Mary Isaacson, PhD, RN, RHNC, CHPN, FPCN
2009, PhD, Indiana University
2002, MA-Nursing, Augustana University
1998, BSN, South Dakota State University
1982, Diploma in Nursing, St. Luke's College
- American Indian Health Equity
- American Indian Health Disparities
- Palliative and End of Life Care
- Palliative and End of Life Care communication
- Palliative and End of Life Care Program Development in Rural Communities
- Palliative and End of Life Community Health Worker Intervention
- Health-Related Social Needs
- Rural and Frontier Nursing
- Transcultural Nursing
- Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion
2023-2024, Conducting a Community Needs Assessment to Address American Indian Social Invisibility and Health Inequities, $50,000, PI: Mary Isaacson
2022-2025, Culturally Responsive palliative care messaging for American Indians: An Efficacy Trial, $368,794, PI: Mary Isaacson
2019-2024, Advancing Palliative Care in Northern Plains American Indians, $2,803,957, PI: Katrina Armstrong
2022-2023, Examining the Relationship of South Dakota Healthcare Providers’ Familiarity with Patients and Families and Their Comfort with Palliative and End-of-Life Communication: A Mixed Methods Study, $12,581, PI: Brandi Pravecek
2021-2022, Creating Authentic Connections among Nurse Educators and Native American Nursing Students through a Shared Cultural Education Experience, $9,934, PI: Valeriah Big Eagle
2020-2023, COVID Supplement to Advancing Palliative Care in Northern Plains American Indians, $1,105,552, PI: Katrina Armstrong
American Indian adolescent perspectives on COVID-19 impacts within Great Plains area reservations. Journal of Transcultural Nursing. Accepted for publication.
Hunter, K. M., Johnson, G., Le Beaux, K., & Isaacson, M. J. (2024). “You do
what you have to do, and you don’t ask for help”: American Indian reservation community talking circles about barriers to palliative care. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication. Advance online publication. https://doi/10.1080/17459435.2024.2425080
Varilek, B. M., Isaacson, M. J., & Moradi, H. M. (2024). Evaluating disparities in kidney disease survival among American Indian/Alaska Native persons with diabetes. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-024-02173-z
Pravecek, B., Wey, H., & Isaacson, M. J. (2024). Examining the relationship
between rural and urban clinicians’ familiarity with patients and families and their comfort with palliative and end-of-life care communication. American Journal of
Hospice and Palliative Medicine®. Advance online publication.
https://doi.org/10.1177/10499091241265406
Varilek, B. M., Doyon, K., Vacek, S., & Isaacson, M. J. (2024). Palliative and
end-of-life care interventions with minoritized populations in the US with serious illness: A scoping review. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10499091241232978
Varilek, B. M., & Isaacson, M. J. (2024). Coming to terms: Female Veterans’
experience of serious illness. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, 26(2), 98-103. https://doi.org/10.1097/NJH.0000000000001004
Purvis, S. J., Armstrong, K., Isaacson, M. J., Soltoff, A., Duran, T., Johnson, G., LaPlante, J. R., Daubman, B. R., & Tobey, M. (2024). Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination uptake in Great Plains American Indian communities. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 11, 3690-3703. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-023-01818-9
Coats, H., Doyon, K., Isaacson, M.J., Tay, D., Rosa, W.E., Mayahara, M., Kates,J., Frechman, E., Wright, P.M., Boyden, J.Y., Broden, E.G., Hinds, P.S., James, R., Keller, S., Thrane, S., Mooney-Doyle, K., Sullivan, S.S., Xu, J., Tanner, J., Natal, M.(2023). The 2023-2026 hospice and palliative nurses association research agenda. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, 25(2), 55-74.
