Melanie D. Bobry

Melanie D. Bobry is the honored recipient of the Margaret L. McClure Scholarship. Melanie earned her BS in Nursing in 2009 and her MS in Nursing Education in 2022, both from the University of Rochester School of Nursing. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Nursing and Health Science, also at the University of Rochester School of Nursing. She completed an Advanced Certificate in Online Teaching from the Warner School at the University of Rochester in 2021.

Since becoming a nurse in 2009, Melanie has always loved sharing information to help empower others, from teaching a first-time chemotherapy patient about their treatment regimen and how to mitigate side effects or precepting students and newer nurses at the outpatient oncology infusion center. As a new nurse she created a guide of key information about all the different medications a nurse might administer and shared that guide with peers. This passion for teaching continued to develop as she took on roles such as preceptor, charge nurse, and serving on shared governance councils. Her favorite moments as a nurse come from meaningful interactions inspiring others through knowledge sharing. Through nursing education, Melanie found a path that combines her strengths and interests.

After participating in a research-internship for nurses, Melanie realized that pursuing a PhD in Nursing was the next step for her professional journey. She wants to become a nursing professor who teaches learners in a way that helps advance the profession of nursing through science and research. Melanie intends to combine her interest in research and passion for teaching to develop a role as a research expert in the world of clinical nursing education. Melanie values using evidence-based practice (EBP) to support nursing practice and policies yet sees that many nurses are not comfortable actively participating in the EBP process, reading nursing journals, or participating in research. She wants to make research and EBP more approachable and understandable for all nurses. Today, nurses are beginning to participate more, through performance improvement projects and research conducted on small scales, within units and hospitals, yet those findings remain siloed at each individual institution due to lack of dissemination. Melanie’s goal is to help clinical nurses pursue professional knowledge sharing through abstracts, posters, presentations, and publications. Melanie has presented posters at local and national nursing conferences and has published one manuscript, with several more on their way!

In addition to her studies, Melanie serves as the President of Sigma Theta Tau, Epsilon Xi chapter at the University of Rochester. She is dedicated to supporting the nursing profession through academics, research, and advocacy through professional organizations.

As a full-time PhD student, she dedicates nearly all her time to reading, writing, and thinking! She works per diem in outpatient oncology, to stay connected to the core elements of the profession: the patients and her nursing colleagues. She is grateful to be a recipient of the Margaret L. McClure scholarship, to support her as she continues her dissertation studies on social connectedness in older adults.