DAPHNE CHAKURIAN

Programs and Courses Taught

N550: Nurses as Consumers of Research

About Me

Daphne Chakurian, PhD, RN, PHN, CCM is a nurse scientist with more than 35 years of nursing experience in case management, care coordination, quality improvement, nursing education, and health sciences research.

Dr. Chakurian’s scholarship focuses on the social health of family caregivers in the context of autism stigma. She is passionate about translating research into practice and preparing future nurses to critically evaluate evidence and apply it to improve patient and population health.

Education

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing 2024
Graduate Certificate in Participatory Health Research
Bachelor of Science in Nursing 2007
Associate Degree in Nursing 1992

Teaching Interests

Dr. Chakurian’s teaching interests include research and community health nursing. Her pedagogical approach includes meaning-focused narrative pedagogy, and inclusive teaching practices such as Universal Design. Her other teaching interests are simulation, and integrating artificial intelligence into nursing education and practice. Her goal is to prepare nurses to use critical thinking to translate research evidence into compassionate, person-centered clinical practice.

Scholarly Interests

Dr. Chakurian’s dissertation research focused on the Resilience and Social Health of Family Caregivers in the context of autism stigma. Other research focused on cancer family caregivers in outpatient palliative care.

Publications

* Chakurian, D. E., & Popejoy, L. L. (2025). A systematic review of resilience in family caregivers of autistic adults: Implications for research, practice, and policy. Autism in Adulthood, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/25739581251366361
* Chakurian, D. E. (2021). Resilience in family caregivers of adults with autism spectrum disorder: An integrative review of the literature. Innovation in Aging, 5(Suppl. 1), 817–818. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igab046.2981
* Benson, J. J., Washington, K. T., Landon, O. J., Chakurian, D. E., Demiris, G., & Oliver, D. P. (2023). When family life contributes to cancer caregiver burden in palliative care. Journal of Family Nursing, 29(3), 275–287. https://doi.org/10.1177/10748407231167545 (PubMed⁠)
* Washington, K. T., Benson, J. J., Chakurian, D. E., Popejoy, L. L., Demiris, G., Rolbiecki, A. J., & Oliver, D. P. (2021). Comfort needs of cancer family caregivers in outpatient palliative care. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, 23(3), 221–228. https://doi.org/10.1097/NJH.0000000000000744 
* Chakurian, D. E., & Popejoy, L. L. (2021). Utilizing the Care Coordination Atlas as a framework: An integrative review of transitional care models. International Journal of Care Coordination, 24(2), 57–71. https://doi.org/10.1177/20534345211001615

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

Gerontological Society of America
Western Institute of Nursing

Community Service

Within the California developmental disability community, she has served on community advisory committees, a task force, and contributed to creating a statewide caregiver education initiative. She is passionate about translating research into practice through partnerships that improve community health outcomes and promote person-centered, evidence-based care.

Honors & Awards

* American Academy of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Outstanding Dissertation Award Nominee (2025)
* University of Missouri Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation Award Nominee (2025)
* Midwest Nursing Research Society Gerontological Nursing Science Dissertation Award (2025)
* Griffiths Leadership Society for Women, University of Missouri (2024)
* Sinclair School of Nursing PhD Student Award for Overall Excellence (2023)
* Sinclair Fellowship, Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri (2018–2021)