https://doi.org/10.1097/NJH.0000000000000935
Isaacson. M. J., Duran, T., Johnson, G., Soltoff, A., Jackson, S., Purvis, S., Sargent, M., LaPlante, J. R., Petereit, D., Armstrong, K., & Daubman, B. R. (2023). Great Plains American Indian’s perspectives of patient and family needs while on the cancer journey. Oncology Nursing Forum, 50(3), 279-289. https://doi.org/10.1188/23.ONF.279-289
Ramsay Seaner, K., Letcher, A., Isaacson, M. J., Fenster, K. A., & Heckmann, B. (2023). Assessing color-blind racism in nursing students. Nursing Education Perspectives, 44(3), 172-174. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000001045
Tribby, K. V. & Isaacson, M. J. (2023). “We’re not valued, we’re not heard.” Voices of seasoned nurses in a rural state following the onset of COVID-19. Advances in Nursing Science. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/ANS.0000000000000490
Daubman, B. R., Duran, T., Johnson, G., Soltoff, A., Purvis, S., Sargent, M., LaPlante, J. R., Petereit, D., Armstrong, K., & Isaacson, M. J. (2023). “You can’t record that!” Engaging, American Indian traditional healers in qualitative research. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2023.01.008
Purvis, S. J., Soltoff, A., Isaacson, M. J., Duran, T., Johnson, G., LaPlante, J. R., Tobey, M., & Armstrong, K. (2022). COVID-19 testing factors among Great Plains American Indians. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. Online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01433-0
Fischer, S., Isaacson, M., Sharma, R. K., & Johnson, K. S. (2022). Racism in palliative care research: We still have a long ways to go. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 65(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2022.09.009
Seydel, A., Moutsoglou, N., Varilek, B.M., Minton, M., & Isaacson, M.J. (2022). Navigating disharmony: Nurse experiences providing end of life communication. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, 24(6), 328-334. https://doi.org/10.1097/njh.0000000000000909
Isaacson, M. J., Duran, T., Johnson, G., Soltoff, A., Jackson, S., Petereit, D., Armstrong, K., & Daubman, B.R. (2022). “Calling the spirit back:” Spiritual needs among Great Plains American Indians. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 64(3), 268-275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2022.05.014
Soltoff, A. E., Purvis, S., Ravicz, M., Isaacson, M. J., Duran, T., Johnson, G., Sargent, M., LaPlante, J. R., Petereit, D., Armstrong, K., Daubman, B. R. (2022). Factors influencing palliative care access and delivery for Great Plains American Indians. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 64(3), 276-286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2022.05.011
Soltoff, A. E., Isaacson, M. J., Stoltenberg, M., Duran, T., LaPlante, J.R., Petereit, D., Armstrong, K., & Daubman, B.R. (2022). Utilizing the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to explore palliative care program implementation for American Indian and Alaska Natives throughout the United States. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 25(4), 643-649. https://doi.org/140.1089/jpm.2021.0451
O’Connell-Persaud, S. & Isaacson, M. J. (2021). Undergraduate nursing students’ spirituality and perceived ability to provide spiritual care: A mixed-method study. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890101211034336
Styes, A. A. & Isaacson, M. J. (2021). Improving rural emergency nurses comfort during palliative and end-of-life communication. Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care, 21(1), 100-117. https://doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v21i1.647
Mylant, M.L., Isaacson, M.J., Heil, J. (2021). The feasibility of the strengthening family and an adapted American Indian nutrition and physical activity program: A pilot study. South Dakota Medicine, 74(4), 172-180.
Varilek, B. M. & Isaacson, M. J. (2021). Female veteran use of palliative and hospice care: A scoping review. Military Medicine, 186(11-12), 1100-1105. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usab005
Minton, M. E., Isaacson, M. J., & Da Rosa, P. (2020). Psychometric analysis of the Comfort with Communication in Palliative and End-of-Life (C-COPE) instrument. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 26(8), 334-343.
Varilek, B. M. & Isaacson, M. J. (2020). The dance of cystic fibrosis: Experiences of living with cystic fibrosis as an adult. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 29(17-18), 3553-3564. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15397
Isaacson, M.J., Minton, M.E., DaRosa, P., & Harming, S. (2019). Nurse comfort with palliative and end of life communication: A rural and urban comparison. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, 21(1), 38-45. https://doi.org/ 10.1097/NJH.0000000000000483
2013-current, American Nurses Association, Member
2023-current, American Association of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Member and State of the Science Committee Member
2015-current, Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA), Member
2020-2022, HPNA Research Advisory Council, Chair/Co-Chair
2018-2022, HPNA Research Advisory Council, Member
2021-2022, HPNA DEIB Committee, Member
2015-current, Rural Nurses Organization (RNO), Member
2022-current, Rural Nurses Organization (RNO), Board Member at Large
2022-current, Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations, Secretary
2024 - Nursing Education Perspectives/NLN, Article title, “Assessing color-blind racism in nursing students,” recognized by editorial board of Nursing Education Perspectives as best article among all Research Briefs
2024 - South Dakota State University, F.O. Butler Award for Excellence in Research, Scholarship or Creative Activity
2024 - Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association, Volunteer of the Month
2024 - Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association, Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing
2023 - South Dakota State University, Outstanding Researcher
2023 - South Dakota State University, Master Online Certification
2023 - Sigma Theta Tau International, Phi Chapter Key Award
2021 - Harvard Medical School, Selected as participant in Research Methods in Supportive Oncology Workshop