Versie Johnson-Mallard, PhD, ARNP, an assistant professor at the College of Nursing at the University of South Florida, has won a competitive grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to study strategies to prevent the spread of viral sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among college students and young adults. She is one of just 15 nurse educators from around the country chosen this year to be a Nurse Faculty Scholar. The RWJF grants the award, which provides salary and research support, to junior faculty who show outstanding promise as future leaders in academic nursing.

In her research, Versie will develop a PowerPoint education intervention about STIs, including human papillomavirus, herpes simplex virus, hepatitis B, and human immunodeficiency virus. Students will be able to access the presentation electronically, in private and as often as they wish. Follow-up surveys will determine whether students using the presentation become more knowledgeable about the diseases and are more likely to take preventive measures, such as vaccinations and use of condoms.