Rachael Beard is a nurse researcher and clinical educator for the St. Louis VA Healthcare System within the Learning and Organizational Development service. She currently serves as the PI on our newly approved study Move the Needle. This is the first study of its kind at our facility!
Rachael began with the VHA in 2009 as the Veteran Health Education Coordinator and My HealthEVet Coordinator. Over the past 13 years she has served in many capacities including nursing education, continuing education, graduate medical education, and patient education. Rachael is currently focused on developing and sustaining evidence-based practice and research across the nursing workforce. In this role Rachael supports the clinical and professional development of nurses throughout the organization while engaging in her own innovative program of research focused on transitional care and psychosocial determinants of health. She is passionate about supporting and mentoring nurses who aim to improve nursing practice and veteran-centric care through EBP and research methodologies. Dr. Beard serves as the site-PI for the MIRROR-TCM trial overseeing the local study team delivering the transitional care intervention to enrolled study participants. Dr. Beard also chairs the Nursing EBP and Research Committee, serves on the St. Louis VAHCS Institutional Review Board, the Nurse Executive Board, and on the executive board for the National Veterans Education and Information Network. She holds a PhD in nursing, an EdD in educational leadership, and is a graduate faculty member at a local university. In her free time she most enjoys spending time outdoors and on the water (any body of water is good but the Lake of the Ozarks and the Emerald Coast of Florida are her two favorites!), Jeeping, and watching her son play baseball and tennis.
Rachael began with the VHA in 2009 as the Veteran Health Education Coordinator and My HealthEVet Coordinator. Over the past 13 years she has served in many capacities including nursing education, continuing education, graduate medical education, and patient education. Rachael is currently focused on developing and sustaining evidence-based practice and research across the nursing workforce. In this role Rachael supports the clinical and professional development of nurses throughout the organization while engaging in her own innovative program of research focused on transitional care and psychosocial determinants of health. She is passionate about supporting and mentoring nurses who aim to improve nursing practice and veteran-centric care through EBP and research methodologies. Dr. Beard serves as the site-PI for the MIRROR-TCM trial overseeing the local study team delivering the transitional care intervention to enrolled study participants. Dr. Beard also chairs the Nursing EBP and Research Committee, serves on the St. Louis VAHCS Institutional Review Board, the Nurse Executive Board, and on the executive board for the National Veterans Education and Information Network. She holds a PhD in nursing, an EdD in educational leadership, and is a graduate faculty member at a local university. In her free time she most enjoys spending time outdoors and on the water (any body of water is good but the Lake of the Ozarks and the Emerald Coast of Florida are her two favorites!), Jeeping, and watching her son play baseball and tennis.