Skip Navigation

Jennifer Peterson, PhD, RN, APRN-CNS

CCNS, FAHA
Assistant Professor
Jennifer Peterson
View Full CV

Specialties and Expertise

  • Acute/Critical Care
  • Adolescent/Young Adult Care
  • Cardiovascular
  • Disparities
  • Education
  • Family
  • Genetics
  • Newborns
  • Pediatrics
  • Quality Improvement
  • Quantitative Research
  • Resilience/Stress Coping
  • Safety
  • School Health
  • Social Determinants of Health

Overview

Jennifer Peterson is a board-certified clinical nurse specialist (CNS) with progressive experience in advanced nursing practice roles, focusing on the care of infants, children, and young adults and their families affected by heart disease. Her previous roles included bedside ICU nurse, clinical educator, population-based CNS, RN first assistant, unit-based CNS, and program director. Dr. Peterson is chair of the Pediatric Cardiovascular Nursing Committee for the American Heart Association’s Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing. She is also active in many other organizations including the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society, and Consortium of Congenital Cardiac Care-Measurement of Nursing Practice (C4-MNP). Her clinical and research interests include health outcomes (biobehavioral, neurodevelopmental, and psychosocial) in infants and children with heart disease and interventions that support optimal outcomes, family-centered developmental care, and the influence of genetic conditions on long-term survival in children with heart disease.

Additional Resources

Below are selected resources. For more information, please see full CV.

  • Publications/Research

    Lisanti AJ, Vittner DJ, Peterson JK, Van Bergen A, Miller TA, Gordon EE, Negrin K, Desai H, Willette S, Jones M, Caprarola S, Jones A, Helman S, Smith J, Anton C, Bear LM, Malik L, Russell S, Mieczkowski D, Hamilton B, McCoy M, Feldman Y, Steltzer M, Savoca M, Spatz, D, Butler SC (2023). Developmental care pathway for hospitalised infants with CHD: On behalf of the Cardiac Newborn Neuroprotective Network, a Special Interest Group of the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Collaborative. Cardiology in the Young; page 1 of 18. doi: 10.1017/S10447951123000525.

    Lisanti AJ, Uzark KC, Harrison TM, Peterson JK, Butler SC, Miller TA, Allen KY, Miller SP, Jones CE (2023). On behalf of the American Heart Association Pediatric Cardiovascular Nursing Committee of the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young; and Council on Hypertension. Developmental care for hospitalized infants with complex congenital heart disease: A Science Advisory from the American Heart Association. Journal of the American Heart Association;12(3):e028489. doi:10.1161/JAHA.122.028489

    Lopez KN, Baker-Smith C, Flores G, Gurvitz M, Karamlou T, Nunez-Gallegos F, Pasquali S, Patel A, Peterson JK, Salemi J, Yancy C, Peyvandi S. (2022). Addressing social determinants of health and mitigating health disparities across the lifespan in congenital heart disease: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association. Journal of the American Heart Association;11(8):e.025358. doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.122.025358

    Peterson JK, Casida JM. (2021). Critical care CNS role in developmental care for infants with heart disease. AACN Advanced Critical Care; 32(2): 204-208. doi:10.4037/aacnacc2021425

    Peterson JK, Kochilas, LK, Knight, J, McCracken CM, Thomas AS, Moller JH, Setty SP. (2021). Long-term survival and causes of death in children with Trisomy 21 after congenital heart surgery. Journal of Pediatrics; 231:246-253e3. doi: 10.1016/j/jpeds.2020.12.058

    Peterson JK, Olshansky EF, Guo Y, Evangelista LS, Pike NA. (2021). Optimism despite profound uncertainty: School and social relationships in adolescents with single ventricle heart disease. Cardiology in the Young; 31:252-259. doi:10.1017/S1047951120003790

  • Awards/Honors

    2020-2025  New Nursing Faculty Fellowship, Nurse Support Program II, Maryland Higher Education Commission

    2020   American Heart Association, Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing, Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA)

    2019   American Heart Association, Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing, Martha N. Hill Early Career Investigator award finalist