Lisa M. Cleveland PhD, RN, CPNP, IBCLC, NTMNC

Lisa Cleveland, PhD, RN, CPNP, IBCLC, is an Assistant Professor at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, School of Nursing. She is also the principal investigator for a PCORI Pipeline to Proposal project to develop a Bexar County Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Collaborative (BCNC). NAS is a group of withdrawal symptoms experienced by infants prenatally exposed to opioids. US rates of NAS have increased fivefold since 2000. Bexar County, Texas, which includes the San Antonio area, has been disproportionately affected, accounting for one-third of NAS cases reported annually in the state. Therefore, the purpose of the BCNC, a nurse-led collaborative, is to engage patient/family partners, community stakeholders, clinicians, and researchers in the identification of research priorities specific to NAS. These priorities will be based on outcomes that matter to the BCNC’s partners and will guide the development of future patient-centered outcomes/comparative effectiveness research.