S2CER2 Fellowship Program

Systems Science and Comparative and Cost-Effectiveness Research Training for Nurse Scientists (S2CER2)

Funded by an NIH-NINR T32 Institutional Training Grant, the Systems Science and Comparative and Cost-Effectiveness Research Training for Nurse Scientists (S2CER2) program aims to train the next generation of nurse scientists to conduct research on: a) strengthening health care delivery; b) developing and implementing interventions that address conditions of daily living across the lifespan; and c) designing systems and models of care to address clinical, organizational, and policy challenges.

Each pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellow is matched with two faculty mentors—one within nursing and one from another field—to advise them in pursuing original research and helping to prepare them for influential careers as nurse scientists and advocates.

The program builds on the complementary strengths of Columbia University School of Nursing’s faculty who have expertise in mentoring pre and postdoctoral fellows in S2CER2 methods and the robust infrastructure of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Columbia University School of Nursing.

What is S2CER2?

S2CER2 is a NINR-funded (T32NR014205) pre and postdoctoral fellowship program aimed to prepare nurse scientists to conduct research to strengthen our healthcare system . Fellows are provided with the foundation required to recognize and address the real world needs of patients, providers and policy makers by examining the comparative and/or cost effectiveness of competing interventions across the continuum of care and designing systems and models of care to address clinical, organizational, and policy challenges.

What does a S2CER2 fellowship offer?

  • Mentoring and research support: Fellows are matched with two faculty mentors to advise them as they pursue one or more original research projects. For predoctoral fellows, this research project is the student’s dissertation.
  • Networking: Monthly seminars provide opportunities to meet with researchers and students from different disciplines, research, and practice environments.
  • Tuition, fees, and health insurance: Up to three years of tuition and fees are provided. All trainees receive individual or family health insurance.
  • Funds for travel and research-related supplies: Fellows receive funds to travel to one scientific meeting, annually, and additional funds are available to support research activities, as needed.
  • Stipends: Fellows receive stipends consistent with NIH guidelines

Who should apply for S2CER2?

  • Postdoctoral fellows must be a recent PhD graduate (within three years of defense of dissertation) from any accredited university who is also a registered nurse.
  • All applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Current Openings

Applications are currently closed. However, they will open again on November 1, 2026, as we will be looking for 2 postdoctoral trainees to start July 1, 2027. Please email chp@cumc.columbia.edu regarding deadlines and application materials. 

Current Predoctoral Fellows

  • Sarah S. Giordano RN, BSN, BHN-BC

    Sarah S. Giordano is a T32 predoctoral trainee for Systems Science and Comparative and Cost-Effectiveness Research Training for Nurse Scientists (S2CER2). Sarah is committed to advancing health services research focusing on vulnerable populations and elevating the nursing profession. With twenty years of nursing experience, primarily in an Emergency Department in New York City where she held a leadership role throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah also brings international expertise from primary care practice in Kenya, business development in Dubai, and nursing leadership at a wellness center in New York City. Her research focuses on the effectiveness and sustainability of home-based primary care models bringing skilled Nurse Practitioners to vulnerable patients who are homebound. Her dissertation seeks to apply mixed methods and social network analysis to explore how team composition and relational dynamics shape care coordination, quality, and workforce well-being. Sarah’s long-term goal is to inform innovative workforce and policy solutions that improve care delivery while strengthening the nursing workforce.   

  • Kyle Edward Reyes, MSN, APN, ACNPC-AG, CCRN, CWCN

    Kyle Edward Reyes is a Ph.D. student and pre-doctoral trainee in the Systems Science and Comparative and Cost-Effectiveness Research Training for Nurse Scientists (S2CER2) program at Columbia University School of Nursing. His research centers on improving the clinical care and outcomes of adults living with heart failure by understanding their symptom burden and quality of life experiences.  He is particularly interested in using disease-specific patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in order to characterize symptom patterns and high-risk subgroups, develop PROM-informed decision strategies that support timely interventions, and evaluate how clinical and behavioral factors contribute to adverse outcomes such as acute hospitalization and mortality.

    Professionally, he is a board-certified adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner through the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) and is licensed in both New Jersey and New York. The majority of his clinical experience has been in acute and critical care nursing since 2016, with his most recent role in the Medical ICU at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He earned his MSN with a specialization in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care from Seton Hall University, his BSN from Villanova University, and his AAS in Nursing from Bergen Community College.

Current Postdoctoral Fellows

  • Christine DeForge, PhD, RN, CCRN

    Christine DeForge is a postdoctoral research fellow whose program of research aims to improve end-of-life care for patients and families who experience critical illness.  Under the mentorship of Dr. Patricia Stone, her current work focuses on exploring variations in discharge disposition and hospice utilization for seriously ill hospitalized older adults.

  • Kathryn Leep-Lazar, PhD, RN

    Kathryn Leep-Lazar is a postdoctoral research fellow at Columbia University School of Nursing in the Center for Healthcare Delivery Research and Innovations. Her program of research examines nurse work environments and their impact on nurse, patient, and organizational outcomes. Her goal is to generate research that leads to policy and organizational changes that improve the health of both patients and clinicians.

  • Nahida Akter, PhD, RN

    Nahida Akter did her PhD in Nursing at Penn State. Her doctoral work focuses on workforce challenges and person-centered care in nursing homes, with particular emphasis on improving care quality and staff experiences in long-term care settings. Her research interests include qualitative methods, nursing workforce development, aging and long-term care, health equity, and community-engaged research. Dr. Akter is committed to translating research findings into practical strategies that support both caregivers and older adults.

  • Eunjo Kim, PhD, MSN, RN

    Eunjo Kim is a postdoctoral research fellow at Columbia University School of Nursing. She received her PhD in Nursing from Seoul National University. Drawing on her clinical experience as an ICU nurse in both South Korea and the United States, her research interests encompass infection control, nursing competency development, and psychometric instrument evaluation. Through her work, Dr. Kim aims to bridge the gap between empirical research and clinical practice, fostering safer healthcare environments for both patients and clinicians.

Prior Trainees

Learn more about S2CER2 and begin the application process

Contact Lusine Poghosyan, PhD, MPH, RN at lp2475@cumc.columbia.edu.

 

Back to top