Meet Our Team

My name is Michele Balas and I am deeply committed to improving the care and outcomes of critically ill adults. My passion for this topic is fueled by my bedside nursing experience where I witnessed firsthand the importance of applying evidence-based practices, the power of high-functioning teams, and the healing power of human connection. 

I have been developing methods to identify, predict, and prevent delirium for almost two decades.  As one of the co-principal investigators of the BEST-ICU study, I brought my expertise in delirium prevention, clinical trials, and implementation science to help design and oversee the implementation of the BEST-ICU study.

I firmly believe that all hospital systems and critical care providers want to provide the highest quality of care to each of our patients every day. Doing so is incredibly hard work and takes a truly collaborative interprofessional team along with well-designed systems of care.  I am excited about testing thoughtfully designed implementation strategies grounded in theory to help clinicians in their goals and ultimately improve the cognitive and functional outcomes of patients who require acute hospital care.

I serve as the site PI for all research activities performed at the Nebraska Medical Center. In collaboration with the study team, I participate in the planning, conduct, and analysis of the various interventions in the study, engage routinely with stakeholders, monitor intervention fidelity, and oversee data collection and implementation procedures.

I care deeply about the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of ICU patients and their families during and after the ICU experience. The interventions in the BEST-ICU study have the potential to not only positively impact patient outcomes but may also influence current ICU nursing workflows and systems. 

In this project, I will work with the data and clinical teams to ensure that we are gathering all needed data in formats that enable analysis.

As a former ICU nurse and caregiver, I see the use of the ABCDEF Bundle as necessary for patient care. This study will help us to understand how to increase use of the.

I am leading the data management effort which developed the BEST-ICU research data dictionary and organized the data reporting and dataset integration for the research biostatisticians.

My primary career research interest has been the standardization and deployment of the Electronic Health Record in support of excellence in patient care. In the BEST-ICU pragmatic trial, I have the opportunity to employ my skills in informatics to further serve clinical science.

My role in the study is to align electronic health record analysts with Data Analytics Developers to create a roadmap for our study within the electronic health record at organizations across the study. I directed the team of experts who completed a detailed assessment and documentation of display titles, data sources, purpose, and detailed logic criteria. Their work accelerates study implementation at additional partner organizations.

I was an Adult ICU Nurse for more than 13 years. I have a deep passion for developing strategies to improve care for critically ill patients, especially in populations with known health disparities. By developing simple yet effective ways to increase the use of evidence-based ICU interventions, I am excited to see the impact of improving care and outcomes for millions of critically ill adults annually. As a family member of ICU patients, I am thrilled about the addition of the "F" ( portion of the bundle, I know first-hand what an invaluable role family engagement and participation play in the patient's road to recovery.

I assist with ensuring data and systems are available at the University of Iowa to ensure dashboards are available and data is being appropriately collected.  He also assists with system and data integrity reviews.

As an intensivist and the University of Iowa’s Chief Health Information Officer, determining if such feedback to providers in the ICU can improve patient outcomes is important to me both as the doctor for ICU patients and the health system in general.

My role in this study is to examine ICU team members’ acceptability of the implementation strategies and their impact on staff workload (clinical work intensity) using a mixed methods approach. I am responsible for the design, data collection, and analysis of one of BEST-ICU's aims, using surveys and interviews.

Understanding how the implementation strategies are being accepted by ICU providers and how these strategies affect their perceived workload is important because ICU team members are the key drivers of the changes in their practice. Given the high demands for ICU services and the physical, cognitive, and psychological burdens of ICU clinicians, these are crucial factors to consider for an effective and sustainable adoption of best ICU practices.

I am a co-investigator on the project, working with Dr. J.Y. Kim, to understand the impact of each of the two interventions on the mental workload (also known as 'clinical work intensity') that the ICU nursing staff experience.

My research interest is in promoting the well-being of healthcare providers so that each can provide the best care possible. The study results will help us to understand how quality of care can be improved (or is negatively affected) by the way the healthcare environment is organized.

I am the biostatistician for the BEST-ICU. I worked with the Principal Investigators to design the study and define study outcomes. I am also responsible for the analysis/interpretation of the results of the study, and collaborating in the dissemination of the study’s findings.

The BEST-ICU study is important to me because it tests two strategies for improving the efficiency of care in the ICU setting that are designed to improve the outcomes, and ultimately the quality of life, of mechanically ventilated patients.