Rozmin B.  Jiwani, PhD, RN

Rozmin Jiwani (PhD, RN) is a nurse-scientist with clinical and research background in patients living with chronic conditions. These experiences led her to pursue a PhD to advance her understanding of the impact of chronic conditions, the role of modifiable behaviors, and identifying barriers to help improve quality of life. Her dissertation project, using a mixed-methods design, examined illness perception and coping behaviors related to coronary artery disease (CAD) among high-risk South Asians living in the US. The findings from this project identified the population-specific barriers, impact of modifiable behaviors in the progression of CAD, and laid the foundation to develop a culturally tailored intervention. To expand her chronic conditions research experience in aging and geriatrics, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship supported by the Geriatrics Research, Education, and Clinical Center at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. During the fellowship, she focused on the role of obesity, insulin resistance, and frailty. She was then selected as an RL5 Scholar through San Antonio Claude D. Pepper Center and received a competitive RL5 pilot award. With expanding interest in geroscience, her goal is to develop interventions to reduce frailty, identify barriers to reduce the impact of chronic conditions, and improve healthspan. 

• Professional Background

  Education

  • 2019 - Postdoctoral Fellowship - Research - South Texas Veterans Health Care System
  • 2016 - Postdoctoral Fellowship - Research - The University of North Texas HSC-Center for Health Disparities
  • 2013 - Doctor of Philosophy - Nursing - The University of Texas Health Science Center
  • 2009 - Master of Science in Nursing - Nursing - The University of Texas Health Science Center
  • 2005 - Bachelor of Science in Nursing - Nursing - The University of Texas Health Science Center
  • 1993 - DPL - Nursing - The Aga Khan University

  Highlights

  Licensures and Certifications

  • Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist
  • Advance Practice Nursing Adult Medical Surgical Clinical Nurse Specialist
  • Registered Nurse (Texas)

  Honors and Awards

  • 2020, Rosemary Kerr McKevitt Memorial Research Award 
  • 2020, Postdoctoral Geriatric Research Fellow: Postdoctoral Geriatric Research Fellow from the South Texas Veterans Health Care Systems 
  • 2019, RL5 Scholar: San Antonio Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center 
  • 2019, RL5 Research Pilot Award

  Appointments

  • 2016 - present - Assistant Professor/Clinical - UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing
  • 2017 - 2020 - Advanced Geriatric Fellow - South Texas Veterans Health Care System
  • 2013 - 2016 - Assistant Professor/Clinical - UT Health San Antonio, Department of Health Restoration and Care Systems Management

• Instruction & Training

  • 2016 - present, NURS 3204 Health Assessments: Theoretical Foundations, UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing
  • 2016 - present, NURS 3272-001 Health Assessment and Promotion: Theoretical Foundations, UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing
  • 2016, NURS 3110 Health Assessments: Clinical Assessments, UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing
  • 2016, NURS 4420 Trans to Professional Nursing Practice, UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing
  • 2015 - 2016 , NURS 6110 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning: Clinical Application, UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing
  • 2015 - 2016 , NURS 6210 Advanced Hlth Assessment & Clinical Reasoning, UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing
  • 2015, NURS 5338, Advance Pathophysiology, UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing

• Research & Grants

  Grants

  Currently Funded:  

  • P30 AG044271- Musi (PI). 06/30/20-04/30/25: Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center RL5 award. The RL5 Award is to acquire research experience in behavioral lifestyle research among adults, to prevent or delay the onset of frailty, and to gain experience conducting clinical studies in older adults. Role: RL5 Scholar PI 
  • Claude D. Pepper Center Pilot Award (NIA), Jiwani (PI). 09/2019-Present. Effect of Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention on Frailty in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Study. Role: PI 

  Educational Grant  

  • 2018 – 2019, Clinical Demonstration Project, I contributed to a GRECC-funded clinical demonstration project to develop educational modules about congestive heart failure for patients and caregivers for the goal of reducing unnecessary hospital readmissions. 

