Biography

Michelle Nickolaus has an extensive background in critical care medicine and cardiology. She has been a nurse for 16 years and a nurse practitioner for 9 years. Currently, she works for the
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center's Penn State Heart & Vascular Institute in Hershey, PA as the nurse practitioner for the Program for Adults with Congenital Heart Disease (PACHD).

Her special interest is in the care of Adults with Congenital Heart Disease. Because of her interest in providing seamless patient care; Michelle obtained her Masters in Nursing in 1997, from the Adult Critical Care Nurse Practitioner program of the University of Pennsylvania.

In addition, to caring for Adults with Congenital Heart Disease, she has been a provider in the Lipid and Cardiovascular Wellness Program, therefore she has experience in advising patients of the general cardiology prevention issues.

Over the years, she has worked in a variety of capacities: as a nurse on medical-surgical, telemetry, medical intermediate and intensive care units, as a traveling nurse in Texas and North
Carolina, as a clinical instructor for Penn State's School of Nursing, and as a nurse practitioner in preadmissions, anesthesia and cardiology. Additionally, she worked in Interventional Cardiology in the past so she has a keen sense of Cath Lab issues and concerns.

Along side her colleague, Dr. William R. Davidson, Jr. she can provide you with experience and knowledge of the cutting edge care for Adults with Congenital Heart Disease.

C.V.

Instructor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA
Penn State College of Medicine June, 2005 – Present

Program for Adults with Congenital Heart Disease (PACHD)
Lipid and Cardiovascular Wellness Program, Preventive
Cardiology Program

• Competently cares for our cardiology population performing comprehensive histories and physical examinations in both an inpatient and outpatient cardiology settings.
   
• Exhibits proficiency in diagnostic reasoning and cost- effectiveness in writing medical orders.
   
• Improves patient care by encouraging open interpersonal communications between nursing and medicine from critical care units through outpatient settings.
   
• Provides a diversified medical and surgical staff with expert consultative services and mentoring.
   
• Acts as a resource for patients, families, and referring physicians/offices.
   
• Identifies potential research study candidates and is involved in research studies as a co-investigator.
   
• Promotes and coordinates the development of the Program for Adults with Congenital Heart Disease.
   
• Promotes and assists in the development of the Lipid and Cardiovascular Wellness Program and the LDL apheresis program.
   
• Primary consultant for the development of databasing programs and web sites for both the Preventive Cardiology Program and the Program for Adults with Congenital Heart Disease (PACHD).
   
• Functions as consultant for cardiology web, marketing, and community affairs.
   
• Serves as a primary consultant for our web-based primary prevention “heart test”.
   
• Precepts graduate level nursing students. • Instructs/Facilitator for medical students, baccalaureate nursing students, nursing staff, medical residents
   
• Expands the use of evidenced-based protocols/guidelines in cardiology (e.g. CHF, PTCI, cholesterol, blood pressure guidelines)

Interests

Honors

• Nancy R. Kruger Award for Scholarly Publication, May 2000, Critical Care Nurse Article on Diabetes Insipidus.
   
• University of Pennsylvania Alumni Award, 1997,Outstanding contribution to the nursing profession for the development of a research grant proposal entitled, "Quality and Cost-effectiveness of a Critical Care Nurse Practitioner in a Chest Pain Observation Unit."
   
• Sigma Theta Tau, Beta Sigma Chapter

Invited Research

April 2003

Zimmerman HE, Hupcey JE, Nickolaus MJ, Parmelee WW, Zimmerman TA. Cardiovascular Health for Women: Primary Prevention, a continuous quality improvement project. Thirty Advanced Practice Nurses were selected from areas of the U.S. with a high incidence of cardiovascular disease in women. Sponsored by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) & made possible by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Women’s Health

Post-Graduate Research

1999-2002

“The Safety and Efficacy of Subcutaneous Enoxaparin versus
Intravenous Unfractionated Heparin and of Tirofiban versus
Placebo in the Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction for
Patients not Thrombolysed: An International, Randomized, Double-
Blind, Placebo controlled, Factorial Design Study [TETAMI
Trial]” Ian C. Gilchrist, M.D., Private Investigator

1999-2002

“The Prevention of Restenosis with Tranislast and its Outcomes –
A Placebo controlled Trial [PRESTO]” Charles E. Chambers,
M.D., Primary Investigator

1999-2002

“Enhanced Suppression of the Platelet IIb/IIIa Receptor with Integrilin Therapy [ESPRIT Trial]” Ian C. Gilchrist, M.D., Primary Investigator

1998-1999

“Treat Angina With Aggrastat and Determine Cost of Therapy With An Invasive Or Conservative Strategy [TACTICS-TIMI 18]” Mark Kozak, M.D., Principal Investigator, 1998-9.

Bibliography

Original Contributions

NON-PEER REVIEWED JOURNALS

Gardner J. Nickolaus MJ. Steckbeck R. Health fair & CPR training: a successful community outreach, partnering & marketing opportunity. Journal of Cardiovascular Management. 10 (6):18-27, 1999 Nov-Dec.

PEER REVIEWED JOURNALS

Kozak M. Adams DR. Ioffreda M. Nickolaus MJ. Seery TJ. Chambers CE. Ettinger SM. McNulty P. Gilchrist IC. Sterile inflammation associated with transradial catheterization and hydrophilic sheath. Catheterization & Cardiovascular Interventions. 59:207- 213, 2003.

Gilchrist IC. Nickolaus MJ. Momplaisir T. Same-day transradial outpatient stenting with a 6-hr course of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor blockade: a feasibility study. Catheterization & Cardiovascular Interventions. 56(1): 10-3, 2002 May.

Gilchrist IC. Kharabsheh S. Nickolaus MJ. Reddy R. Radial approach to right heart catheterization: early experience with a promising technique. Catheterization & Cardiovascular Interventions. 55(1): 20-2, 2002 Jan.

Momplaisir T, Nickolaus MJ, Gilchrist IC: Same-day transradial outpatient stenting with a 6-hr course of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor blockade: a feasibility study. [abstract]. Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions. 53:120, 2001.

Nickolaus MJ. Gilchrist IC. Ettinger SM. The way to the heart is all in the wrist: transradial catheterization and interventions. AACN Clinical Issues. 12(1):62-71, 2001 Feb

Nickolaus MJ. Chambers CE. Ettinger SM. Gilchrist IC. Kozak M. Advances in interventional cardiology: beyond the balloon. Nursing Clinics of North America. 35(4):897-912, 2000 Dec.

Nickolaus MJ. Diabetes insipidus: a current perspective. Critical Care Nurse. 19(6): 18-30, 1999 Dec.

BOOK CHAPTERS

Moons, P. Cannobio, M., Verstappen, A., Nickolaus, MJ. (IN PRESS). Caring for the patient with adult congenital heart disease, Chapter 71. In Moser, D. & Riegel, B. (Eds.), Cardiac Nursing: A Companion to Braunwald's Heart Disease (1st Ed.).