Elena Capella, EdD, RN
Associate Professor
Community Health Systems
School of Nursing

My research interest is how healthcare professionals apply leadership skills to improve patient care services.

I appreciate working with DNP students because their projects improve nursing practice and patient outcomes. It is an inspiration to see these practice-focused projects come together, from idea to implementation. The following is a partial list of the DNP projects I have had the pleasure to supervise:

-Implementation of an Agitation Scale in Three Emergency Departments in an Urban Area of Northern California

-Development and Implementation of an Evidence-Based Practice Mentor Fellowship

-Manager Onboarding to Improve Knowledge and Confidence to Lead Performance Improvement Teams

-Building Excellence through Shared Governance and Continuous Process Improvement

-Program Implementation for New Graduate Nurses to go from Moral Distress to Moral Courage

-USP <800> Compliance: A Hazardous Drug Safe-Handling Quality Improvement Project for Ambulatory Care Infusion Nurses

-An Evidence-Based Approach to Improving Nurse-Patient Communication and Patient Experience

-Telehealth Appointments to Increase Therapy Compliance in Patients with Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea

-Improving Nurse Engagement through Unit Practice Councils

-An Education Program for Novice Nurses to Increase Case Management Knowledge

-Implementation of a Mentor Program to Support Nurse Retention

-Implementing a Nurse-Driven Protocol for Urinary Catheter Management

-Manager Leadership: Beginning at Novice

-Expanding Magnetic Resonance Imaging Access for Patients with Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices

-Implementation Plan for EMR and Beyond

-Burnout, Depression, and Suicide Prevention for Nursing Staff in High-Intensity Settings

-TeamSTEPPS: A Foundation for Shared Governance in a High-Risk Obstetrical/Neonatal Service Line