  Pending Submissions: 

  • 2021, Funder: NIA (K23) Grant # K23AG071854.Dollars: $410,666.00. Title:  Mobile Health Enhanced Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Frailty in Overweight/ Obese Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes. Role: PI 

  Submitted and Not Funded or Unfunded Research/Projects: 

  • 2020, Funder: NIA (K23) Grant # K23AG071854. Dollars: $410,666.00. Title:  Mobile Health Enhanced Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Frailty in Overweight/ Obese Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes. Role: PI 

  Completed Research/Projects: 

  • Sigma Theta Tau Research Grant, Jiwani (PI), 12/01/11-7/01/13. This grant supported my dissertation. Illness Perceptions, Coping Behaviors, and Appraisal of South Asian Immigrants with Coronary Artery Disease: A Mixed Methods Study. Role: PI 
  • Academic Affairs Research Grant from UTHSCSA, Jiwani (PI), 12/01/11-7/01/13. This grant supported my dissertation. Illness Perceptions, Coping Behaviors, and Appraisal of South Asian Immigrants with Coronary Artery Disease: A Mixed Methods Study. Role: PI. Nursing Advisory Council Research Grant from UTHSCSA, Jiwani (PI), 07/01/15-1/01/16. The goal is to conduct an integrative review to aggregate important measures on the impact of multiple behavioral lifestyle interventions, especially culturally tailored, to reduce or prevent cardiovascular disease risk factors in the South Asian population. Role: PI 

  Teaching Projects 

  • 2016 – Present, Mentoring Faculty Members, I precepted a faculty member, Sandy Weeks, while she completed an online, post master’s nurse educator course at UT Tyler. She completed 103 hours of practicum—in both theory and clinical—with me. In the theory class, she gained experience developing and presenting lectures, developing/evaluating quizzes and exams, individual exam review sessions, assisting in group presentations, peer evaluations, etc. I continue to mentor new faculty members as they share their knowledge in my courses as guest speakers. 
  • 2015 – Present,   Evidence-Based Health Promotion Project, Evidence-Based Health Promotion Project, I incorporated an Evidence-Based Health Promotion project in the first-semester curriculum (10% of grade) where students as a group chose a health promotion topic from the list of topics provided by me. After topics were approved, the groups conducted literature reviews and presented their findings as abstracts. On the first day of the class, I provided in-depth instructions and a rubric on how to complete the group project. I continued to reinforce any questions throughout the semester. This project started to gain attention from other research faculty members. In Spring 2016, Drs. Patel, Puga, and Grotta offered to mentor students. Students presented their abstracts using poster presentations. They received positive feedback from the faculty members and other students from the School. The printing costs of the posters were supported by the Office of Nursing Research and Scholarships. In addition, students were asked to present their posters during Nurses Week. Although funding issues prevented further poster presentations, I continued with teaching methods that get students excited about research. 
  • 2015 – Present,  Interactive Review Question, This group activity prepares the class for the final comprehensive exam. I provide instructions for students to work in groups to develop high-level, critical thinking, exam-style questions based on assigned learning objectives. Each group produces 5 questions to summarize as much material as possible by asking select all that apply or except for style questions. The groups use Kahoot, bingo, and other fun ways to summarize the content and prepare the class for the final exam. I count this activity as their final quiz grade. 
  • 2019 – 2020, As a guest faculty, I taught cardiac, neck. and peripheral vascular assessments to graduate nursing students  
  • 2017 – 2019, Annual Speaker to Medical Students Training in Ageing Research (MSTAR) from UT Health San Antonio – “History and Protection of Human Subjects in Research”. South Texas Veterans Health Care System 
  • 2017 – 2019, I taught and observed objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) for final year medical students, internal medicine, family medicine, and multidisciplinary teams (Registered Nurse, Social Worker, Chaplain interns) from UTHSA and STVHCS related to “Pain Management,” “Breaking Bad News with Terminal Illnesses,” and “Using Tools for Fall and Instrumental/Activities for daily living (ADA/IADL) Assessments in Geriatrics.” 

• Service

  School

  • 2020 – Present, Mentoring 2 students from the Summer Undergraduate Nursing Research Immersion Experience [SUNRISE] program) and 1 graduate student from Personalized Molecular Medicine, who are helping with my current RL5 pilot research study. Mentoring them on several aspects of my research study as entering data in Redcap, recruiting participants, completing study-related questionnaires and assessments, writing abstracts, manuscripts, and analyze focus group data. 
  • 2019 – 2020, Mentoring 4 research students (1 accelerated undergraduate nursing student, 1 graduate student from Personalized Molecular Medicine, and 2 students from the Summer Undergraduate Nursing Research Immersion Experience [SUNRISE] program) who are helping with my current RL5 pilot study. I am mentoring them on several aspects of my research study, such as entering data in Redcap, recruiting participants, completing study-related questionnaires and assessments, writing abstracts and manuscripts, and analyzing focus group data

