Yea-Jyh Chen

Yea-Jyh Chen, Ph.D., RN, is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at the College of Health and Human Services, University of North Carolina Wilmington. With over 20 years of experience in higher education, she is dedicated to advancing nursing education by integrating practical skills and academic instruction. Dr. Chen’s current research focuses on complementary healing approaches that incorporate non-pharmacological interventions to promote holistic wellness and enhance self-care for patients and their caregivers. She has also broadened her research to better understand faculty effectiveness in online teaching and its influence on learning outcomes. Her other research efforts contributed to the collaborative development of the Pulmonary Functional Status Scale Short Form (PFSS-11©) and the Faculty Online Teaching Effectiveness Scale (FOTES). Dr. Chen received multiple federal, national, and institutional research grants and was recognized with the Nurse Honoree Award and the Daisy Award for Outstanding Nursing Educator in 2025.

Education

Ph.D. in Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, OH, USA
MSN in Critical Nursing Care, Case Western Reserve University, OH, USA
BSN, Chung Shan Medical-Dental College, Taiwan

Specialization in Teaching

NSG 321 – Gerontological Nursing and End of Life Care
NSG 411 – Complementary and Alternative Therapies
NSG 415 – Research in Nursing
NSG 480 – Transcultural Health Care
NSG 683 – Statistics for Evidence-based Practice

Research Interests

Integrative and Holistic Health Approaches
Biofield Energy Healing
Personalized Self-care for Chronic Illness
Oncology In-home Symptom Management
Online Teaching Effectiveness
Research Methodology and Psychometrics

Professional Service

American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) Research Committee
Former Ad Hoc Grant Reviewer for Oncology Nursing Foundation Research Grant, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Pilot Project, and NIH Center for Scientific Review, Healthcare Delivery and Methodologies Integrated Review Groups
Former Member of the Conference Planning Committee for the AHNA

Honors & Awards

Nurse Honoree at the Annual Nurses Day Celebration, UNCW SON & NCNA, 2025
The Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nursing Educator, Daisy Foundation, 2025
Recognition of Teacher Appreciation by the Graduating Classes, UNCW, 2021-2025