Biography

Dr. Cuddigan received her PhD in Nursing from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (1999) and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Iowa City and University of Iowa (2003-2005). She has extensive clinical experience in critical care nursing and wound care. Her research interests focus primarily on pressure injury prevention, assessment, and treatment, particularly in relation to prevention of device related pressure injuries; risk assessment and prevention in critically ill patients; and dissemination & implementation of evidence-based pressure injury guidelines. She currently teaches interprofessional graduate students and DNP students in research methods, translational research, and evidence-based practice implementation.

Dr. Cuddigan also has extensive experience in the development of evidence-based guidelines. She was the Panel Manager for the original Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR, now AHRQ) guidelines on pressure injuries. She has been a member of three international pressure injury guideline development groups, serving as the Co-Chair for two international guidelines and the Editor-in-Chief for one. She is a nationally and internationally known expert and speaker on pressure injuries. She has served in leadership positions on the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP) including as the organization’s President from 2019-2021. She has held several administrative positions at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing including as a Department Chair (2006-2014), Interim Associate Dean for Administration (2011) and Acting Dean of the College of Nursing (July-October 2011).

Research

Research Interests

• Pressure injury prevention, assessment, and treatment
• Physiological measures of pressure injury risk in critical care
• Prevention of medical device related pressure injuries
• Implementation of evidence-based guidelines
• Guideline development methodologies

Grant Support (Previous 5 years)

September 2014-December 2018
Unavoidable pressure ulcers in critical care, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, $45,317, Pittman, J. (PI). Role: Consultant

Publications

Gefen, A., Brienza, D. M., Cuddigan, J., Haesler, E., Kottner, J. (under review). Our Contemporary Understanding of the Aetiology of Pressure Ulcers/Injuries. (Submitted to International Wound Journal, April 2021)

Haesler, E., Pittman, J., Cuddigan, J., Law, S., Chang, Y.Y., Baltzer, K., Berlowitz, D., Carville, K., Kottner, J., Litchford, M., Moore, Z., Mitchell, P., Siguado-Roussel. (under review). Exploring the Perspectives of Individuals and Their Caregivers on Pressure Injury Prevention and Management: Consumer survey for the International Pressure Injury Guideline. Submitted to Journal of Tissue Viability, December 2020).

Dean, L., Butler, A., Cuddigan, J. (in press). The Impact of Workplace Violence towards Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses: Identifying the Facilitators and Barriers to Supportive Resources. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.

Padula, W.V., Cuddigan, J., Ruotsi, L., Black, J., Brienza, D., Capasso, V., Cox, J., Delmore, B., Holden-Mount, S., Munoz, N., Nie, A.M., Pittman, J., Sonenblum, S., & Tescher, A. (2021). Best Practices for Preventing Skin Injury Beneath Personal Protective Equipment during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Position Paper from the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP). J Clin Nurs Feb 3:10: 1111/jocn.15682. doi: 10.1111/jocn.15682. Online ahead of print.

Pittman, J., Beeson, T., Dillon, J., Yang, Z., Mravec, M., Malloy, C., & Cuddigan, J. (2021). Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries and Acute Skin Failure in Critical Care: A Case-Control Study. J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs, 48(1), 20-30.

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Service

National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel
2019-2021 President
2018-2019, 2000-2001, Vice-President
1999-2000, 2007-2008 Treasurer
2016-2022, 2005-2011, 1995-2001 Board of Directors

International Pressure Injury Guideline Governance Group
2007-2010, 2013-present Co-Chair
2007-present Member

World Union of Wound Healing Societies
2016, 2019-2021 NPIAP Representative to Supporting Society Council
2006-2008 Co-Chair of Pressure Ulcer Stream Planning Committee

Advisory Board for International Development of Core Pressure Ulcer Outcomes
2016-2021

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, Technical Expert Panel on Pressure Ulcers
2016-2020

National Database for Nursing Quality Indicators
2017-2018 Consultant
2006-2014 Advisory Board

Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society
2020-2021 Clinical Expert Consultant to Public Policy and Advocacy Committee

Grant Reviewer
2018 Department of Defense
2014 NIH-NINR Chronic Wound Special Section
2013 & 2020 National Institute for Health Research (UK)
2008 Canadian National Government Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research

Editorial Boards
2016-2021 Journal of Tissue Viability
1996-1998 Advances in Skin and Wound Care
Reviewer for multiple journals

Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society
2005-2007 President, Gamma Pi Chapter

Recognition

President’s Award for Leadership in International Guideline Development
2015
National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel

Innovations Award – Nebraska Pressure Ulcer Matrix
2016
UNeMed, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Fellow
2011
American Academy of Nurses

Kosiak Award
2011
National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel

Outstanding Teacher Award
2008
University of Nebraska Medical Center

Sharon Baranoski Founders Award for Excellence in Pressure Ulcer Care
1999
University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and Wound Care Communications Network