  Institutional

  • 2020 – Present, UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Council, Member  
  • 2020 – 2022, UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing Committee on Scholarship, Member 
  • 2015 – 2017, UT Health San Antonio Committee on Undergraduate Studies, Member 
  • 2014 – 2017, UT Health San Antonio Conflict of Interest Committee, Member 

  Service to the Profession

  • 2021 – Present,  Reviewer, The Geriatric Nursing  
  • 2021 – Present,  Co-Chair, San Antonio Indian Nurses Association Research/Doctoral Advisory 
  • 2020 – Present,  Reviewer, The Journal of Medical Internet Research 
  • 2019 – Present,  Reviewer, The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing 
  • 2014 – Present,  Reviewer, The Journal of American Nurse Today 

  Professional Affiliations 

  • 2020 – Present,  San Antonio Indian Nurses Association  
  • 2020 – Present,    Asian American/Pacific Islander Nurses Association 
  • 2019 – Present, American Aging Association 
  • 2017 – Present,  Gerontological Society of America 
  • 2010 – Present,  Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association 
  • 2009 – Present,  American Heart Association 

  Community Service

  • 2008 – Present, Volunteer Annual Fundraising Campaign for the Aga Khan Foundation  
  • 2001 –  Present, Health Board Member Aga Khan Community Center  
  • 2020, Invited Speaker to educate Muslim Community Senior Center the audience and possibly recruit participants for pilot study about Preventing Frailty and Type 2 Diabetes using Multiple Behavioral Lifestyle Interventions 
  • 2019, Invited Speaker to educate Towers of Park Lane and possibly recruit participants for a pilot study about Preventing Frailty and Type 2 Diabetes using Multiple Behavioral Lifestyle Interventions 
  • 2019, Invited Speaker to advise  OAIC Community Advisory Board Committee about Research study and to recruit possible participants for a pilot study about Preventing Frailty and Type 2 Diabetes using Multiple Behavioral Lifestyle Interventions  
  • 2019, Invited Speaker to educate Bob Ross Senior Center the audience and possibly recruit participants for a pilot study about Preventing Frailty and Type 2 Diabetes using Multiple Behavioral Lifestyle Interventions 

• Publications

  Peer-reviewed Articles (*indicates data-based) 

  • *Dissertation/Thesis - Jiwani R . Illness Perceptions, Coping Behaviors, and Appraisal of South Asian Immigrants with Coronary Artery Disease: A Mixed Methods Study 2013 
  • R. Jiwani, J. Wang, C. Li, B. Dennis, D. Patel, J. Gelfond, Q. Liu, N. Siddiqui, C. Bess, S. Monk, M. Serra, S. Espinoza. A Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention to Improve Frailty in Overweight or Obese Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Feasibility Study Journal of Frailty and Aging 2021 Apr;10 
  • *Jiwani R, Dennis B, Chandler B, Monk S, Meyer K, Wang J, Espinoza S. Assessing acceptability and patient experience of a behavioral lifestyle intervention using Fitbit technology in older adults to manage Type 2 diabetes amid COVID-19 pandemic: a focus group study Geriatric Nursing 2021 Jan;42(1):57-64. 
  • *Ko J, Du Y, Jiwani R, Li C, Wang J.. Personalized Behavioral Nutrition Intervention in Older Asian Americans with Type 2 Diabetes during COVID-19 Pandemic: Study Protocol for a Pilot, Hybrid, Randomized Controlled Trial Nursing Research 2021 Jan 
  • *Jiwani R, Wang CP, Orsak, B, MacCarthy, D, Kellogg D, Powers B, Wang, J, Padala, P, Padala, K, Espinoza S. A geriatrics Walking Clinic Improves Hemoglobin A1c and Time Gait in Veterans with Type 2 Diabetes Geriatric Nursing 2020 Oct 
  • *Du Y, Dennis B, Rhodes S, Sia M, Ko J, Jiwani R, Wang, J. Technology Assisted Self-Monitoring of Lifestyle Behaviors and Health Indicators in Diabetes: A Qualitative Evaluation Journal of Medical Internet Research Diabetes 2020 Aug;5(3) 
  • *Jiwani R, Wang J, Berndt A, Ramaswamy P, Mathew Joseph N, Du Y, Ko J, Espinoza S Changes in Patient-Reported Outcome Measures With a Technology-Supported Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Pilot Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial JMIR Diabetes 2020;5(3):e19268 DOI: 10.2196/19268 .  
  • *Espinoza, SE; Jiwani, RB; Wang, C-P; Wang, J.. Review of Interventions for the Frailty Syndrome and the Role of Metformin as a Potential Pharmacologic Agent for Frailty Prevention Clinical Therapeutic 2019 Nov;41(3):376-386 
  • *Espinoza SE, Musi M, Wang CP, Michalek JE, Orsak, Beverly, Romo, T, Powers BB, Conde, A, Moris, M, Bair-Kelps, D, Li, Y, Ganapathy, V, Jergensen, T, Kelly, C, Jiwani RB. Rationale and Study Design of a Randomized Clinical Trial of Metformin to Prevent Frailty in Older Adults With Prediabetes The Journal of Gerontology 2019 Mar 
  • *Jiwani R, Gerry S, Patel D. A Review of Culturally Tailored Interventions to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease in South Asians Cardiovascular Disorder and Medicine 2018 Jun;3(3):1-6 

