R.K. Elswick, Ph.D., NREMT-B
Professor
Biostatistician
Department of Family and Community Health Nursing
Education
- Ph.D. (Biostatistics), Virginia Commonwealth University
- B.S. (Mathematics and Statistics), Radford University
Research/Scholarship Interests
Derived from more than 35 years of experience, I have expertise in the design and analysis of clinical experiments. Specifically, I have expertise in power analysis, longitudinal data analysis, mixed model methodology and crossover experiments. I have authored or co-authored more than 115 refereed manuscripts. I have served in key positions in more than 20 federally funded grants including as Coordinator of Data Services in the P20 Exploratory/Development Center (McCain PI) and as Director of the Data Services and Analysis Core in the VCU SON Center of Excellence (Grap PI).
Teaching
I have been teaching graduate statistics courses for more than 35 years. However, my real passion is to find the most efficient and compelling way to teach statistics to non-statisticians. My approach to teaching statistics is guided by the adage, "You should not have to take the car apart to be able to drive the car." With my approach, the student is presented with current “real life” data and an interesting research question at the beginning of every lecture followed by the presentation of the appropriate statistical test to answer the research question. Any important background statistical material is presented only as needed as the semester progresses. Easy to use statistics software (JMP) is used to explore the data and guide the user to the correct inference. All lectures present the topic with a minimum of mathematics with an emphasis on data interpretation, test assumptions, and interpretation of statistical output.
Select Publications
- Filler K, Lyon D, McCain N, Bennett J Jr, Fernández-Martínez JL, deAndrés-Galiana EJ, Elswick RK Jr, Lukkahatai N, Saligan L. Relationship of Mitochondrial Enzymes to Fatigue Intensity in Men With Prostate Cancer Receiving External Beam Radiation Therapy. Biol Res Nurs. 2015 Nov 18. pii: 1099800415617848.
- Jallo N, Svikis DS, Masho S, Elswick RK, Price SK, Kinser PA. Prevalence and Predictors of Depressive Symptoms in Pregnant African American Women. Issues in Mental Health Nursing. 2015 36:860–869.
- Arif Rahu M, Grap MJ, Ferguson P, Joseph P, Sherman S, Elswick RK Jr. Validity and Sensitivity of 6 Pain Scales in Critically Ill, Intubated Adults. Am J Crit Care. 2015 November. 24:514-523.
- Robins JL, Elswick RK Jr, Sturgill J, McCain NL. The Effects of Tai Chi on Cardiovascular Risk in Women. Am J Health Promot. 2015 Aug 25.
- Lynch Kelly D, Lyon DE, Ameringer SA, Elswick RK. Symptoms, Cytokines, and Quality of Life in Patients Diagnosed with Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2015 May;42(3):265-75.
- Munro CL, Grap MJ, Sessler CN, Elswick RK Jr, Mangar D, Karlnoski-Everall R, Cairns P. Preintubation application of oral chlorhexidine does not provide additional benefit in prevention of early-onset ventilator-associated pneumonia. Chest. 2015 Feb;147(2):328-34.
- Starkweather AR, Coyne P, Lyon DE, Elswick RK Jr, An K, Sturgill J. Decreased low back pain intensity and differential gene expression following Calmare®: results from a double-blinded randomized sham-controlled study. Res Nurs Health. 2015 Feb;38(1):29-38.
- Lyon D, Kelly D, Walter J, Bear H, Thacker L, Elswick RK. Randomized sham controlled trial of cranial microcurrent stimulation for symptoms of depression, anxiety, pain, fatigue and sleep disturbances in women receiving chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer. Springerplus. 2015 Jul 23;4:369.
- Aboalela N, Lyon D, Elswick RK Jr, Kelly DL, Brumelle J, Bear HD, Jackson-Cook C. Perceived Stress Levels, Chemotherapy, Radiation Treatment and Tumor Characteristics Are Associated with a Persistent Increased Frequency of Somatic Chromosomal Instability in Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer: A One Year Longitudinal Study. PLoS One. 2015 Jul 15;10(7):e0133380.
Current Funded Grants
- Co-Investigator, Genetic and Epigenetic Regulation of COMT, a Key Moderator of Cognitive Decline, Theresa Swift-Scanlan, P.I., NIH 1R01NR017221-01A1, $458,030 Total Direct Cost, 8/10/18 – 10/31/21
- Co-Investigator and Biostatistician, Context-aware Freezing of Gait mitigation in real-world setting, Ingrid Pritzer-Aboff, P.I., NIH/NINDS 1R01NS120560-01, 2020 - 2024
- Co-Investigator and Biostatistician, Optimizing vibration therapy to improve gait and balance in PD, Ingrid Pritzer-Aboff, P.I., Michael J. Fox Foundation, 2018 – 2020
- Co-Investigator, Genetic and Epigenetic Regulation of COMT, a Key Moderator of Cognitive Decline, Theresa Swift-Scanlan, P.I., NIH 1R01NR017221-01A1, 2018 - 2013 8/10/18 – 5/31/23
- Co-Investigator and Biostatistician, Tremor Pilot Project, Ingrid Pretzer Aboff, P.I., Industry Pilot Project, Resonate Forward LLC, 2018 – 2020.
- Statistician, Clinical Leadership Development for Frontline Medical Surgical Nurses: An Evaluation of Needs and Methods, Terry Jones, P.I., Academy of Medical Surgical Nurses, 2017 - 2019.
- Co-investigator, Improving Symptom Self-Management in Adolescents & Young Adults with Cancer, Suzanne Ameringer, P.I., St. Baldricks Foundation, 2016 – 2017.
- Co-investigator, Subjective Responses and Metabolic State During Exercise in Sickle Cell Anemia, Suzanne Ameringer P.I., Virginia Commonwealth University, (NINR #R21), 2015 - 2017.
- Co-investigator, Pain Sensitivity in Low Back Pain, Angela Starkweather P.I., Virginia Commonwealth University, (NINR #R01), 2013 – 2016.
- Co-investigator and Biostatistician, Managing Acute Pain in Critically Ill Non-communicative Palliative Care Patients, McGuire/Shanholtz (MPI), (NINR #R01), 2012 – 2016.
- Co-investigator, Exhaled Biomarkers of Pulmonary Infection in the Critically Ill, Alison Montpetit, P.I., Virginia Commonwealth University, (NINR # R00), 2012 – 2015.
Professional Service
I serve on various School of Nursing and VCU Hospital System committees. In addition, I serve as Statistical Editor for the journal Cancer Nursing. Apart from my academic service, I lead a yearly medical mission to Santo Tomas, El Salvador.