics, System Thinking, Adult Medical/Surgical Pathophysiology, Community Health Nursing, Advanced Pharmacology, Health Care Data Analysis, Statistics and Acute Problems in Primary Care.

Research

Dr. Bernheisel’s research interests include health innovation and entrepreneurship, including social entrepreneurship for community and global health; public/population health, health disparities; emerging technology in health care; use of advanced technology to support health care in underserved areas, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.

Dissemination

Dr. Bernheisel has participated in numerous presentations on health disparities, social determinants of health, virtual reality and COVID-19 response. 

Professional Service

• American Association of Nurse Practitioners
• American Nurses Association
• Association of Community Health Nursing Educators
• International Nursing Association of Clinical Simulation and Nursing
• Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing

Professional Practice

She has experience working as a Family Nurse Practitioner with homeless and migrant populations, both in clinic and shelter settings. She also has clinical experience in Emergency Medicine, Urgent Care and Occupational Medicine.

Research Studies (Selected)

Seeing Through My Eyes: Understanding Social Determinants of Health Using Virtual Reality.