  Non-Peer-reviewed Articles (i. e. editorials, news articles, etc.) 

  • Jiwani R. Aga Khan Foundation USA: Everything is Big in Texas 2017 Nov. Available from: https://www.akfusa.org/our-stories/everything-bigger-texas/ 
  • Jiwani R. The Huffington Post: Humans of the World: A Doctor in Nursing Gives Back 2016 Nov. Available from: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/humansoftheworld-a-doctor_b_13204070 

  Abstracts 

  • *Jiwani R, Wang, J, Li, C, Espinoza S. Evaluating a Mobile-Health-Enhanced Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention for Frailty in Diabetes: A Feasibility Study Oxford University Press; 2020 Dec. p. 401-402. (Innovation in Aging; vol. 4, no. 1) 
  • Jiwani R. Illness Perceptions, Coping Behaviors, and Appraisal of South Asians Immigrants with Coronary Artery Disease: A Mixed Methods Study Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 2020 Vol. 29, no 5.  

  Invited Podium Presentations (i. e. keynotes presentations)  

  • 2020, Effect of Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention on Frailty, Health Technologies Research Interest Group (HTRIG), Health Technologies Research Interest Group (HTRIG), UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX (Invited Speaker) 
  • 2020, Frailty, Diabetes, and Older Adults Meet the Scientists of the Biobehavioral Lab, Committee on Scholarship, UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing, San Antonio, TX (Invited Speaker) 
  • 2020, Presented my RL5 pilot research study at the Endocrinology Grand Rounds for possible recruitment, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX (Invited Speaker) 
  • 2017, Initiating palliative Care in the Early Stages of Heart Failure: A Quality Improvement Project, Health Science Research Work-in-Progress Meetings, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX (Invited Speaker) 
  • 2012 Influence of Acculturation on South Asian Immigrants with Coronary Heart Disease in the United States, Committee on Scholarship Meeting, UTHSCSA School of Nursing, San Antonio, TX (Invited Speaker) Presented findings from the literature review on the influence of acculturation on South Asians in western countries with coronary artery disease during dissertation preparation. 

  Peer Reviewed Podium Presentations  

  • 2020, Effect of Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention on Frailty in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes, San Antonio Pepper Center Annual Retreat, San Antonio Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, San Antonio, TX (Sole Presenter) 
  • 2018, Cardiovascular Diseases in Older Adults (2 Days), Annual Geriatric Conference Building Partnerships for Geriatric Care, Theme: Promoting Healthy Aging, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX (Invited Speaker) As an invited speaker and gave two presentations (Cardiovascular Disease in Older Adults - Blood Pressure Measurement in Older Adults) at the 8th Annual Geriatric Conference entitled Building Partnerships for Geriatric Care: Promoting Healthy Aging. 

  Peer Reviewed Poster Presentations  

   

  • 2020, Evaluating a Mobile-Health-Enhanced Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention for Frailty in Diabetes: A Feasibility Study, The Gerontological Society of America (Sole Presenter) Poster presentation 
  • 2019, Effect of Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention on Frailty and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Study, Claude D Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers Annual Meeting, Claude D Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers, Arlington, VA (Sole Presenter). Poster presentation  
  • 2018, Metformin for Preventing Frailty in Older Adults with Pre-Diabetes, American Geriatrics Society 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting, Orlando, FL Co-Author poster presentation . 
  • 2018, Validating the Spanish Version of the Evidence-Based Stress-Busting Program for Family Caregivers, American Geriatrics Society 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting, Orlando, FL Co-Author poster presentation .