R.K. Elswick, Ph.D., NREMT-B
Professor
Biostatistician
Box 980567, Richmond, VA 23298-0567
Department of Adult Health and Nursing Systems
Education
- Ph.D. (Biostatistics), Virginia Commonwealth University
- B.S. (Mathematics and Statistics), Radford University
Research/Scholarship Interests
Derived from more than 40 years of experience, Elswick has expertise in the design and analysis of clinical experiments. Specifically, he has expertise in power analysis, longitudinal data analysis, mixed model methodology and crossover experiments. He has authored or co-authored more than 125 refereed manuscripts. Finally, he has served in key positions in more than 25 federally funded grants including as coordinator of data services in the P20 Exploratory/Development Center (McCain PI), as director of the Data Services and Analysis Core in the P30 VCU School of Nursing Center of Excellence (Grap PI) and PI of A Randomized Controlled Trial using a Heuristic Tool To Improve Symptom Self-Management in Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer funded by the NIH/NCI.
Teaching
I have been teaching graduate statistics courses for more than 40 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
- Sessler CN, Gosnell MS, Grap MJ, Brophy GM, O'Neal PV, Keane KA, Tesoro EP, Elswick RK. The Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale: validity and reliability in adult intensive care unit patients. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2002 Nov 15;166(10):1338-44. PubMed PMID: 12421743.
- Sessler CN, Grap MJ, Brophy, GM, Elswick RK. “Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS)”. Copyright. Registration number TX 7-616-498, Oct 31, 2012.
- Burns DR, Unger JW, Coffey JP, Waldrop TC, Elswick RK Jr. Randomized, prospective, clinical evaluation of prosthodontic modalities for mandibular implant overdenture treatment. J Prosthet Dent. 2011 Jul;106(1):12-22. doi: 10.1016/S0022-3913(11)60088-7. PubMed PMID: 21723989. (Winner of the Judson C. Hickey Scientific Writing Award, Dental Research Category, Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, 2011)
- Ameringer S, Elswick RK Jr, Smith W. Fatigue in adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease: biological and behavioral correlates and health-related quality of life. J Pediatr Oncol Nurs. 2014 Jan-Feb;31(1):6-17. doi: 10.1177/1043454213514632. Epub 2013 Dec 30. PubMed PMID: 24378816; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3982311. (Winner of the Journal of Pediatric Oncology writing Award, JOPON, 2014)
- Ameringer S, Elswick RK Jr, Sisler I, Smith W, Lipato T, Acevedo EO. Exercise Testing of Adolescents and Young Adults With Sickle Cell Disease: Perceptual Responses and the Gas Exchange Threshold. J Pediatr Oncol Nurs. 2019 Sep/Oct;36(5):310-320. doi: 10.1177/1043454219844243. Epub 2019 Apr 26. PMID: 31027454.
- Elswick RK Jr, Kagan SH, Melendez-Torres GJ. The Evidence Synthesis Imperative. Cancer Nurs. 2020 May/Jun;43(3):171-172. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000000807. PMID: 32324608
- Alhareeri A, Archer K, Fu H, Lyon D, Elswick RK Jr, Kelly D, Starkweather A, Elmore L, Jackson-Cook C. Telomere lengths in women treated for breast cancer show associations with chemotherapy, pain symptoms, and cognitive domain measures: a longitudinal study. Breast Cancer Res. 2020 Dec 4;22(1):137. doi: 10.1186/s13058-020-01368-6. PMID: 33276807
Current Funded Grants
| Name of Grant | Role | Funding Agency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Randomized Controlled Trial using a Heuristic Tool To Improve Symptom Self-Management in Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer | PI | NIH/NCI | 9/1/2023 - 8/31/2027 |
| Optimizing Health Through Improved Communication and Screening for Inherited Heart Diseases in Families from Underrepresented Populations | Co-I | VCU Quest Fund | 7/1/2023 - 1/1/2025 |
| Designing Equitable Care for Kidneys (DECK): Community-Based Screening for Social Determinants of Health and Kidney Disease Risk Factors | Co-I | National Kidney Foundation | 7/1/2023 - 6/30/2024 |
| A mixed-methods exploration of loneliness and burnout among nephrology nurses | Co-I | American Nephrology Nurses Association | 3/1/2023 - 2/29/2024 |
| Community-based fetal ultrasound and care navigation: An approach to engaging pregnant women with substance use disorder in prenatal care and substance use treatment | Co-I | NIH/NIDA | 9/31/2022 - 8/31/2024 |
| Strength in Caring | Co-I | HRSA | 1/1/2022 ‐ 12/31/2024 |
| Context-aware Freezing of Gait mitigation in real-world setting | Co-I and Biostatistician | NIH/NINDS | 12/28/20 – 12/27/24 |
Professional Service
Elswick serves on various School of Nursing and VCU Hospital System committees. In addition, he serves as statistical editor for the journal Cancer Nursing. Apart from his academic service, he leads a yearly medical mission to Santo Tomas, El Salvador.