Savitha Chandramohan is committed to reducing her patients’ emergency visits and hospital stays.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student at the School of Nursing has focused her studies on  patient care and staff education, as she believes knowledge is fundamental to reaching her goals and improving the care of her patients.

“My conviction is that education is for all of us,” Chandramohan says. “Empowerment through conveying such knowledge makes a difference in patients’ quality of life and their health outcome. The reduction of costly and stressful intervention will, in turn, both improve both patients’ morale and mental health and lower everyone’s costs.”

Before coming to UConn, Chandramohan attended Capitol Community College to complete her associate’s degree in nursing. She then studied at the University of St. Joseph, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s in nursing. In addition to her nursing degrees, she holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, which she completed in India.

Chandramohan spent the first six years of her career as a registered nurse, before being promoted to supervisor for another four years. In March 2020, she began a position as a medical and mental health provider, visiting and providing care to assisted living, behavioral, long-term care, and subacute facility patients.

“I am proud of, and humbled by, the changes we as health care workers make in others’ lives,” Chandramohan says.

Her plans for improving the quality of health care for patients, however, have only just begun. Through her studies in the doctoral program, Chandramohan hopes to advance nursing staff education and reduce falls among patients. Her doctoral project is titled “Fall Reduction and Nursing Staff Education in Skilled Nursing Facility.”

“With this advanced degree, I will be more qualified to give the highest level of customized care — with ethics and safety at its core — to my patients,” Chandramohan says. “Through the DNP curriculum, I can perfect my knowledge to manage complex pathology with drugs, advanced tests, and treatments.”

UConn’s program has fostered an empowering learning environment for Chandramohan. She says the experiences it provides and the supporting professional staff have been instrumental in her education.

Chandramohan also notes that faculty members Anna Bourgault and Joy Elwell have been exceptional, supportive mentors during the program, and are part of the reason why UConn was her school of choice.

“UConn is a leading international voice in health care research, teaching, and innovation,” she says. “I have always quietly admired the UConn culture.”

A rigorous curriculum, faculty support, and innovative research are fundamental to the DNP program and, Chandramohan says, have been monumental in shaping her education.

“I am confident that my conscious and mindful integration of theory and practice will make me an asset who can help optimize any health care organization,” she says.

Following completion of the program, Chandramohan hopes to conduct community-based interventions and focus on the education of prevention and promotion within families and their health issues.

“I aspire to be a scientific thinker who puts the science of my advanced studies into action to promote the wellness of my patients,” she says. “I firmly believe that the advanced-level focus of the DNP program will help me better support my patients, their families, my staff, my institution, and my community.”

The UConn School of Nursing DNP Program is accepting applications until Dec. 1. Learn more and apply at dnp.nursing.uconn.edu.

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