Welcome New Faculty

Tammy Bullard joined the college in February as a clinical instructor. She is a part-time live review educator and NCLEX specialist, and in the fall she will serve as co-coordinator for didactic instruction in Foundations of Nursing with the undergraduate nursing program. Bullard received her ASN at Northeast Mississippi Community College, and her BSN and MSN in nursing education at the University of North Alabama. She has practiced as an RN for 24 years, with focuses of care in oncology, home health and hospice, and long-term care. Bullard has been a nurse educator for the past 10 years, primarily in nursing foundations and mental health.

Maria HurtMaria Hurt joined the college in August as a clinical assistant professor. She has a DNP and a family nurse practitioner post-master’s certificate from Vanderbilt University, and a master’s in nursing education from East Tennessee State University. Her special interest is community outreach to homeless populations utilizing mobile health clinics. Her teaching experience includes pediatrics, adult medical-surgical, professional development for new nurses, and emergency preparedness. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International.

Christy LearChristy Lear joined the college in August as a clinical assistant professor. She received her ASN from Walters State Community College and worked many years in emergency and trauma settings. After receiving her BSN from King College, Lear attended graduate school at Duquesne University, where she received both her MSN (in forensic nursing, with a certificate in forensic science) and DNP. She worked with a district attorney’s office in victim services as a legal nurse before returning to a hospital setting as a clinical educator for acute services, and she was most recently an assistant professor at Lincoln Memorial University. A certified neuroscience RN, Lear is an active member of the International Forensic Nursing Association, Sigma Theta Tau, ANA, and the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses. Her research areas are health care response to interpersonal violence, health policy, and nursing safety.

Erin MorganErin Morgan joined the college in August as a clinical instructor. She is a certified family nurse practitioner who received her MSN from UT. She has practiced as both a hospital RN and NP, including ICU and ED nursing. For the past 10 years she has worked in allergy and respiratory specialty practice and retail urgent care. Morgan is currently pursuing her DNP at East Tennessee State University. Her research interests include respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD as well as rural populations. She is an active member of the Tennessee Nurses Association and recently joined the board of Knoxville’s Region 2.

Kim PowellKim Powell joined the college in August as an assistant professor. She received her PhD along with a graduate certificate in health policy from UT in May, and she has an MSN (in nursing education) from Spalding University and a BSN from Purdue University. Her research interests are in the areas of health information technology and self-management of patients with multiple chronic conditions. As part of her dissertation research, Powell conducted a multiple methods study and formed partnerships with UT’s Haslam College of Business and private-sector organizations in order to investigate the use of electronic patient portals.

Knar SagherianKnar Sagherian joined the college in August as an assistant professor. She received her PhD from the University of Maryland Baltimore. She earned both her MSN (with an administration emphasis) and BSN from the American University of Beirut in her home country of Lebanon. Sagherian’s research is in the area of occupational health and safety. She focuses on worker fatigue and sleep quantity and quality, examining the impact of those factors on organizational, performance, and health outcomes. Sagherian also employs her expertise in measurement, psychometrics, and multilevel modeling statistical methods in her research program, which includes collaboration with researchers from Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC on the effects of fatigue on nurse outcomes.